Henry Alan Marsh AFC AFRAeS (29 January 1901 – 13 June 1950) was a British rotorcraft instructor and test pilot.
In 1917, he completed his education at Weymouth Secondary School, and started an engineering apprenticeship in Dorchester, Dorset.
In 1930, he left the service with an A.1 instructor's certificate, and was retained in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR).
He also carried out test flying for G and J Weir Ltd., that was providing financial backing for Cierva, and developing its own autogiros.
[1][2][3] In late 1939, he was called up for military service, and in January 1940 took a refresher course at CFS, and he was then posted to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE).
[3] On 13 June 1950, he was piloting the prototype Cierva W.11 Air Horse (VZ724) helicopter, when a transmission failure caused it to crash near Eastleigh, Hampshire, killing all three crew, Alan Marsh, John "Jeep" Cable, and Joseph K.
[6] In 1946, Alan Marsh was instrumental in the formation of the Helicopter Association of Great Britain (HAGB), and became its first chairman.
In 1956, his friends in the HAGB, headed by Reggie Brie, formed the Alan Marsh Memorial Trust Fund, to support technical training in the rotary wing field, and to award an annual medal for outstanding pilotage achievement in the subject.