Geoffrey de Havilland Jr.

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Geoffrey de Havilland Jr.
File:Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland Chief Test Pilot.jpg
Born	Template:Birth date Crux Easton, Hampshire, England
Died	27 September 1946(1946-09-27) (aged 36) Kent, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Test pilot
Spouses	Gwendoline Maud Alexander ​ ​ (m. 1933; div. 1942)​ Pipette Marion Scott Bruford ​ ​ (m. 1943)​
Relatives	Geoffrey de Havilland (father) John de Havilland (brother) Dame Olivia de Havilland (cousin) Joan Fontaine (cousin)

Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland Jr., OBE (18 February 1910 – 27 September 1946), was a British test pilot. He was the son of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, a notable English aviation pioneer and aircraft designer.

Early life

Born on 18 February 1910 in Crux Easton, Hampshire, Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland was the eldest child of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, founder of the de Havilland Aircraft Company, and his wife Louise (1881–1949). He had two younger siblings: Peter Jason, born in 1913, and John, born in 1918. His introduction to flying came remarkably early; at just eight months old, he was carried by his mother during a flight piloted by his father. By the age of six, he was already flying as a passenger alongside his father at Hendon Aerodrome in a D.H.6.

During his time at Stowe School between 1924 and 1927, his parents frequently visited him by landing their Gipsy Moth aircraft on a field within the school grounds.

In 1928, Geoffrey began a premium apprenticeship with the de Havilland company, initially working in the engineering division before spending his final two years in the drawing office. Concurrently, he undertook flight training at the Royal Air Force Reserve School situated at de Havilland's Stag Lane aerodrome, earning his "B" licence in 1929. After completing his apprenticeship in 1932, he left to work as a pilot for the Aircraft Operating Company, conducting aerial survey missions in South Africa. This role offered limited flying opportunities, so after six months he returned to England and took up positions as a flying instructor—first at the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School and subsequently at the London Aeroplane Club based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

Test pilot

During the early 1930s, Hubert Broad served as the chief test pilot for the de Havilland company, with Robert Waight fulfilling the role of production test pilot. By 1934, as production accelerated significantly, Geoffrey was given the chance to support production test flights. After Broad's departure in 1935, Waight assumed the chief test pilot position; however, he tragically died in the de Havilland T.K.4 accident in October 1937. Subsequently, at just 27 years old, Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. was promoted to chief test pilot. Waight's untimely death thrust Geoffrey into overseeing the development trials of the Albatross. This represented a major challenge for a pilot who had limited experience with diverse aircraft types. The Albatross featured cutting-edge design elements for its era: innovative engines, a novel ply-balsa composite structure, and an unconventional configuration. On 22 December 1938, Geoffrey conducted the inaugural flight of the Flamingo, de Havilland's first all-metal stressed-skin model. Over the following seven years, he performed maiden flights and development testing for every prototype produced by de Havilland, including the iconic de Havilland Mosquito and de Havilland Vampire.

On 11 April 1939, de Havilland and John Cunningham narrowly escaped death during spin testing of a Moth Minor. At an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 m), the aircraft was intentionally placed into a right-hand spin; however, engine failure disrupted airflow over the rudder and tailplane, rendering control inputs ineffective. After five unsuccessful rotations without recovery, both pilots ejected safely.

At the outbreak of World War II, de Havilland was producing Oxfords and Flamingos, which Geoffrey was actively testing. Amidst the intensity of the Battle of Britain, de Havilland also undertook urgent repairs on combat-damaged Hurricanes. During this period, Dick Reynell, a Hawker test pilot, visited to instruct Geoffrey on Hurricane flight characteristics. On one occasion while testing a repaired Hurricane at 4,000 feet (1,200 m), the entire canopy detached and struck Geoffrey's face. Although temporarily blinded, he managed to fly by positioning his face near the instrument panel and successfully landed despite severely impaired vision. This incident left lasting scars on his nose. In another instance, a Hurricane’s oxygen cylinder contained only compressed air; Geoffrey humorously attributed his resulting symptoms to excessive partying the night before.

Geoffrey piloted the initial flight of the Mosquito prototype (E0234) on 25 November 1940 from Hatfield aerodrome.Template:Fix/category A more demanding task was conducting the Mosquito fighter’s first flight in May 1941.Template:Fix/category Although this aircraft was built at de Havilland’s dispersal facility at Salisbury Hall, Geoffrey ingeniously created a 450-yard (410 m) makeshift runway by having bridges constructed over nearby ditches in adjacent fields to avoid six weeks of airframe transport and reassembly at Hatfield; he then flew the fighter back to Hatfield.

Following an informal inquiry from Henry Tizard in January 1941,Template:Fix/category de Havilland commenced development of an experimental jet fighter that evolved into the DH.100 Vampire.Template:Fix/category In preparation for this program, Geoffrey flew the Gloster E28/39.Template:When He performed the Vampire’s maiden flight on 20 September 1943, becoming only the third British test pilot—after Gloster’s Gerry Sayer and Michael Daunt—to conduct a first flight of a jet-powered aircraft.

In recognition of his contributions, de Havilland was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King's Birthday Honours list of 1945.

Death

On the evening of 27 September 1946, de Havilland lost his life while conducting high-speed trials in the de Havilland DH 108 TG306. The aircraft disintegrated over the Thames Estuary, with wreckage recovered the following day from the mud in Egypt Bay, near Gravesend, Kent. His body was discovered on the mudflats at Whitstable, his parachute pull ring remaining untouched; he sustained a fatal neck fracture caused by intense and violent longitudinal oscillations experienced by the aircraft before it broke apart. These oscillations propelled de Havilland’s head forcefully against the cockpit canopy. Capt. Eric "Winkle" Brown, another pilot familiar with the DH 108, theorized that de Havilland’s height contributed to his fatal injury; Brown himself endured similar oscillations during a test flight, but due to his shorter stature, he avoided contact between his head and the cockpit hood. This incident is referenced in the 1952 film The Sound Barrier, directed by David Lean.

Following Geoffrey’s death, John Cunningham took over as Chief Test Pilot.

Personal life

Geoffrey was related to actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine as their cousin. In 1933, he wed Gwendoline Maud Alexander; their marriage ended in divorce in 1942. The following year, he married Pipette Marion Scott Bruford. Neither marriage produced children. His younger brother, John de Havilland, also served as a test pilot for the de Havilland company but tragically perished in 1943 during a midair collision while piloting a Mosquito aircraft.Template:Fix/category

{{Tree chart | | |P30| |P31| |P32| | | | | | | | | |P7 | |P8| | | | | |P10 |P7=Benjamin Goodrich
1949-1991 |P8=Gisèle Galante
1956- |P10=Deborah Leslie
1949- |P30=Peter Jason de Havilland
1913-1977 |P31=Geoffrey de Havilland Jr.
1910-1946 |P32=John de Havilland
1918-1943 |boxstyle_P7=background:lightblue; |boxstyle_P8=background:pink; |boxstyle_P10=background:pink; |boxstyle_P30=background:lightblue; |boxstyle_P32=background:lightblue; |} Template:Tree chart/end Template:Chart bottom

References

• Birtles, Philip. "Beyond the Barrier." Aeroplane Monthly, August 1973.

External links

• "Britain's Test Pilots – No. 5 – Geoffrey de Havilland, OBE" – a 1946 article from Flight