- John Lankester Parker
John Lankester Parker
OBE FRAeS Hon.MSLAE ['Member of theSociety of Licensed Aircraft Engineers ', later 'Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers and Technologists ', later incorporated into the 'Royal Aeronautical Society '] (b. 1896, d.22 August 1965 ) was Chief Test Pilot forShort Brothers from 1918 until his retirement in 1945. He joined Shorts in 1916 as a part-time test pilot and assistant to then Chief Test PilotRonald Kemp , having been recommended for the post byCaptain , later Admiral Sir, Murray Sueter,RNAS . [Barnes & James, p.127.] By the time he retired he was a director of the company.First flying experience
He gained his first flying experience as a pilot flying for the
Northern Aircraft Company based in Windermere, where he worked between 1914 and 1916. It was during his time flying with the Northern Aircraft Company that he made the acquaintance of Murray Sueter, Ronald Kemp andOscar Gnosspelius , all of whom would figure later in his work at Shorts.In 1916 he joined the
Prodger-Isaacs Syndicate of freelance test pilots, working for several British aircraft manufacturers.horts
His first assignment with Shorts began on
17 October 1916, when he was asked byHorace Short to test fly a batch of sixShort Bomber s from the Eastchurch airfield. In spite of his relative youth, his flying skills impressed Horace Short, who soon offered him a permanent position as assistant to Ronald Kemp.He became Chief Test Pilot for Short Brothers in 1918 as successor to Ronald Kemp.Between 1918 and his last official flight as Chief Test Pilot on
22 August 1945 he flew every Shorts prototype on its maiden flight, ranging from the diminutiveShort Shirl (560 lb (254 kg)) to the very largeShort Shetland (75,860 lb (34,410 kg)). During the course of his long association with the company, especially during the early pioneering years, he survived numerous forced landings, both on land and on water.In 1943 he became a Director of Short Brothers and Harland Ltd., Belfast. [Barnes & James, p.31.]
Other activities
Parker was a long-time member of the
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators , serving as its Master from 1951 until 1953 and again from 1956 until 1957. [ [http://www.gapan.org/guildinfo/75history.pdf 75th Anniversary History of the Guild, p.16.] ] In 1948 he was the first recipient of the Guild's Brackley Memorial Trophy, "awarded to a transport pilot(s) or navigator(s), for outstanding flying, contributing to the operational development of air transport, or transport aircraft, or of new techniques in air transport flying." [ [http://www.gapan.org/Awards/05brack.htm Brackley Memorial Trophy] ]In memory of his long association with the Medway area, a road in
Rochester, Kent was named after him.References
External links
* cite book
last = Barnes C.H. & James D.N
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Shorts Aircraft since 1900
publisher =Putnam
date =
location =London (1989)
pages =560
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0-85177-819-4
* [http://www.gapan.org/ The Air Pilots' and Air Navigators' Guild]
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