Walter Gibb

Walter Gibb, DSO, DFC (26 March 1919 – 4 October 2006) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) flying ace and a British test pilot who twice held the world altitude record.

The son of a Scottish mining Engineer, Walter Frame Gibb was born near Port Talbot, Wales, on 26 March 1919.

Upon completing his training at FTS Cranwell, he was identified as an above average pilot and was posted as a flight instructor at CFS, South Cerney in 1941.

264 Squadron, flying the de Havilland Mosquito on long-range sorties in support of Coastal Command over the Bay of Biscay.

Gibb's Squadron suppressed the light flak and searchlights en route to aid the low flying Lancaster bombers.

Walter was the co-pilot for Bill Pegg during the Bristol Brabazon's maiden flight, and then flew it with himself in command, during which the large aircraft suffered hydraulic failure, and made an emergency landing without flaps.

Flying the a Canberra fitted with more powerful Olympus engines Gibb made an attempt to break his own record on 29 August 1955.

Taking off from Filton he climbed over the Bristol Channel towards Ireland and levelled off at 50,000 ft in order to burn off fuel to lighten the aircraft before continuing his ascent.

Despite some mechanical difficulties, he flew from Bristol to Johannesburg, South Africa, refuelling once in Khartoum, the trip taking 19 hours.