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16th April 1935 - 1st January 2006.
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Bill was born in Exmouth, Devon, on the 16th April 1935; an identical twin to his brother Richard. He attended Exmouth Grammar School and had it in mind to become a Surveyor when he graduated. However, during his Teens he visited the Exeter Flying Club and having experienced flight in their DH Tiger Moths had a change of heart and decided to join the Royal Air Force to pursue a career as a pilot. The bond between the twins was such that brother Dick made the same decision.
They joined in 1952 and after initial training were posted to RAF South Cerney where they both qualified for their wings on the first course which combined initial training on the Piston Provost followed by a phase on the newly introduced trainer version of the Vampire. With training successfully completed the brothers were then rewarded with an overseas posting to 73 Squadron based at RAF Luqa, Malta, from where they flew sorties in the fighter version of the DH Venom over North Africa and the Middle East.
Their tours came to an end and for the first time the brothers were split up. Dick's move was to the developing world of rotary flight and he began training to follow a parallel career as a helicopter pilot. Bill's fate was to do the obligatory, and, for aircrew, the dreaded ground-tour which in Bill's case was made even worse by being at RAF Bridgenorth (an induction camp for new recruits) which had no resident flying units. His solution to feeding the "flying bug" was to spend his weekends at nearby RAF Tern Hill where he was given the opportunity to fly their DH Chipmunks. It was there that he met Dora who was to become his first wife, however, there was a certain matter of protocol to be overcome during the courtship inasmuch that Dora was also a serving RAF officer and superior in rank. His method of alleviating the differences that required him to salute her was to take her flying, subject her to the full range of the Chipmunk's aerobatic capabilities in the hope of making her sick, but his plan was doomed to failure for she loved the experience and they subsequently wed.
Bill's next move was to become a Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI); a revered position as it was recognised that a QFI was someone who could not only "Walk the Walk" but could also "Talk the Talk" and all at the same time. Indeed, he was so successful in this role that he became an A1 QFI which in service terms meant that he was exceptional in the role. His qualification sent him to RAF Linton-on-Ouse where as a QFI he provided instruction to Naval pilots on flying the Jet Provost (JP). As a "secondary duty" he also became solo aerobatics display pilot, entertaining the crowds at Air Shows around the country. It was during this tour that he qualified for membership for a couple of exclusive clubs. The first was to become a father for in 1961 Dora gave birth to their first child, son Howard. Then in 1963 he joined that band of brethren who have used the ejector seat "in anger", for during a training sortie a misbehaving JP caused Bill and his pupil to have to place their faith in Martin-Baker and for them to abandon the aircraft. Indeed, this moment became even more memorable when it was realised that at the same time Bill was ejecting, Dora was providing her own dramatic moment when their second son Nigel also made his debut.
His next posting in 1964 was to the Central Flying School based at RAF Little Rissington where Bill took up the ultimate sport of kings, namely, formation aerobatics with the resident Jet Provost team called "The Red Pelicans", a team he ultimately led. In 1966 Bill converted to the Folland Gnat and flew with a newly formed aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, for their first season; a team which set the new world standard for formation flying.
Following that triumph Bill made a career change when he was posted to RAF Chivenor in Devon and converted to become a fighter reconnaissance specialist. Unfortunately, for him, the requirement popped up again for him to interrupt his flying with a ground tour and this he did in the Middle East. Following that chore there was the compensation of a posting to Germany and off he went to RAF Gutersloh to join No. 4 Squadron flying Hunters. In between times, son Angus was born to complete the family. (Whilst Bill could claim he was also attending hospital at the time of the birth it was, unfortunately, in a different hospital miles from Dora for he was laid up in Sick Quarters at RAF Leconfield suffering from pneumonia!)
Their return to the UK in 1970 to 229 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at RAF Chivenor was but an overture to what was to be the most momentous period of Bill's career. In 1973 he was selected to become a member of an elite team who was directed to introduce a new aircraft type, the SEPECAT Jaguar, into service. So it was that he found himself at BAe Warton working with the manufacturers as a prelude to going to RAF Lossiemouth to form the first Jaguar OCU. (Lossiemouth was also remebered as being the time that they lived in a caravan for some time whilst they awaited their house being built!)
With on-type hours accumulating, being coupled with his reconnaissance experience, it must have been of no surprise to Bill to be told in 1976 "to get thee hence to RAF Laarbruch in Germany" where the RAF's premier reconnaissance unit No. II(AC) Sqn is converting from the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom to the Jaguar. "Shiny Two" provided a string of memorable experiences, all noteworthy and most of them repeatable in polite company! It was during his Laarbruch days that Bill became the first Jaguar pilot to achieve 1000 hours on-type. (Indeed, it was later in his career that he beat everyone else to 2000 hours as well). It was also during the Laarbruch tour that he ejected not once but twice during separate incidents.
The first occasion was as a result of a flying control malfunction which caused the aircraft to enter into an uncontrolled roll shortly after take off. Bill watched with interest the horizon rotating in front of him and waited for the sky to appear above his head before taking the only option available to him and to pull the stripy handle. The low-level ejection was successful but the aircraft ploughed firstly through a graveyard and then scattered the rest of the remains in the grounds of Germany's equivalent of Broadmoor, the Mental Asylum at Bedburg-Hau. As an aside to this incident another II (AC) Sqn Jaguar aircraft, flown by Derrick Bridge, noted the fireball, a deep hole in the ground, and an apparently ‘candled’ parachute. Derrick feared the worst and radioed the news back unaware that his overflying had caused panic amongst the locals who feared a second one was coming in!. Meanwhile Bill, having survived, was trying to contact base by phone but was told by the switchboard operator that all lines were engaged because of an emergency! (The photograph at the head of this obituary was taken of him - duty fag in hand - by a local newspaper as he awaited rescue).
His second rapid exit was made even closer to the ground for the T-Bird (the trainer version of the Jaguar used for continuity training) in which he was bringing the squadron's engineering officer back to base settled onto the runway without the benefit of the undercarriage being lowered. Given the noise, sparks and general mayhem that resulted as the aircraft scrapped it's way along the concrete, again, it seemed a sensible decision to get out as quickly as possible. Both he and his passenger suffered minor injuries but not severe enough to dent his enthusiasm for further flying. It was for these incidents that saw him earn different accolades. From the groundcrew he became known as "Bang-out Bill"; by a lady in the Officers Mess who had misinterpreted tales about him, and pointed him out to company as the pilot who had had "3 erections"!
After all this excitement it was inevitable that the posting back to the UK and a life in training would be an anti-climax. So it proved, for both Lossie on the Jaguar and then Linton on the Jet Provost failed to provide the same "buzz" and suffice to say Bill was not too enamoured. However, salvation was at hand and he managed to escape to a loan-service tour on both the Hunter and the Jaguar with the Omani Air Force. There was a downside, for it was here that his heart condition first revealed itself and as a consequence he was grounded. He stayed in the Gulf area and landed a job as a ground-school lecturer in Abu Dhabi and it was there that he met Marie who became his second wife.
Bill left the Middle-East and returned to the UK to live in Yorkshire where he took up a civil service appointment to teach in the Tucano simulator at Linton-on-Ouse; a job he held until his retirement.
Bill suffered a stroke in 2005, following which his strength of character showed through as he was determined not let this minor setback affect his lifestyle. He was nursed back to health by the devoted care of Marie and, once recovered, he continued his active life as before. (Indeed, just a few weeks ago he was re-teaching himself to drive on a patch of wasteland close to his home). A short illness over the Christmas period weakened Bill further and on New Year's Day he passed peacefully away.
Bill's funeral was held close to the family home in Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire. Following the church service, as the coffin was being placed in the hearse, a lone Jaguar flew overhead at low-level. A final farewell to a remarkable man.
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Sqn. Ldr. William Arthur Langworthy AFC
16th April 1935 – 1st January 2006 |
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Fly to the angels
Do not land
God has taken hold your hand
Many flights you have made
Memories will never fade
Take to the skies a final time
Far above the clouds to climb
Do not stop
The skies deep blue
Keep on climbing
You must do
You’ve landed now
In heaven’s field
Your journey’s done
You’ve found such peace
On this sweet flight
Goodbye, God bless
Sleep tight. |
Howard Langworthy |
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