Test Pilots

Roger Bailey: started pilot training with the Royal Air Force in 1969, and later served with 48 Squadron, 24 Squadron, and 242 OCU as Co-pilot, Captain, and Training Captain respectively. He attended the Central Flying School in 1981 to train as a Qualified Flying Instructor and subsequently served on the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron. In 1986 he attended the United States Air Force Test Pilot School as an exchange student.

After graduating in December 1986 he joined Flight Systems Squadron at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford. He was appointed the Officer Commanding Aerospace Research Squadron in 1988 and retired from the Royal Air Force in December 1989. After leaving the RAF he joined the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield University as Chief Test Pilot, a post he holds to the present day. In 1989 he joined the volunteer pilot cadre of the Shuttleworth Collection, a museum of over thirty airworthy veteran aircraft. With the Shuttleworth Collection he has flown early aircraft including the Bristol Boxkite and Avro Triplane replicas and the Bleriot, Deperdussin and Blackburn original monoplanes.

Andy Berryman: Joined the Royal Navy in 1979 and served on 845 and 846 Squadrons as a Commando Helicopter pilot. Attended Central Flying School in 1985 and served on 705 Squadron as a Qualified Helicopter Instructor gaining an A1(H) QHI qualification. Trained at the Empire Test Pilots’ School in1989 before serving with Rotary Wing Test Squadron, Boscombe Down as test pilot. Responsibilities as test pilot included the introduction of the Lynx HAS Mk8 into Royal Naval Service; Sea King, Wessex and Gazelle project duties: icing project pilot, NVG project pilot and SHOL project pilot.

Returned to operational service in 1992 with 846 Squadron including duties as Senior Pilot before returning to the Empire Test Pilots’ School as a tutor. In 1995 became Staff Aviation Officer to the Commodore Amphibious Warfare responsible for all aspects of amphibious aviation for the Royal Navy and Marines. Saw operational service in Northern Ireland, the South Atlantic, Lebanon and Bosnia. Completed three seasons as display pilot on Gazelle, both solo and as team leader in formation team, and competed in both the World and British Helicopter Championships winning eleven national and international trophies, including twice British Helicopter Champion on two occasions. Awarded the Air Force Cross in 1989.

Left the Royal Navy in 1996 to become an airline pilot, currently flying Boeing 747-400 on long haul routes with British Airways. In addition, carries out instructional flying on light turbine helicopters and corporate helicopter operations on Agusta 109 and Gazelle. Crew Resource Management training conducted for both fixed and rotary wing operators.

Commissioned the James Bibby simulator at Liverpool University in 2000 and continues with both student studies and R&D as a consultant.

Wing Commander Martin Mayer joined the RAF in1963 for pilot training and  in 1965 joined his first helicopter squadron in Borneo for jungle operations against Indonesia flying Westland Whirlwinds. In 1967 he became an instructor and in 1969 attended the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS). As a test pilot at Boscombe Down he flew all the current military helicopters, and was project pilot for the introduction of the Puma into RAF service for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross. After tours as a Puma instructor, flight commander in Germany and tutor at ETPS, he was promoted to command the UK Chinook squadron. As a diplomat, he served as Air Advisor in Nairobi and Defence Advisor in Dar Es Salaam before returning to command ETPS where he instructed test pilot students on 8 aircraft types, both fixed- and rotary-winged.  He advised the Director of the European Astronaut Centre on ESA astronaut flight training. In 1992 he retired to take command of the Air Experience Flight at RAF Woodvale, recruiting and training volunteer pilots to fly Chipmunks, Bulldogs and finally Tutors to give flight experience to air cadets. He finally retired in 2002 and is now content to fly his model aircraft and occasionally assist Liverpool University in instructing on their flight simulator. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.  

Nigel Talbot  Joined East Lowlands University Air Squadron at Edinburgh whilst studying Engineering, flying Chipmunk and Bulldogs.   Joined the Army Air Corps in 1975 and after a spell as an Infantry Officer, completed the Army Pilots Course and converted onto the Scout helicopter, followed by duty in Germany, Canada and Northern Ireland in anti-armour and support roles, and conversion onto the Lynx.   Completed the Rotary Wing Test Pilot Course at the Empire Test Pilots’ School in 1981 and served in the Rotary Squadron, Boscombe Down on projects such as Night Vision Goggles on various types and Chinook icing trials.

 Joined the UK Civil Aviation Authority as a test pilot in 1984 and has carried out certification flight testing on the majority of western helicopters types and variants since.   He has been involved extensively in the development of new and revised civil airworthiness requirements, including Fly-by Wire handling qualities criteria, and the associated flight testing and research simulation.   In addition to his normal duties with CAA, he keeps an involvement in both military operational flying through the Army Air Corps Territorial Army, where he flies Lynx, and civil offshore operational flying with Bristow Helicopters over the North Sea.

He is currently Deputy Chief Test Pilot of the CAA.

Mr A Berryman

Mr M Mayer

Mr N Talbot