Alan Samuel Butler

Alan Butler
Born	Alan Samuel Butler Template:Birth date Gloucestershire, England
Died	May 24, 1987(1987-05-24) (aged 88)
Occupation(s)	Aviator, businessman
Years active	1919–1973
Known for	First private individual to own and pilot an aeroplane; chairman of De Havilland Aircraft Company (1923–1950)

Alan Butler (22 November 1898 – 24 May 1987), originally named Alan Samuel Butler, was a pioneering British aviator and, according to his obituary in The Times, recognised as the first private individual to both own and pilot an aeroplane. From 1923 until 1950, Butler served as chairman of the De Havilland Aircraft Company, which he financially backed. By the time of his departure, De Havilland employed around 20,000 people and was producing the Comet, the inaugural commercial jet airliner worldwide.

Born in Gloucestershire near Bristol in 1898, he was the son of Marion (née Cochran) and Samuel Butler, a successful Bristol merchant and inventor with multiple patents to his name. Following his father's death in July 1906, the seven-year-old Alan inherited considerable wealth. His Scottish-born mother remarried in 1913 during Alan’s attendance at Eton.

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10198, Berlin-Tempelhof, Ankunft der ersten Europa-Flieger.jpg

Europa Rundflug 1930
Alan Butler and co-pilot Hubert Broad at Berlin-Tempelhof

File:1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III - fvl2 (4609855835).jpg

Butler's personal Phantom III Rolls-Royce, noted for its distinctive aerodynamic windscreen

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Aircraft from the same era featuring a similarly styled windscreen

A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Butler completed his schooling during the First World War. Immediately after school, he attended the military academy at Sandhurst, graduating into the Coldstream Guards and arriving in France shortly after the Armistice. In 1919, while stationed on Wimbledon Common, he took flying lessons at Colonel G L P Henderson’s school located at Hounslow. There, he trained on Mono Avro aircraft. After concluding his military duties, Butler purchased his own plane and relocated to Newfoundland, where he established an aerial survey enterprise, which later became part of Aerofilms Limited under the Aircraft Operating Company.

In 1921, Butler commissioned Geoffrey de Havilland to construct an aircraft tailored to his specifications. This model became the first DH37A, which he named Sylvia after his sister. Impressed by both the aircraft and De Havilland’s staff, Butler extended financial support to the company and assumed its chairmanship from 1923 through to 1950.

Butler married Lois Knox-Niven (née Reid) in 1925; they had two children: a daughter named Carol and a son named David.

In 1923, Butler became the first English private owner to undertake a European tour by aircraft before departing for Labrador in search of a new Klondike. Throughout his career, he owned several De Havilland aircraft that he not only raced but also used to set world records. Both Alan and his Canadian-born wife Lois took part in the Europa Rundflug, a demanding 7,000-mile race around Europe in 1930. They flew separate planes; Butler piloted a DH-60G. Although Butler crossed the finish line first, he was disqualified due to a technicality. Lois Butler was among the earliest female pilots appointed to serve with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War.

By the time Butler stepped down from De Havilland in 1950, its workforce had grown to approximately 20,000 employees. His peers described him as "exceptionally conscientious and candid almost to a fault."

Beyond aviation, Butler owned a 250-ton ketch also named Sylvia, making frequent transatlantic crossings aboard her. The vessel was equipped with a full refrigeration system.

He was actively involved in local governance within South Bedfordshire, serving as a JP for many years. Butler continued flying until age seventy-five. His wife Lois passed away in 1970; their son David—who carried on the family’s yachting tradition—died in a road accident in 1972. In recognition of his contributions to aviation, he received the Royal Aero Club’s Gold Medal in 1973.

Alan Butler died at age eighty-eight and was survived by his daughter Carol Horton.

External links

• DH.37A, G-EBDO, Sylvia Archived 8 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine