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Test Pilots - Leslie Robert Colquhoun

Les Colquhoun delivering a copy of The Sound Barrier to the Belgian Attache

Flight Lieutenant Leslie Robert Colquhoun DFC GM DFM (15th March 1921 – 19th July 2001) was a RAF photographic reconnaissance pilot during the Second World War, test pilot and Hovercraft pioneer. He was born on 15 March 1921 at Hanwell, Middlesex and was educated at Ealing. He joined the RAF in August 1940 and trained as a pilot. His first posting was to 603 Squadron where he flew the Supermarine Spitfire on convoy protection patrols. For nine months in 1941 and 1942 Les Colquhoun flew 154 operational sorties in his unarmed and pale blue painted Spitfire over Italy. These sorties were flown mostly over the sea, a risky business in a single-engine Spitfire.

Flight Lieutenant Colquhoun returned to the United Kingdom where he trained to fly the photographic reconnaissance variant of de Havilland Mosquito in Scotland. In 1943 he joined 682 Squadron based in Algeria and later moved to Italy. He stayed with the squadron until October 1944 and carried out 262 operational sorties, earning a DFC.

After his time at Chilbolton as a production test pilot, he was soon testing the new Hovercraft being produced by Vickers and went on to become operations manager of Vickers’ Hovercraft division. In 1966 he joined Hoverlloyd as operational manager for the cross channel hovercraft service, and eventually ended up running a jetfoil service to Dieppe for Seaspeed.

Les Colquhoun became custodian of Chiddingstone Castle, before he retired to live at Broadstairs in Kent. He died in July 2001 leaving a wife and four daughters.

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