Forty-seven years aloft : from Cold War fighters and flying the PM to commercial jets

Burdett, Brian2019

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Summary

London-born Brian Burdett had only one career objective - to be a pilot. It all began for Brian with the Air Cadets, flying Tiger Moths at the age of just 14. He obtained his civil license at the age of 17, and six months later he was accepted into the RAF. With the RAF he graduated from Piston Provost trainers, to the de Havilland Vampire and eventually the Hawker Hunter. It was to fly Hunters that Brian was posted to 257 (Burma) Squadron at Wattisham in Suffolk, where the jets were frequently scrambled to intercept Soviet intruders in the dark days of the Cold War. After a period as a trainer at Cranwell, Brian became the youngest four-jet captain in the world. He then flew VIPs around Europe in the RAF's VC10s, his passengers included the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. Brian eventually turned to the commercial world, flying Falcons, VC 10s, Tristars and every type of Boeing 747.