Did anyone watch the programme about this man last night on BBC2.

Just astonishing!

A Fleet Air Arm pilot in WWII, he holds the records for most carrier landings (well over 2000) and most aircraft types flown (487).

After being torpedoed in the Atlantic - one of 2 to survive clinging to wreckage, he became a test pilot. His house was bombed in the Blitz, he was the first man to land a Mosquito on a carrier.
His matter of fact sadness at the loss of so many comrades was all the more moving for its lack of drama.
My grandad was a test pilot pre-war and ironically lost his life flying a Beaufighter over Norfolk when an engine failed.
After the war, Brown was sent to Germany where he sought out and flew all the secret German planes including the ME262 jet fighter and the ME163 rocket plane. He even interrogated Hermann Goering.

An amazing, humble, genuine hero.

I was just spellbound.

Definitely one for iPlayer if you can...

Bugger, missed it. What was it called?

From that description it sounds like there should be a Hollywood film (or sequence there of) made to keep his achievements alive.

"Captain Britain" - yes America, ours was real!

I saw this when it was first shown earlier this year.

A truly amazing man. The word hero is banded about too easily these days, but this man is deserved of being called a hero.

It was called Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown.

I think he would be mortified at the thought of films, Hollywood or otherwise. His modesty and humility made his story all the more compelling.

Yes - he has to be the greatest British hero I've never heard of - just a stunning list of achievements and experiences for one person. One of the first people to liberate Bergen-Belsen amongst so many other things. Incredible man.

An amazing man who seems to have been involved in so many facets of aviation over the years it beggars belief ! Interrogation of Goering, Rocket planes tests, crash investigation etc never mind flying more aircraft types than any other pilot ever. I would love to be able just to shake the mans hand and tell him how much he deserves some sort of recognition for all his achievements.

Downloading now, thanks for the heads up, would have missed this one.

Amazing, mosquito landing on carrier 2x heavier than any previous plane landed; 50mph gap between max landing speed and stall speed , plus made of wood so liable to total destruction, he put it down pin sharp. Repeated feat with first jet on carrier, deck pitching like buggery. What a man

Me too, really enjoyed learning about him.

Slightly left-field but he's going to be on Desert Island Discs on Friday - it has to be worth a listen hasn't it?

Yes I think so; I am hoping I can get it on BBC iPlayer and listen at a non-work time. (believe it goes out at 9am)

Call him by his proper entitled name:

Captain Eric Melrose Brown CBE, DSC, AFC, KCVSA, PhD Hon FRAeS, RN

Unbelievable man - 2,407 carrier landings! I mean, come on. Some pilots don't manage 2,407 flights let alone landings on carriers during a war.

Not to mention he's an Olympian......

Not that I think it in any way diminishes him, but he was not an Olympian .... he was at the 1936 Olympics as a guest with his father.

Was he? Must've miss heard that bit...

Not on the iplayer anymore, but is available on YouTube for those that missed it.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LEe5ul37Q7g

Died aged 97.

RIP Eric 'Winkle' Brown

R.I.P Winkle, hope the testing base apron in the sky is full of interesting aircraft!

I saw this sad news. RIP. What an outstanding pilot and amazing man.

Sad loss, great Englishman!

One of the even fewer now passed RIP

Briton, yes. Englishman? Certainly not!

I was miffed with C4 news tonight who presented a special item on him - they could have mentioned he was Scottish.

Yes got me there, a while since I watched the documentary

Did it not also mention some US airman who tried to match his carrier landings tally and basically went mad trying LOL

There is a short biography on BBC 2 at 7:00 this evening.

No doubt it will be on BBC iPlayer later

I know people in 'the trade' so to speak that say no doubt that the man was a true great but there are/were a few more even better respected pilots that really keep/kept humble and quiet about their heroics......

Just playing devils advocate on the unsung.

I didn't know him personally so can't really comment on how humble he may have been but he had integrity by the bucket load.

I attended a talk some time ago at Duxford regarding the ME 163 they had restored. He was there and spoke about the flying of the ME 163. He said how he had needed the help of a least three experienced German ground crew to be able to undertake the flight but that all the Germans were refusing to help. This was due to their fear of the "Stahlhelm" an organization that would later become Odessa.

He did manage to persuade three of them to assist and vowed never to release their names, he never did. He also never revealed that he had received a "Sharp Start" until the last of them had passed away!