'Autogiro Pioneer' is a vivid account of the varied life and adventures of Jack Richardson (1899-1987). The book is based on his memoirs, which have been edited by his son. In the 1930s he worked for Juan de la Cierva, the inventor of the Autogiro (the forerunner of the helicopter), and was the first person to obtain a commercial pilot’s licence as an Autogiro pilot. This work involved
(among other activities) several hazardous flights across Europe in all kinds of weather.
In 1944 he learnt how to fly the new Sikorsky helicopters in the United States, and became the first fully-trained helicopter pilot in the British Army. In his later career with the Army and with Westland Aircraft he helped to develop the military and commercial uses of the helicopter, played a major role in the construction of the Heliport at Battersea, and was Chairman of The Helicopter Association. As a young man he had been a cavalry officer in the Ninth Lancers, and for seven years a successful orange farmer In South Africa. He was a keen racing skier and amateur painter. The book is illustrated with 100 pictures in black and white and in colour.
By:
Nicholas Richardson
Imprint: Fonthill Media Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 577g
ISBN: 9781781557426
ISBN 10: 178155742X
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 05 December 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface; Introduction; 1 Family and Early Years; 2 Prep Schools; 3 Harrow and Gabby’s Crammer; 4 Sandhurst (1917-8); 5 Ireland (1918); 6 Germany (1918-9); 7 Ireland (1920–1) 56 8 South Africa (1922–5) 60 9 South Africa (1925–9) 70 10 England: How I Got Involved with Cierva (1929-34); 11 Flying for Cierva (1934-6); 12 Cierva’s Death and His Character 99 13 Flying in 1936–9 101 14 Skiing 105 15 War in France (May–June 1940); 16 Air Liaison Officer (1940-3); 17 America: Learning to Fly the Helicopter (1943-4); 18 England (1944-54); 19 Westland, the Helicopter Association, and the Heliport (1954-62); 20 Retrospect: The Pattern of My Life; Appendix I: The Richardson Family; Appendix II: The Bishop Family; Appendix III: The Memoirs of Vyvien Hart-Davis (Personal Reminiscences: Gold Coast, Fiji, Cyprus); Appendix IV: The Ormonds’ House in Ciboure During the German Occupation; Appendix V: `K’-it is; Endnotes; Bibliography.
Nicholas Richardson was born in 1940, and educated at Winchester College, and Magdalen College, Oxford. From 1968 to 2004 he taught Classics (ancient Greek and Latin Literature) at Merton College, Oxford, and from 2004 to 2007 was Warden of Greyfriars Hall in Oxford. His previous publications include books and articles on ancient Greek and Roman literature, religion and culture, and on modern Greek poetry. He used to be a keen skier, and still plays real tennis.
