Aviation - sad news.

[David Morton]

Flying legend Neville Duke, DSO, OBE, DFC, AFC has died at the age of 84.
He is reported to have landed at Popham in the UK on Saturday. Shortly afterwards he collapsed. An ambulance was called and arrived quickly, taking him to hospital. Sadly, he died later that evening.
Duke was famous for, among other things, holding the world air speed
record. In 1953 he achieved 727.63 mph flying a Hawker Hunter.
His autobiography, Test Pilot, regularly features among pilots' lists of
favourites. A career summary (lifted from the Telegraph website from Dec 2005) can be read at:
Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums - Sad news - Neville Duke is with us no more
Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums - Sad news - Neville Duke is with us no more
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A sad loss.

[Big-Foot]

A Sad loss indeed...

High Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silver wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there
I've chased the shouting wind along and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle flew;
and while, with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.