Desmond Barker (25 August 1949 – 15 March 2021) was a

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

officer. His air force career spanned over four decades including time as the SAAF's Chief Test Pilot,

air attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

in London,

air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

commander, and a member of its

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

display team. He was awarded the Southern Cross Medal and made an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...

Early life

Barker was born on 25 August 1949 in Pretoria and attended Lyttelton Manor High School. He was the third generation in his family to join the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

(SAAF).

Air Force career

Barker joined the air force in 1968 and completed his pilot training in 1969. His first posting was to Combat Flying School SAAF from 1970 to 1983 before moving to Central Flying School at

Langebaanweg Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province. It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg. Langebaanweg has been an important mining center, with its mai minerals consisting of phosphorite ...

, flying the

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

. He also flew Canberras at 12 Squadron. He started training as a test pilot in 1984 and graduated in 1985. He was posted to 1 Squadron and flew the Mirage F1AZ. During this time he was seconded to Armscor, testing the

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

. For his contribution to flight-testing he was awarded the Southern Cross Medal in 1990. A year later he was appointed Chief Test Pilot at the

Test Flight and Development Centre The Test Flight and Development Centre is a unit of the South African Air Force. It is a test flight and evaluation organisation. Due to South Africa's apartheid policies of the 1960s, a number of countries instituted an arms boycott against i ...

in the Overberg base. After attending the Senior Command and Staff Course in 1995, he was appointed Officer Commanding of the Test Flight and Development Centre and on 30 January 1996 he was promoted to colonel. In 2000 he was posted to South Africa's High Commission in London as

Air Attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, returning in 2003 to attend the Executive National Security Programme at the South African National Defence Force College. In January 2004 he was appointed General Officer Commanding Air Force Base Makhado in the rank of brigadier general. He was assigned as Chief Director Force Preparation in June 2006, and promoted to major general. He was a member of the SAAF's aerobatic display team, the

Silver Falcons The Silver Falcons is the aerobatic display team of the South African Air Force. Based at Air Force Base Langebaanweg near Cape Town, the Silver Falcons fly the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II, the basic trainer of the SA Air Force in a 5-ship routine. The ...

. Barker retired from the SAAF in May 2008.

Later career

After leaving the SAAF, Barker joined the

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the cit ...

as the Manager of Aeronautics Research until March 2017. He accumulated 7200 flying hours and flew 58 different types of aircraft. At the time of his death, Barker maintained his flying career as a civilian experimental test pilot. He was vice president of the South African

Society of Experimental Test Pilots The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggest ...

(SETP). In 2011 he was awarded the SETP European Flight Test Safety Award. He published a number of books, including ''Zero Error Margin – Display Flying Analysed'' (2003). In 2018 Barker was made an Honorary Fellow of the

Death

Barker died in March 2021, in the crash of a Patchen TSC-2 Explorer 2000 Registration Number ZU-UGF from the SAAF museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Desmond 1949 births 2021 deaths South African Air Force generals South African test pilots Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society People from Pretoria White South African people Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in South Africa