Philip Wills
Encyclopedia
Philip Aubrey Wills CBE
(26 May 1907—16 January 1978) was a pioneering British glider pilot
.
. On 20 January 1929 he was badly injured when his Moth (G-EBPS) crashed at Duxford Aerodrome
, in which the pilot was fatally injured. He later purchased a replacement Moth (G-EBOI)
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.)
On 18 March 1934, he set two records in a DFS Professor glider; the British National Gain of Height gliding record at 3,800 feet at Dunstable Downs
, and a British National Distance record with a flight of 56 miles from Dunstable Downs to Latchington, Essex. In doing so, he 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. On 30 April 1938 he broke the British National Distance gliding record in his Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa (BGA338), flying 209 miles from Heston Aerodrome
to St Austell
, Cornwall. In June 1938, he broke the British National Distance Gain of Height gliding record at 10,180 feet over Dunstable Downs, earning him the world's third Gold C Badge. On 1 July 1939, he again broke the height record at 14,170 feet
in gliders, to act as radar targets.
During World War II
he was second in command of the Air Transport Auxiliary
. He later became General Manager (Technical) of British European Airways
for two years.
In 1952 in Spain, he became Open Class World Champion
. He was a regular member of the British Team until 1958. In 1954 he crossed the English Channel in a glider
.
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
. In 1954 his services were recognised by the award of the Otto Lilienthal Medal
by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(26 May 1907—16 January 1978) was a pioneering British glider pilot
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
.
Early years
Philip Wills was from a wealthy family, and at the age of 21 he was able to buy his first aircraft, a de Havilland DH.60 MothDe Havilland DH.60 Moth
The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...
. On 20 January 1929 he was badly injured when his Moth (G-EBPS) crashed at Duxford Aerodrome
Duxford Aerodrome
Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the Parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village.The airfield is owned jointly by the Imperial War Museum and Cambridgeshire County Council and it is the site of the Imperial War Museum Duxford and the American...
, in which the pilot was fatally injured. He later purchased a replacement Moth (G-EBOI)
He began gliding at the London Gliding Club
London Gliding Club
The London Gliding Club is a private members' club, and was set up primarily to train pilots in powerless flight, and the skills necessary to fly cross country using nature's sources of energy. Aerobatics and instructor training is also available. The club provides gliding courses, one day courses...
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.)
On 18 March 1934, he set two records in a DFS Professor glider; the British National Gain of Height gliding record at 3,800 feet at Dunstable Downs
Dunstable Downs
Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire in England. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns...
, and a British National Distance record with a flight of 56 miles from Dunstable Downs to Latchington, Essex. In doing so, he 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. On 30 April 1938 he broke the British National Distance gliding record in his Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa (BGA338), flying 209 miles from Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome was a 1930s airfield located to the west of London, UK, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex...
to St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, Cornwall. In June 1938, he broke the British National Distance Gain of Height gliding record at 10,180 feet over Dunstable Downs, earning him the world's third Gold C Badge. On 1 July 1939, he again broke the height record at 14,170 feet
World War II
In 1940, the RAF was concerned that radar would not detect a German invasion by gliders; Wills and some of his gliding friends were towed to 10,000 ft, and released most of the way across the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in gliders, to act as radar targets.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was second in command of the Air Transport Auxiliary
Air Transport Auxiliary
The Air Transport Auxiliary was a British World War II civilian organisation that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, Maintenance Units , scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields—but not to...
. He later became General Manager (Technical) of British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
for two years.
Post-war
In 1949 he became Managing Director of Fowlie, Reid & Wills Limited.In 1952 in Spain, he became Open Class World Champion
World Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere....
. He was a regular member of the British Team until 1958. In 1954 he crossed the English Channel in a glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
.
As early as 1934 he was active in the affairs of the British Gliding Association
British Gliding Association
The British Gliding Association is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 85 gliding clubs which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members , though a further 17,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.-History:A...
(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
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
. In 1954 his services were recognised by the award of the Otto Lilienthal Medal
Lilienthal Gliding Medal
Lilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938 in honor of Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of human aviation. It aims "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of...
by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
.
Personal life
He married Katherine '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.External links
- Genealogy http://web.ukonline.co.uk/bean95/ft/frippuk/pafg60.htm
- Short biography http://www.lakesgc.co.uk/members/philipwills.htm