John Stanley Booth | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1919-12-09)9 December 1919 Totties,Yorkshire,England |
| Died | 5 June 1958(1958-06-05) (aged 38) Boscombe Down |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1938–1945 |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Service number | 41658 |
| Battles / wars | Battle of France |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air |
| Other work | Chief Test Pilot |
Squadron LeaderJohn Stanley BoothDFC &Bar (9 December 1919 – 5 June 1958) was anEnglish aviator, a pilot in theRoyal Air Force during theSecond World War, and, after the end of the conflict, became atest pilot.[1] After spending almost ten years working for theSaunders-Roe company, he was killed in 1958 while test flying theSR.53, an experimentalinterceptor.[1]
Born on 9 December 1919 nearHuddersfield inYorkshire, Booth joined theRoyal Air Force in 1938 on a short service commission and in October 1939 he was sent to France with59 Squadron as part of theBritish Expeditionary Force.[1][2] During theBattle of France, he was awarded aDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his gallantry.[3] Wounded in May 1940, Booth was sent back to England for convalescence, and after recovering, was posted to Canada where he served a number of tours as aflying instructor.[2]
In 1943 he returned to operations. For the next two years he flew night fighters and intruder operations withNo. 100 (Bomber Support) Group, for which he was awarded a bar to his D.F.C.[4][2]
After his tours with Bomber Command, he was posted to "A" Squadron atBoscombe Down in late 1944. In 1945, he was a student on the third course run at theEmpire Test Pilots' School.[2] Following his demobilisation from the Royal Air Force in 1946 he joinedPower Jets as a test pilot. He moved toShort Brothers, initially at Rochester, but later Belfast. For the next two years he conducted most of the test flying on theSturgeon, carried out development of theSolent, and flew the civil version of theShetland.[2]
In February 1949 Booth joined Saunders-Roe as deputy to their chief test pilotGeoffrey Tyson. In this role, he assisted with test flying of theSaunders-Roe SR.A/1, the world's first jet flying boat fighter, and the development flying of thePrincess.[1][2]
In January 1956 Tyson retired and Booth was appointed the chief test pilot.[1][5] In this role, Booth was responsible for the development flying of theSaunders-Roe SR.53 mixed power interceptor. He made the maiden flight of the first prototype (XD145) on 16 May 1957, demonstrated it at the Farnborough (S.B.A.C) air-show in September[6] and made the first flight of the second prototype (XD151) on 6 December 1957.[citation needed]
On the fifth of June, 1958, Booth was testing XD151. During take off its rocket engine failed and it overrun the runway at Boscombe Down. During the accident, the SR.53 hit alanding light, rupturing its fuel tanks and burst into flames, Booth was killed in the fire.[1] A few days following the accident, Booth was posthumously awarded theQueen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.[7] Booth was married with two children.[1][2]
