Beamont, Roland Prosper (Oral history)

British civilian test pilot with Gloster Aircraft Company in GB, 1946; chief test pilot with English Electric and British Aircraft Corporation, 1946-1968; director of test flying with British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1968-1978

REEL 1 Recollections of period as test pilot with Gloster Aircraft Company in GB, 1946-1947: story of being released as POW from Stalag Luft IV, Luckenwalde, Germany, 1945; postings with RAF prior to release, 1945-1946; obtaining employment as experimental test pilot with Glosters; test work on Gloster Meteor Mk IV; story of breaking world airspeed record, 1946; reasons for not taking permanent commission in RAF. Recollections of period as chief test pilot with English Electric and British Aircraft Corporation, 1947-1964: obtaining employment as test pilot with company; background to English Electric becoming involved in the contract to build twin engined jet bomber; receiving reference from Sir Roderick Hill. REEL 2 Continues: relations between chief engineer and chief test pilot; relations between Teddy Petter and Harold Penrose; Air Ministry's planned allocation of aircraft production; character of De Havilland Vampire; his relations with Teddy Petter; how the development programme was carried out on English Electric Canberra; opinion of the members of design team; role of Frederick Page in his obtaining employment with company; attachment to Wright-Patterson airbase in US to fly American jet aircraft, 1948-1949; flying North American F86 through the sound barrier. REEL 3 Continues: flight testing of English Electric Canberra, 1949; interest of Americans in English Electric Canberra altitude during flight down eastern seaboard of US; characteristics of English Electric Canberra; US and British modifications to increase altitude of English Electric Canberra; canopy of English Electric Canberra B8; trans-Atlantic record breaking flight in English Electric Canberra Mk V; altitude records with modified English Electric Canberra; size of test pilot team by 1964; background to development of experimental supersonic English Electric P1; character of English Electric P1; method of increasing visibility from cockpit for landing in English Electric P1; development of English Electric P1B, 1953-1954; test flying English Electric P1 and P1B; problems with English Electric Lightening T4 and T5 trainers; story of test pilot bailing out of English Electric T5. REEL 4 Continues: development of larger tailfin on English Electric Lightening; flying General Dynamics F 102 Delta Dagger and Lockheed F 104 Starfighter in US, 1958; losses of test pilots flying Lockheed F 104 Starfighter and subsequent US sales to foreign governments; flying Convair F106 Delta Dart; increasing fuel capacity of English Electric Lightning; memories of Duncan Sandys and Julian Amery; opinion of potential longevity of BAC TSR 2 if it had entered service with RAF; question of reasons for cancellation of BAC TSR 2 project; French Government support for their aircraft industry; consortium formed to develop BAC TSR2 and how the work was divided up. REEL 5 Continues: effects of cancellation of BAC TSR2 project on English Electric; provision of English Electric Lightnings to Saudi Arabia from 1965. Aspects of period as director of flying with British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1968-1978: collaboration with French on SEPECAT Jaguar project; role of SEPECAT Jaguar in Gulf War, 1991; working with French on SEPECAT Jaguar; specifications for Panavia Tornado and organisation of project; taking role as director of flying; success of the Panavia Tornado project; background to flying prototype Panavia Tornado; problems of international collaboration; further details of specification of Panavia Tornado; development of Panavia Tornado F3. Attitude to serving in RAF during Second World War. Memories of Sidney Camm. REEL 6 Continues: Attitude to working in aviation industry.