Roly Falk
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Roland 'Roly' John Falk OBE
AFC*
(1915 - 1985) was a British
test pilot
noted for being at the controls on the maiden flight of the British V Bomber
, the Avro Vulcan
. Falk typically flew dressed in pin-stripe suit and tie.
and the de Havilland Technical School. After gaining his pilot's licence he flew in both the Abyssinian war and the Spanish Civil War for the press. In 1937 he flew a newspaper service from London to Paris and then joined the Air Registration Board as a test pilot.
Farnborough. At Farnborough he flew and tested captured German aircraft as well as carrying out operational flights with night fighter squadrons. For his service he was awarded the Air Force Cross
twice, described as the Air Force Cross and bar.
but was injured in an accident in a Vickers Wellington
. Falk recovered and went to Avro to test fly the Avro Athena
, he soon embarked on one of the most important jobs of his career, test pilot of the Avro 707
. The Avro 707 was an experimental delta-winged aircraft to gain experience for the design of the Avro Vulcan
bomber, Falks experience flying the German Messerschmitt Me 163
came in handy in what was seen as seen as advanced and dangerous test flying. After testing the Avro 707 Falk piloted the Vulcan on the first flight on 30 August 1952.
Falk demonstrated the Vulcan on several occasions and designed much of the cockpit layout. During the 1955 Farnborough Airshow he barrel-rolled
a Vulcan at the top of the post-take-off climb, although safe it was a spectacular manoeuvre in an aircraft weighing 69 tons and with a 99-foot wingspan.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in 1952.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Roland 'Roly' John Falk OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
AFC*
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(1915 - 1985) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
noted for being at the controls on the maiden flight of the British V Bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
, the Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
. Falk typically flew dressed in pin-stripe suit and tie.
Early life
Falk was born in London in 1915 and he was educated at Stowe SchoolStowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and the de Havilland Technical School. After gaining his pilot's licence he flew in both the Abyssinian war and the Spanish Civil War for the press. In 1937 he flew a newspaper service from London to Paris and then joined the Air Registration Board as a test pilot.
Wartime service
Falk had been a member of the Reserve of Air Force Officers since 1935 and at the start of the Second World War in 1939 he joined the Royal Air Force, by 1943 he was chief test pilot at the Royal Aircraft EstablishmentRoyal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
Farnborough. At Farnborough he flew and tested captured German aircraft as well as carrying out operational flights with night fighter squadrons. For his service he was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
twice, described as the Air Force Cross and bar.
Delta-wing testing
At the end of the war in 1946 he joined Vickers ArmstrongVickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
but was injured in an accident in a Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
. Falk recovered and went to Avro to test fly the Avro Athena
Avro Athena
|-See also:-External links:*...
, he soon embarked on one of the most important jobs of his career, test pilot of the Avro 707
Avro 707
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. "Avro Type 698 Vulcan ." Aeroplane, Vol. 35, No. 4, Issue No. 408, April 2007....
. The Avro 707 was an experimental delta-winged aircraft to gain experience for the design of the Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
bomber, Falks experience flying the German Messerschmitt Me 163
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
came in handy in what was seen as seen as advanced and dangerous test flying. After testing the Avro 707 Falk piloted the Vulcan on the first flight on 30 August 1952.
Falk demonstrated the Vulcan on several occasions and designed much of the cockpit layout. During the 1955 Farnborough Airshow he barrel-rolled
Barrel roll
A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on its longitudinal axis while following a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as "a combination of a loop and a roll"...
a Vulcan at the top of the post-take-off climb, although safe it was a spectacular manoeuvre in an aircraft weighing 69 tons and with a 99-foot wingspan.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1952.