John Farley
Brilliant test pilot involved in the development of the Harrier, winning orders around the world
JOHN FARLEY, who has died aged 85, was one of the country’s foremost experimental test pilots and was heavily involved in the development of the Harrier vertical and short take-off and landing (V/STOL) ground-attack aircraft.
Farley joined Hawker Siddeley at Dunsfold in 1967, as one of the pilots flight-testing the Harrier in preparation for its entry into RAF service. During his service as an RAF test pilot, he had flown the revolutionary “jump jet”, the Hawker P 1127, the forerunner to the Harrier, and so was familiar with its unique flying characteristics.
He was appointed the company’s deputy chief test pilot in 1971 and chief test pilot in 1978. On August 20 1978 he flew the prototype Sea Harrier on its first flight and 10 days later he made the first take-off with the aid of a “ski jump”, similar to those that would be fitted to the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers. A month later, he demonstrated the technique to the public at the Farnborough Air Show.
Throughout his 19 years at Hawker’s (later part of British Aerospace) Farley concentrated on the development of the Harrier and demonstrated the aircraft’s capabilities to national and international audiences. He visited the United States in 1967 and converted the initial group of Marine Corps pilots to the aircraft without the availability of a dual-control version or simulator. This resulted in the first export order for the aircraft. He also demonstrated the Harrier to other potential overseas customers including the Spanish and Indian Navies. Both later purchased the aircraft.
John Frederick Farley was born in Hastings on April 17 1933. On leaving King’s College, Hastings, in 1950 he joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough as an apprentice, which also gave him the opportunity to fly as a flight test observer.
He joined the RAF in 1955 and trained as a pilot. He flew the Hawker Hunter fighter with No 4 Squadron based in Germany before becoming a flying instructor. Always determined to be a test pilot, he was selected to attend the Empire Test Pilots’ School, graduating in 1963 with a distinguished pass.
He joined the Aero Flight at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, where he flew a wide variety of experimental aircraft, including helicopters. In November 1964 he had his first flight in the P 1127 before becoming the project pilot for the type, starting an association with the Harrier that would last until 1999.
His test flying activities and his contribution to the development of vertical take-off and landing techniques resulted in the award of the AFC.
Obliged to retire from test flying with British Aerospace on his 50th birthday in 1983, he became manager of Dunsfold Aerodrome, where he was able to assist smaller companies involved in the development of aviation. Throughout his flying and business career, his motto was always “UK Limited”. He left British Aerospace in 1990 to be a freelance test pilot, when he became the first western pilot invited by the Russians to fly the Mikoyan MIG-29 fighter. He also flew the advanced Israeli Lavi fighter prototype.
Farley retired from test flying in 1999, having flown more than 80 types of aircraft. He commented: “What a joy it was to be able to do research flying in the days when the aim was to acquire knowledge rather than make money.”
Highly acclaimed for his aeronautical knowledge, he was in demand as a visiting lecturer and in 1995 started summer school courses for 16 to 18-year-old students to encourage them to become engineers in the aerospace business. He ran the Schools’ Aerospace Challenge and the International Aerospace Summer School, both held at Cranfield University. He was elected President of the Association of Aerospace Universities in 2009 and received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Coventry University.
For his services to aviation and aeronautical engineering, Farley received a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in 1970 and was appointed OBE in 1980.
In addition, numerous professional bodies awarded him their most prestigious medals and awards. These included the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Air League and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
One eminent aviation journalist wrote: “It is, perhaps, quite invidious to compare one test pilot with another, but there can be no possible doubt that John Farley, with his engineering background and analytical, inquiring mind, is one of the finest in the world.”
Farley was a regular contributor to aviation journals and magazines. His autobiography A View from the Hover – My Life in Aviation was published in 2008 and is widely regarded as a classic.
John Farley married Patricia Fox-russell in 1958. The marriage was later dissolved and in 1981 he married his second wife Adele. Both wives survive him, with two daughters from his first marriage and two stepchildren.