[Chris Royle]

Very sad to report that John died peacefully last night.
A great man gone.....RIP

[joe-fbs]

Never got to meet him but his book, which I read as part of my training to be a flight test engineer, is excellent. If buying, be sure to get it direct from the publisher.

https://subscriptions.flyer.co.uk/produ ... the-hover/

[Stampe]

An aviation great ,a charming man and encouraging to the next generation.A life well lived fly high! Stampe

[foxmoth]

Really sorry to hear this. RIP John

[skydriller]

Sad news.

Really enjoyed his book, comes across as a real aviation enthusiast, at all levels.

Regards, SD..

[Paul_Sengupta]

[chevvron]

First 'real' test pilot I met at Farnborough; after a brief meeting with my boss which I attended, he remembered my name later that day.
His Harrier displays were fantastic; no-one else could emulate them.
His last departure from Farnborough before retiring as a TP was the usual 'Farley Rocket' in GVTOL, having been given a departure of 'left turn on track Dunsfold climbing to 2,000ft'!!

[Smaragd]

Worked with him 50 years ago. I particularly remember him for his clarity of thought and ability to deliver his arguments effectively - not to mention the test flying skills! Farewell John.

[johnm]

[Ashley]

Met him whilst filming a BAe Flying schools event (teaching kids to fly and be engineers) in the late nineties and he had some great stories, very knowledgable and a very nice guy to talk to.
He will be missed

[Dave W]

Very sad, and so glad it was peaceful. He was very generous with his time and a supporter of following generations in engineering, piloting and test. And what a career.

[SteveC]

No! The end of a legend. Sad loss to all but glad it was a peaceful departure. RIP.

[chevvron]

Worked with him 50 years ago. I particularly remember him for his clarity of thought and ability to deliver his arguments effectively - not to mention the test flying skills! Farewell John.

One Farnborough airshow, the MEXE pad he was landing on started lifting up as he descended, so later I took him out on the arfield to look at it and on the spot, in his head, he worked out the pressure required to cause it.

[neaton]

What sad news. I loved his book, and will re-read it now.

[TopCat]

Noooooooooooooooooo!

I knew he wasn't in great health, but I'm terribly sad to hear this. I feel very proud, honoured and indeed humbled to have counted him as a friend for the last 26 years. He knew my dad at British Aerospace, he knew my flying instructor very well, and when I got my PPL, he came to dinner at my instructor's house and made an informal speech and a presentation to me and a friend that had been learning to fly at the same time.

With great trepidation I took him flying once after he lost his medical - he was absolutely lovely and showed me a couple of interesting things. And a year or few later I went to see him and fly a couple of the RC aircraft he'd built and loved to fly.

He's given me lots of great advice, in particular over the last few years when he helped enormously through a pretty dark period in my own flying, that thankfully seems past.

To list just a few things, he was intelligent, clear, modest, direct, warm, very funny, and somehow whenever I spent time with him either in person or on the phone, I always found it incredibly uplifting.

I was last in touch with him in February, when I went past 1000 hours TT.

I will miss him greatly. Such a privilege to have known him.