Philip Wills

Philip Wills (1907—17 January, 1978) was a pioneering British glider pilot.

Philip Wills was from a wealthy family and was able to buy his first aircraft, a Cirrus Moth, at the age of 21. He began gliding at the London Gliding Club in 1933, only shortly after the gliding movement started in the United Kingdom. He financed his activities with a shipping and export business. (He installed internal windows in all offices in case his staff were reading books in working hours.)

In 1934 he set a British record with a flight of 56 miles, but was just beaten to the first British Silver C Badge by Eric Collins who already had the five-hour qualification. He received International Silver C Badge No. 45 shortly after. In 1938 he broke the British height record at 10,080 feet and flew 209 miles earning him the world's third Gold C Badge.

In 1940 the RAF were concerned that radar would not detect a German invasion by gliders and so Wills and some of his gliding friends were towed to 10,000 ft and released most of the way across the English Channel in gliders to act as radar targets.

During the World War II he was second in command of the Air Transport Auxiliary and after became General Manager (Technical) of British European Airways for two years.

He became Open Class World Champion in 1952 in Spain. He was a regular member of the British Team until 1958. He crossed the English Channel in a glider in 1954

As early as 1934 he was active in the affairs of the British Gliding Association (BGA) when he forced a change in its constitution to ensure that it represented gliding clubs, not a small number of individual members. He was Chairman of the BGA for 19 years until the members felt that a change was needed. However during his period in office his connections ensured that British gliding was able to regulate itself without much intervention from government agencies. He also successfully fought to minimise the amount of controlled airspace. His services were recognised by the award of the Otto Lilienthal Medal by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1954.

He married Kitty Fisher in 1931 and had three sons and a daughter. All three sons became glider pilots including Justin Wills, a frequent member of the British Team. After his death the Philip Wills Memorial Fund was established to provide financial help to British gliding clubs.

Bibliography

* "On Being a Bird" (1953)
* "Where No Birds Fly" (1961)
* "Free as a Bird" (1973)

References

* "Sailplane & Gliding" April/May 1978
* "Free as a Bird" by Philip Wills
* [http://www.lakesgc.co.uk/members/philipwills.htm Short biography]