LIONEL,
     In a message dated 03-26-98 you wrote ...
> JS> Indies. I believe he was awarded the George Medal for the mapping of
> JS> Imperial Airways routes in India.
>
> probably not the George Medal" I don't _think_ that was around until
> WWII, and then was a civilian decoration that approximated to the VC.
 Don't know WHEN he won it but he did....
 He retired from DeHaviland in 1939 and when war started became
 a Group Captain in the RAF. Was some kind of expert on accidents.
 For Fighters and gliders.
> But early pilots? I was taught to fly on open cockpit Tiger Moths by an
> ex-RFC pilot. The then head of the Hamble airline school near
> Southampton used to come over and I would get freebie flights in the
> back seat as they did dog-fights over Langston Harbour just east of
> Portsmouth. Great stuff: we had a sailplane instructor as well who used
> to wear his old RFC wings.
  Freddy also held many early glider and sailplane records.
  Remember he was a pilot before the RFC was formed. I believe
  he said his license numbber was 14 or there about. I asked
  once how much flying time he had. He said the first 14 or 15
  years he was not required to keep a log book after that he
  logged between 35 and 40,000 hours.. Freddy died of a brain
  hemorrhage in fall of 1954 on the way to Denver. He and his
  wife, Doty were touring the US at their leisure...
   -=*  Jim Sanders  *=-
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