Ralph Sorley
Sir Ralph Sorley | |
---|---|
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Sorley was instrumental in the specification of the armament of both the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane, he founded the Empire Test Pilots' School, foresaw the need for air-to-air missiles in the post-Second World War world and, having left the RAF to join De Havilland, provided the RAF with such a weapon system.[2]
Military career
Sorley joined the
Sorley was appointed Officer Commanding
In 1939 Sorley was made Station Commander at RAF Upwood and in 1940 he became Commandant of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE), MOD Boscombe Down, after which he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff.[2] In his role as Controller of Research & Development, Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1943 he created the Test Pilots' Training Flight, which was soon renamed the Test Pilots' School, the world's first such training establishment. It became the Empire Test Pilots' School the following year.[8][9] He was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours List in June 1944.[10] After the War he was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Technical Training Command.[2]
Upon his retirement from the RAF in 1948, Sorley joined the Board of De Havilland Propellers Ltd as its Managing Director, a post he held for twelve years. He recognised the need to diversify from manufacturing propellers due to the advent of the jet engine and was instrumental in the development of the de Havilland Firestreak airborne infrared missile, which became the RAF's main air defence weapon at the time.[2]
References
Footnotes
- Prize Court, in which a share in the bounty for the destruction of the Breslau was claimed under the Naval Prize Act, 1918. An affidavit was presented to the court which included the following: "In addition to His Majesty's ships there took part in and were present at the destruction of the Breslau certain aircraft, a part of the Air Force, embarked in H.M.S. Ark Royal. The names of the crews, being the pilots and observers of the said aircraft, are as follows : Captain Ralph Squire Sorley, Captain J.W.B. Grigson, Captain T.R. Hackman, Captain T.H. Piper, Captain P.K. Fowler, Captain C.B. Wincott, Lieutenant D.F. Murray, Lieutenant F.C. Smith and Lieutenant O.R. Gayford." The motion was not opposed.[4]
Citations
- ^ "No. 38015". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 July 1947. p. 3255.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Barrass, M.B. (5 May 2009). "Air of Authority". A History of RAF Organisation. M B Barrass. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "No. 30900". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1918. p. 10849.
- ^ "Honours – Awards for Air Work at Dardanelles". Flight Magazine. X (38). London. 19 September 1918. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ Glancey 2006, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Price 1977, p. 32.
- ^ Keith C.H. I Hold My Aim. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1946
- ^ Johnson, 1986, p.19.
- ^ "Origins of Flight Test". QinetiQ Group plc. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
- ^ "No. 36544". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1944. p. 2568.
Bibliography
- "The Empire Test Pilots' School – Twenty Five Years". ETPS Brochure (4th Ed.). HMSO for The Empire Test Pilots' School: 68 pp. 1968.
- Glancey, Jonathan. Spitfire: The Illustrated Biography. London: Atlantic Books, 2006. ISBN 978-1-84354-528-6.
- Johnson, Brian (1986). Test Pilot. BBC Books. pp. 287. ISBN 0-563-20502-4.
- Price, Alfred. Spitfire: A Documentary History. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1977. ISBN 0-354-01077-8.