Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Robin Lindsay Neale 1912-1949




Robin Lindsay Neale was born on the 24th January 1912 and educated at Caterham. His early business training was with the aviation department of Selfridges and with Brian Lewis and Co Ltd at Heston. He learnt to fly at Croydon in 1931 and,after a short period of association with Charmer,Gilbert Lodge and Co in 1935, set up his own aviation consultant's business in London,under the name Lindsay Neale Aviation Ltd of which he was managing director from 1935 until 1940. uring this period he was also a director and test pilot of Dart Aircraft Ltd.

On the outbreak of war he joined the RAF,from which he was released at the end of 1939 for test flying with Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd,becoming their Chief Test Pilot in 1945.

He was killed along with Peter Tisshaw in an accident to the prototype Balliol T.2. The aircraft had climbed to 14,000ft for some tests. The windscreen disintegrated and the aircraft dived at high speed into the ground.