Richard Frewen Martin, (26 July 1918 – 1 September 2006) was a British

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

. He was born in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

. "Dickie" Martin served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and won a Distinguished Flying Cross and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

. After the war, he tested the early experimental jets that led to the development of the

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, Swift and

Sea Vixen The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the 1950s through to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

. He left the RAF in 1953 with the rank of Wing Commander to become a test pilot at Gloster Aircraft Company, where he was appointed chief test pilot the following year and led development of the delta-wing

Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

fighter. He amassed 19,000 flying hours, and flew 240 different types of aircraft.

Honours and awards

*5 November 1940 – Flying Officer Richard Frewen Martin (33439) of

No. 73 Squadron RAF No. 73 Squadron, Royal Air Force was formed on 2 July 1917 during the First World War. It was disbanded in 1969. World War I It was initially a unit of the Royal Flying Corps and was formed out of the Central Flying School, based at Upavon, Wilts ...

is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). *22 August 1941 – Acting Flight Lieutenant Richard Frewen Martin, DFC, (33439) of

No. 250 Squadron RAF No. 250 (Sudan) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron formed as a reconnaissance and anti–submarine unit in the First World War and a fighter unit in the Second World War. History No. 250 Squadron was formed on 10 May 1918 at Padstow ...

is awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. *1 January 1949 – Squadron Leader Richard Frewen Martin, DFC, (33439) RAF is awarded the Air Force Cross. *1 January 1963 – Wing Commander Richard Frewen Martin, DFC, AFC, RAF (retired), test pilot A.V.Roe and Company is awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. *1 January 1967 – Wing Commander Reichard Frewen Martin, DFC, AFC, lately test pilot Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd is appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) *In 2003, he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

External links

Obituary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Richard Frewen 1918 births 2006 deaths Military personnel from Bournemouth Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II British aviators English test pilots Officers of the Order of the British Empire British World War II pilots Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air