Harrison, Jimmy 1918 - 2007

James Gordon Harrison, known as ‘Jimmy’, flew with the RAF before joining AVRO as a test pilot in 1949, charged with making the revolutionary AVRO Vulcan delta-wing aircraft safe to fly.

Harrison was born in Portsmouth in 1918. He left school and joined the RAF aged 16, starting his aviation career as an aircraftman fitter. With the outbreak of the Second World War, he applied to become a pilot and completed his training in Canada. Recognising his skill, the RAF retained him as a flight instructor and he remained in Canada until 1944. He then joined 605 squadron, flying De Havilland Mosquitos with a particular speciality in night flights. Harrison became squadron leader.

Following the end of the war, Harrison completed the No 8 course at the renowned Empire Test Pilots’ School in Farnborough. Once again, his skill was apparent and he graduated with distinction. Harrison went on to Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough. He began the dangerous tasks of carrying out test flights for experimental tailless, swept-back Delta jet aircraft. Following a period at the RAF's Staff College in Bracknell, Harrison joined AVRO as a test pilot in 1954.

In the Cold War era Britain developed three bombers capable of delivering Britain’s nuclear deterrent onto Soviet Russia, including the AVRO Vulcan. The aircraft were beset with many handling problems, and 71 crew members were lost in V-bomber development flights.

In 1958 Harrison succeeded Roland Falk as AVRO’s chief test pilot, a role he would retain as the company became part of Hawker Siddeley. With his successor Tony Blackman, he spent years developing the Vulcan bomber for missile warfare.

Harrison and his team discovered that by flying at low altitude, close to the speed of sound, the Vulcan became a ‘stealth bomber’, almost undetectable by radar. This concept was then built on by the Americans.

Harrison retired from test flying in 1969, taking on a new role as product support manager. By this stage he had flown more than 7300 hours in 93 different aircraft. The significance of his role in the development of the Vulcan, Hawker Siddeley 748 turboprop reconnaissance aircraft and RAF’s Nimrod aircraft was recognised nationally in 1968, when he was awarded an OBE. He had twice received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air twice, once as an RAF pilot, and then again whilst he was employed at Avro.

In 1984 Harrison retired to Derbyshire. He passed away in 2007 and was survived by his wife and daughters.