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Capt. Keith Leppard CBE

Discussion in 'WWII Obituaries' started by GRW, Jul 31, 2016.

  1. GRW

    GRW Pillboxologist WW2|ORG Editor

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    "Captain Keith Leppard, who has died one day short of his 92nd birthday, was the commander of 807 Naval Air Squadron when in September 1959 he stunned the crowds at Farnborough with a spectacular display of aerial formation aerobatics.

    Leppard had taken command of 807 NAS in October 1958 at Royal Naval Air Station Lossiemouth, when the newly formed squadron received the Navy’s latest jet fighter, the Supermarine Scimitar. He immediately began a hectic work-up period and, only two weeks after commissioning, took part in a major exercise.

    Leppard was not deterred when on February 12 1959 his own Scimitar, on a practice strafing run, suffered an engine failure after a ricochet entered the jet intake. The squadron remained at Lossiemouth throughout 1959, taking part in exercises and trials, and Leppard heard of his own promotion to commander while at the top of a loop over Loch Ness practising for Farnborough.

    The display began with six jets taking off in a stream to form a “four-finger” aircraft aerobatic team with two soloists. One of these flew down the runway at high speed and low level to pick up a banner using its deck arrestor hook, normally used for landing at sea.

    Next, the four aircraft formation made a transonic pass at 700 mph followed by a short aerobatic display. For this Leppard had invented an original manoeuvre in which the four aircraft passed overhead in a box formation while each in sequence made a rapid individual roll. He called the manoeuvre the “Twinkle Roll” and it is now familiar at most air displays.

    For a finale, the two singletons touched down from one direction, while a third Scimitar landed from the opposite direction head on between them. Then all three folded their wings and taxied up to the display stand.

    Keith André Leppard was born at West Norwood on July 29 1924. His father was a banker and he was educated at Purley Grammar School.

    He lived half an hour’s cycle ride from Croydon airport where he paid a penny for admission to the roof of a local hotel to watch the Hannibal-class four-engined biplanes returning from around the Empire, and the aviatrix Amy Johnson start several of her epic flights.

    In 1935 an aunt and uncle took him to Portsmouth where he was entranced by the sight of aircraft ranged on the flight deck of the carrier Courageous.

    He joined the Y-scheme, an Admiralty scheme which identified potential officers while they were still at school, and took temporary work as a clerk at Westminster Bank until he was old enough to join up.

    After several months naval training at HMS Daedalus and St Vincent, he began his flying training at RAF Sealand, Flintshire, in Tiger Moths, a type which always remained his favourite.

    Leppard crossed the Atlantic in Queen Mary for advanced flying training in Canada where he was awarded his wings in December 1943, and selected to specialise as a fighter pilot in the Grumman Wildcat, learning to dogfight and divebomb."
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/07/31/captain-keith-leppard-daredevil-pilot--obituary/
     

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