John Farley

John Frederick Farley, (17 April 1933 – 13 June 2018) was a British fighter pilot and test pilot for the Royal Air Force who was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his work in aviation. As a test pilot, he was heavily involved in the development of the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 and latterly the BAE Harrier. During his aviation career Farley flew over 80 different types of aircraft and was the first British pilot to fly the Mikoyan MiG-29.

Early life Farley gained his formative education at Hastings Grammar School.

Career Apprenticeship John Farley joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, as a student apprentice in 1950. This saw him fly as a flight test observer on various programmes, leading to him developing a professional relationship with numerous test pilots. Having been introduced to Group Captain Sammy Wroath, who was aware of Farley's technical ability, he was encouraged to learn to fly. Farley chose to join the Royal Air Force rather than to attend civilian flying college at Cranfield with an aim to becoming a test pilot. following which, ten days later, Farley also became the first person to undertake a take off with the aid of the 'ski-jump'.

Farley's autobiography A View From The Hover is widely regarded as an aviation classic, and essential reading for anyone aspiring to develop a knowledge of test flying.