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Captain Brian Walpole OBE
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Concorde Pilot and Concorde General Manager
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Captain Brian Walpole OBE became a pilot with the Royal Air Force at 18 and then joined an operational fighter squadron. His aircraft then was the Meteor, which he flew in the Fighter Command formation aerobatic team at displays all over Europe. More than 30 years later he was formation flying again - in the unique Concorde fly past.
After four years in the RAF, Captain Walpole joined BOAC in 1956 as a First Officer on the Argonaut aircraft. Four years later the first pioneering Boeing 707s were purchased by the airline and he was in that fleet from the start.
Within five years he had become the first training co-pilot in BOAC and then in 1971 he was promoted to command and a year later, he was promoted again to Fleet Captain, 707 Fleet. One of the main highpoints of his career came in 1975 when he commanded the 707 aircraft on which Her Majesty the Queen toured the Far East, visiting Hong Kong and Japan and then Alaska.
A year later the Concorde era began. He transferred to Concorde and, after qualifying, took management responsibilities again as Flight Superintendent Technical. Soon he was Flight Manager Technical Concorde.
In 1977, he commanded the Concorde which flew the Queen from Barbados to London and the First supersonic commercial service from London to New York. His achievements were recognised in 1978 when he was awarded the Britannia Trophy, presented by HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, for his work on the launch of the Concorde New York service.
In 1982, Captain Walpole was promoted General Manager of the British Airways Concorde Division, continuing once more to fly as a fully operational Concorde commander. His achievements in aviation were again recognised in 1983 when he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In 1985, he was presented the Freedom of the City of London and then in 1988 he became an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in The Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Copyright SWA Fine Art
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