Nicholas Goodhart
Nicholas Goodhart | |
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Rear Admiral | |
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Rear Admiral Hilary Charles Nicholas Goodhart
Early life
Goodhart was born at Inkpen, Berkshire, the son of a patent engineer. He was educated at Miss White's Kintbury, and Connaught House Weymouth.[2]
Early career
Goodhart entered the
He undertook pilot training in Canada in 1944 and joined the
Goodhart graduated from the
After a period as technical secretary at the Ministry of Supply he was promoted to commander in 1953.[1]
Carrier developments
Trials after 1945 by the Royal Navy revealed that the slow throttle response of jet aircraft meant they could not safely use the standard deck landing technique then in use by propeller-driven aircraft. Even in peacetime, carrier operations killed 20% of the aircrew.
After a further spell at Yeovilton, Goodhart was posted to the air warfare department at the
Gliding
Goodhart joined Yorkshire Gliding Club in 1938, quickly going solo within a week.[5] He was also at various times a member of Cambridge University Gliding Club and Lasham Gliding Society. He began gliding competitively, at first with his brother, Tony, winning the British Team Championship in 1950. In 1955 he climbed to 9,300 m (30,500 ft) in USA and became the first British glider pilot to gain the Diamond Badge.[6][7] Later in 1955 he broke the British National Altitude Record in a Schweizer SGS 1-23 in California climbing to 11,500 m (37,700 ft). He was a member of the British team at the World Championships from 1956 to 1972. In 1956 at Saint-Yan in France, he and Frank Foster won the World Gliding Two Seater Championship in a Slingsby Eagle. The US Soaring magazine noted that the only single seater to beat them was the winner, Paul MacCready.[8] He finished in second place in the single seater World Championships in 1958 Leszno, Poland, and fourth in 1960 and 1972. He was British single-seater champion on three occasions (1962, 1967 & 1971), and in second place on four others. He finished first in the American Championships in 1955, though as foreigner could not be the US Champion.[9]
At Lasham on 10 May 1959 he declared a goal of Portmoak in Scotland and achieved a record goal flight of 579.36 kilometres (360.00 mi) in a Slingsby Skylark 3 at an average speed of 90.7 km/h (49.0 kn). This is still the UK goal-distance-record for gliders of wingspan not greater than 20 metres; and the speed record for a 500 km (310 mi) goal flight.[10] During his gliding career he held eleven British records.[1]
Goodhart set up the project in 1966 to develop a glider called Sigma to compete in the 1970 World Championship Open class. After problems during production and then with its Fowler flaps, the only prototype flew in 1971. In a modified form the Sigma is still flying.
He was awarded the Silver Medal by the
Human-powered flight
Goodhart's team put in over 3,000 man-hours of effort developing the two seater
Other activities
Goodhart was a consultant to Boeing (1973–1980) during which time the Royal Navy acquired a hydrofoil HMS Speedy and the RAF acquired its first Chinooks.[2] He held directorships including at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Building Society[2] and was a member at Lloyd's where he gained and lost large sums over a period of 20 years.[12] He was elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London. He finished 35th of 350 in the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally. Simon Hoggart was married to his step-daughter and claimed that Goodhart also invented the box junction but was uncredited.[13] He proposed a method of suppressing hurricanes during their formation. His proposal involved covering 100 km2 (39 sq mi) of ocean with a reflective material using four aircraft, each with a 2 km wingspan.[2][14] He was persuaded it would not work, so he switched the concept to putting out forest fires.[13] At the age of 88 he raised funds for a hospice near Exeter by abseiling down Cullompton church.[2]
Goodhart married Lydia Sward in 1957 [2] and Molly Copsey in 1975.[1] He had three step-children: Alyson, Ian and Fiona.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituaries", The Times, p. 50, 14 April 2011
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituaries - Rear-Admiral Nicholas Goodhart", The Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2011, archived from the original on 14 February 2020, retrieved 4 February 2023
- ^ Sailplane & Gliding Interview with Nick Goodhart April/May 2010.
- ^ "Diagram of mirror landing system". Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ Kahn, Walter (June–July 2011). "Obituary". Sailplane & Gliding: 70.
- ^ Australian Gliding magazine March 1955
- ^ "Australian Gliding magazine Nov 1955". Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "Soaring magazine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "History of Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association". Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "British Gliding Association's list of British records". Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ Simon Grant
- ^ Noonan, Brendan (April 2000). "What's in a Name?". Best's Review.
- ^ a b Hoggart, Simon (16 April 2011), "Simon Hoggart's week", The Guardian
- ^ "Hurricane Busters". Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ The Daily Telegraph Deaths Announcements 15 April 2011
Further reading
- Kahn, Wally (1998). A glider pilot bold. Alton, Hampshire: Jardine Publishers. ISBN 0953420000.
- Harris, Richard; Williams, Barrie (2012). Goodhart : the story of an exceptional man. Bognor Regis: Woodfield Publishing. ISBN 978-1846831461.
External links
- "RADM H C N 'Nick' Goodhart CB" Test & Research Pilots, Flight Test Engineers, 30 May 2008, accessed 3 August 2010.
- "The Albedo", Hurricane Busters, accessed 2 August 2010.
- Obituary in The Guardian