Pioneering Aviator, Author. He spent much of his childhood living close to Brooklands race track and Flying Club in Surrey, England. He paid for flying lessons, thereby saving his pocket money. Consequently, he had already undertaken his first solo flight before receiving a scholarship to Royal Air Force (RAF) Cranwell. Upon graduating, he was posted to India as a reconnaissance photographer. He flew there solo from the Kent coast despite contracting malaria during the journey. He soon became frustrated with his lack of action in India, and in 1931, he went absent without leave, flying back to England and breaking the speed record for the journey in the process. Following this incident, he was dismissed from the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1934, he attempted to publicize a proposed northern route between Europe and America by flying solo across the Atlantic from Northern Ireland to Ottawa, Canada. In the course of the journey, he made the first successful solo flight over the Greenland ice cap while braving sub-zero temperatures and engine trouble. He published an account of his journey in "The Times" newspaper. During World War II, he was a test pilot for Hawker-Sidley and worked on the Gloster E28 prototype, the first British jet-powered aircraft. He was also involved in altitude tests and set a world record of 41,000 feet in 1943. After the war, he was a pioneer of Antarctic aviation, and The Grierson Peaks were named in his honor. He published several books including "High Failure," "Through Russia by Air," and "Challenge to the Poles." He died after suffering a fatal stroke while delivering a lecture at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
Pioneering Aviator, Author. He spent much of his childhood living close to Brooklands race track and Flying Club in Surrey, England. He paid for flying lessons, thereby saving his pocket money. Consequently, he had already undertaken his first solo flight before receiving a scholarship to Royal Air Force (RAF) Cranwell. Upon graduating, he was posted to India as a reconnaissance photographer. He flew there solo from the Kent coast despite contracting malaria during the journey. He soon became frustrated with his lack of action in India, and in 1931, he went absent without leave, flying back to England and breaking the speed record for the journey in the process. Following this incident, he was dismissed from the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1934, he attempted to publicize a proposed northern route between Europe and America by flying solo across the Atlantic from Northern Ireland to Ottawa, Canada. In the course of the journey, he made the first successful solo flight over the Greenland ice cap while braving sub-zero temperatures and engine trouble. He published an account of his journey in "The Times" newspaper. During World War II, he was a test pilot for Hawker-Sidley and worked on the Gloster E28 prototype, the first British jet-powered aircraft. He was also involved in altitude tests and set a world record of 41,000 feet in 1943. After the war, he was a pioneer of Antarctic aviation, and The Grierson Peaks were named in his honor. He published several books including "High Failure," "Through Russia by Air," and "Challenge to the Poles." He died after suffering a fatal stroke while delivering a lecture at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
Bio by: js
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