39 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

Very sad news today which will, I am sure, ring a chord with all Goodwood habitues. Ray Hanna AFC
died suddenly yesterday afternoon. His friend Tudor Owen writes on the PPrune website:

"Ray, who was 77 years, joined the Royal Air Force in 1949 having learned to fly in his native New Zealand in 1947-48. Following training on the Prentice, Harvard and Meteor he was fortunate enough to fly such piston types as the Tempest V, Sea Fury, Balliol and Beaufighter. His first operational posting was to 79 Squadron, 2ATAF flying FR9 Meteors. In the fifties, he flew nearly all the early British jets including Vampires, Venoms, Attackers, Sea Hawks, Swifts and Javelins.

"Ray first led a team of four Hunters in 1957, in 1963-64 was a member of the College of Air Warfare Meteor Team and, in 1965, was selected for the newly-formed Red Arrows as No 3. To the best of my knowledge, he remains the longest serving Leader in the history of the team.
Ray's leadership is widely regarded as making the Arrows the world-renowned aerobatics team they ultimately became and, in recognition of his outstanding contribution, he was received a bar to the AFC he had previously been awarded for several feats of airmanship.

"Ray retired from the RAF in 1971 for a new career in civil aviation, initially flying the Boeing 707 with Lloyd International Airways followed by seven years with Cathay Pacific, again flying the 707, and for two years the L-1011 Tri-Star.
In 1979 he was asked to head a private diplomatic 707 company with world-wide operations.

"With his son Mark, who was so tragically killed flying an Me109 six years ago, he built up a vintage warbird collection at Duxford which ultimately became the renowned 'Old Flying Machine Company.' In addition to achieving acclaim on the display circuit, the OFMC has numerous movie credits.

"Ray was undoubtedly one of the finest display pilots ever, and regarded by many as the best of the best. Ray displaying his famous Mark IX Spitfire MH434 was a joy to behold, and a sight which will be sorely missed on the display circuit.

"Most important of all, Ray was a fine man, a true gentleman. Not only did I have enormous admiration for his outstanding talent as a pilot and respect for him as a man, but I regard it as an honour to have been a friend.

Tudor Owen"

Ray Hanna's flying of his beloved Spitfire MH434 at Goodwood - in particular at the annual cricket match in which he repeatedly did his best to remove the bails and most memorably at the inaugural Revival Meeting when he flew the length of the grid at or below pit gallery level - is, I am sure, a cherished memory for many of us. He was also the pilot in the celebrated Alain de Cadanet movie clip shot by our mutual pal Martin Stockham. In 1979 or '80 at No 1 FTS RAF Linton-on-Ouse when Mark Hanna graduated, another PPrune contributor recalls:

"Ray turned up in a Spitfire and gave the most stunning demonstration of flying skills - a modern display safety team would have been aghast, though he maintained loads of speed to convert to height in the event of problems. Images that will always be in my mind include a Spitfire arriving round the end of the hangar, slaloming through the dispersal floodlight pylons, and a low pass along the taxiway in front of the hangars. Somewhere I have a photo, taken from ground level, showing Ray in straight and level flight. The top surface of the wing is clearly visible. The next day OC Ops called in the entire student population of 1 FTS for a warning in forceful terms not to try emulating Ray's display in a Jet Provost!"

Here was a one-off - that real rarity, a postwar pilot whose name became almost a household name, and one who survived to prove both old and bold - within his own sphere Ray Hanna was a true and natural superstar in the Fangio mould. My sincere condolences to all his family and friends...

DCN -

[Gary C]

bluddy hell, this is turing into the week to end all weeks. RIP Ray, and thanks indeed for the displays at Goodwood - if nothing else !!

[Paul Rochdale]

I was there when he 'bombed' the straight at Goodwood. It was sensational to witness. Ray and Mark, you are together again.

[glyn parham]

Yet more sad news in what has been a terrible week.

Ray's displays were always brilliant, no matter which aircraft he was flying, a real master of his trade and I am sure that there will be no one to beast him.

An example of his flying was described to me by the curator of the Battle of Britain museum based at the now ruined Hawkinge aerodrome near Folkestone.

Ray and Mark would "beat up" the airfield whenever they were in the area as homage to "The Few". One morning the curator could here the Merlins coming towards him but he couldnt'see the aircraft. He moved to the front of his site and was none too surprised to see two Spitfires rise up from the hill overlooking Folkestone at grass level, waggle their wings in salute and promptly take the top three or four feet off the oak tree that stood next to the main museum building! He didn't here any crashing noises and was releived only to have to clear up the unexpected trimmings from the poor tree.

Ray, once again, many thanks for the years of stunning displays and RIP

Glyn

[mercw125]

I too was at the first Goodwood and remember the Spitfire flying low , sounding fantastic and looking good.

To me one of the highlights of Goodwood was always the flying displays that took place - it just all added to the atmosphere.

A good man , a sad loss.

RIP

[Paul Parker]

I was talking to someone on that day at Goodwood in 1998 and looking over his shoulder saw the Spit coming like a rocket towards us. Very naughtily I said nothing and was rewarded with my nearly ex-friend leaping about 3 feet off the ground.

Wonderful stuff and a real poke in the eye for the nanny state nitwits and petty officialdom that infest latter day England.

[Paul Rochdale]

Who can forget this incredible piece of footage with Alain de Cadenet?

http://alexparkinn.c.....fire pass.wmv

[Paul Rochdale]

Ooops, I'm sorry. I tested that before posting it but it doesn't now seem to work.

[Paul Rochdale]

http://alexisparkinn.....fire pass.wmv

Sorry about that.

[Eric McLoughlin]

I was really sorry to hear this news. An aviation great has gone. Let's hope that he and Mark are flying perfect formations once again.

[hhh]

That's a real loss to all the Spitfire fans.
His Goodwood demonstrations were awesome; every time it was just fantastic to see how Ray would fly past over the cricket grounds and slip between the trees......

Always a highlight of the Goodwood Revival!
RIP

[Doug Nye]

Sheer class...

DCN

[David McKinney]

Thanks for the pic, Doug
The best possible tribute to his memory

[bradbury west]

Doug, Many thanks for bringing back such a memorable moment, (not that I had forgotten it.......)

I was standing no more than halfway up the bank opposite the pits start-end on that first day and I reckon I was at wing-tip level. Magic.

There is a full and fitting obituary to Ray in today's Daily Telegraph, possibly available at Daily Telegraph on-line.

Roger Lund

[Doug Nye]

Ahem - Ray Hanna, AFC...and bar.

DCN

[frogeye59]

Very Sad News, the skies over Goodwood wont quite be the same any more.

I was accompanied to the Revival this year by 3 Tasmanians, 16, 40 something and 50 something. The misty eyes and cheshire cat grins that followed every sortie by the Spitfires drove home to me how very privileged we are, in blighty, to still witness these beautiful machines first hand, flown by top pilots, on a regular basis.

Of course Ray Hanna was at the very pinnicle of this movement...the best, of the best, as they say.

http://www.ofmc.co.uk/mah/mah.htm

His "old war horse" Spit MH434 should be retired and retained at Duxford in memorial to Ray and his late son Mark surely the best warbird display pilots Britain has seen.



Ray Brings MH434 in over the Goodwood Crowds, another poetic display complete.

David

[flat-16]

I last saw MH434 at full tilt at Biggin Hill '04. Very sad news indeed...

As stated in the Pprune link, I felt he would go on for ever...Few people could execute those kind of manoeuvres at half his age, let alone into the latter part of their seventies.

Mr Hanna's artistry always shone through, and the airshow scene / Goodwood will not be the same. One can only feel that the airscene has become a far more sanitised place with his passing.

Godspeed to you Ray, you put a smile on the faces of a lot of people

Justin

[bradbury west]

The Daily Telegraph completed their tribute to Ray Hanna last Friday, December 16, with a 300 odd word report (total about 30 column inches) in their inside pages of Ray's funeral the day before at Parham, Suffolk, heading it "Red Arrows salute "the founder of modern aerobatics" ". For a modest, but detailed, article as a sensitive accolade it showed a good shot of Ray standing before a P40 Kittyhawk, plus a 20cm x 13 cm colour picture of five Red Arrows on dipped wing in "big battle" formation ( tight arrowhead < shape) in a fly-past over the churchyard at 360 knots at 500ft.

A fitting, final tribute.

RL

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I was staring drop-jawed at DCN's posted pix when my six year old son, Gryphon, came into my office and on my computer screen, saw the Spit winging in low over the pit area. "Is it crashing, Daddy?" "No, son, it's most certainly not. It's making a low pass. Incredible" With eyes as big as Buicks, he ran to get his elder brother, Logan, to come see.

Ditto for Logan.

Thanks for posting, Doug.

RIP, Ray.

[Mike Lawrence]

At the Goodwood Motor Circuit there is a plaque which honours the fact that the first USAAF fliers who flew in combat in the European Theatre of War flew from Goodwood when it was RAF Westhampnett. They flew Spitfires. Apart from one week in August, 1940, when a squadron of Hurricanes from nearby RAF Tangmere were based there, every aircraft which flew in combat from RAF Westhampnett was a Spitfire.

When the plague was unveiled, surviving veterans from the USAAF squadron were invited to the ceremony and Ray arrived in his Spitfire. It was the perfect way to seal the moment.

Ray was completely irresponsible when he flew down down the straight at Goodwood prior to the opening of the first Revival Meeting and thank the Lord Harry that he was.

I guess now the umpires will have to remove the bails at close of play of the Goodwood cricket match. It will not be the same.

[bradbury west]

With the Revival approaching, and clear memories of Ray's opening pass and his other flying displays, I felt you might like to see these links;

http://www.telegraph...fredbull219.xml


http://www.telegraph.../29/cnfly29.xml

Heroes one and all.....

Roger Lund.

[Tudor Owen]

May I ask a favour please?

If anyone has any pictures of the tribute to Ray at the Goodwood Revival this weekend, please would you post them on this link: Ray Hanna Tributes
You need to register, but it's free.

The link is worth reading anyway - there are some wonderful tributes and lots of superb pictures.

If you'd prefer, email the picture files to me and I'll post them: Owen @ aviationlaw.co.uk
(Spaces inserted to avoid the spammers).

I'm trying to get hold of pictures of the ceremony on the track - not flying shots.


Thanks in advance.

Tudor Owen

[bradbury west]

Flicking channels last Friday I came across a programme on "the costume drama" and the making thereof, which included a clip, only about 1min 20secs, of Ray Hanna in "Piece of cake" which apparently was a drama piece for TV, showing him doing the famous flight under the stone bridge. Filmed in northern England, Ray had 2 practice runs - one shown- where, skimming low along the river between the treelined banks he pulled up steeply ahead of the bridge having "sussed" it out, then, dropping a couple of feet lower, did the pass under the stonework, with only one take. His daughter said that the bridge aperture:wingspan ratio was approaching the marginal........ The narrowness of the river valley and closeness of the trees does not come over accurately in the still.
The still shot is gripping, but the moving shots, practice and pass, are what the kids would describe as awesome. Skilled flying indeed.

Roger Lund

[Phil Rainford]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3UtmHLKUU&feature=related

Kind regards

Phil

[Jack-the-Lad]

Is there a high resolution picture of Ray buzzing of the Goodwood pit straight?

Jack

[Ted Walker]

Yes there is .A friend of mine has a limited edition of "the photograph" taken early on of Ray Hanna buzzing the straight at Goodwwod. They are limited to 100 photographs mounted . Call Graeme Simpson on 01684 566151. Sorry if this sounds like an advert but you did ask ?????????????????????????????????

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

"Piece of Cake"

Splendid drama series of the late 80's, iirc. Got all the episodes on tape. I've been having a notion to pull them of late and give them a look again.

[Patrick Fletcher]

From some of the posts on pprune - Ray went and had a few of the branches removed from the trees to the exit left of the bridge before the photo shoot - that is so cool!

[frogeye59]

I managed to pick up the whole "Piece of Cake" series on DVD about a year ago, it must still be out there, story line is a bit obvious and the acting a bit cheesy, but the flying is top drawer, just what you would expect from Ray. Perhaps not as spectacular as the underfly, but plenty of great spiftire shots.

Its in NTSC format, from Canada I think, but whats the click of a button when its worth it.

Ray's son, Mark and "Hoof" Proudfoot are also among the pilots credited, both great pilots in their own right, both sadly taken in accidents doing what they loved.

Hoof's son Lee Proudfoot also grew up to fly Spit's and gave a memorable "flat" display at Goodwood, under a lower cloudbase, in memory of Ray the year following his passing.

On Rays Goodwood pass :- I've seen grainy shots of the pass down the pit straight, and there is a very brief clip on the first event video, all flying down the pit straight from Woodcote towards the Chicane.
However, a pal of mine says he's had a shot described to him in recent years of the spit heading in the opposite direction at possibly lower altitude (I know its down to angles but prop tip aerial and tailfin only things to be seen above the pit building and in this one heading from Chicane to Woodcote) Did Ray do 2 passes ????

Also, it was impossible it would be kept quiet, so was he cleared to that height, or did he get a bollocking ????

Sorry to go on, but OT : Wasn't there a drama series based around rallying, possibly by the same people (Granada) featuring group B cars and involving Tony's Pond and Fall.

David

[bradbury west]

There are 2 distinct passes at different times. There is a Woodcote over the chicane down a demo grid over Charles March and "Miss Monroe" in the promo stuff, a posed shot, and there is the one the other way round, - over Madgwick to grid to chicane to Woodcote VERY low, wingtips at eyelevel for anyone on the chicane bank, believe me, on the opening morning. As ever at the Revival, it pays to be early.
Roger Lund

[bradbury west]

[i]Originally posted by frogeye59
Also, it was impossible it would be kept quiet, so was he cleared to that height, or did he get a bollocking ????David [/B]

PS; if he was not cleared to go that low, then it clearly did not take place, did it?
RL

[Kevan]

Originally posted by frogeye59

Sorry to go on, but OT : Wasn't there a drama series based around rallying, possibly by the same people (Granada) featuring group B cars and involving Tony's Pond and Fall.

David

Just to answer your OT question- Are you thinking of 'Winning Streak', made by Yorkshire Television ITV and shown in the autumn of 1985?- one of the prototypes for the Metro 6R4 featured prominently, in the colours of fictional oil compny 'Ternco Fuels':

During the prototype year, Austin Rover gained some very useful extra testing mileage from participation in a television drama series! The programme, screened nationally from September 1985, is the "The Winning Streak", from Yorkshire Television. It features a 6R4 in a story about a motor trader who goes rallying and includes footage shot on real rallies as well as a great deal of specially staged film.

http://www.6r4.net/6...nformation.html
http://img47.imagesh.../ternco1ez5.jpg

[frogeye59]

Originally posted by bradbury west


PS; if he was not cleared to go that low, then it clearly did not take place, did it?
RL

Neva Saw A Fing Me Lud ;)

[frogeye59]

Originally posted by Kevan


Just to answer your OT question- Are you thinking of 'Winning Streak', made by Yorkshire Television ITV and shown in the autumn of 1985?- one of the prototypes for the Metro 6R4 featured prominently, in the colours of fictional oil compny 'Ternco Fuels':

During the prototype year, Austin Rover gained some very useful extra testing mileage from participation in a television drama series! The programme, screened nationally from September 1985, is the "The Winning Streak", from Yorkshire Television. It features a 6R4 in a story about a motor trader who goes rallying and includes footage shot on real rallies as well as a great deal of specially staged film.

http://www.6r4.net/6...nformation.html
http://img47.imagesh.../ternco1ez5.jpg

Thanks Kevan, that must be it, though to be fair the links are not bringing any memories back, but then I would have been topping up my tinnitus in the rock pubs of York when it was on, most of the time, so no surprise.

[David Birchall]

Originally posted by frogeye59


Neva Saw A Fing Me Lud ;)

I did!! It was bloody marvelous

I was near the entrance to the tunnel when I heard him coming.

I understand he did get a good "bollocking" but it may be hearsay.

[frogeye59]

Originally posted by David Birchall


I did!! It was bloody marvelous

Story of my life, I was 1/2 hour late and the place was buzzing about it when I got there.

[Mr Plug]

It's just 40 years since Flt Lt Alan Pollock flew a Hawker Hunter under the top level of London Bridge. Unfortunately, since it was unannounced, I don't think any film exists....but what a good way to open a Streets-of-London Grand Prix (if there was one!).

[Paul Rochdale]

I'm certain you mean TOWER Bridge.

[Mr Plug]

Originally posted by Paul Rochdale
I'm certain you mean TOWER Bridge.

I knew that.... Senilia Onsettia..........

[speedman13]

In the book Ten Years of the Goodwood revival there is a great photo of Ray doing his low pass down the pit straight. Worth buying the book just for this.