John Fairey

John Fairey
Full name	John Stephen Fairey
Born	(1935-04-21)21 April 1935 Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Died	Bishop Norton, Lincolnshire
Cause of death	Aircraft crash
Nationality	British
Spouse	Beverley Halford
Relatives	Sir Charles Richard Fairey
Aviation career
Air force	Rhodesian Air Force
Rank	Flight Lieutenant

John Stephen Fairey FRAeS (21 April 1935 – 8 July 2009) was a British aviator.

Early life

Fairey was the second son of Sir Charles Richard Fairey, founder of the Fairey Aviation Company. He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Career

Fairey gained his pilot license in Canada, flying floatplanes. While at the University of Cambridge, he joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron and flew de Havilland Canada Chipmunk and North American Harvard aircraft. In the 1960s, Fairey became a pilot with Cambrian Airways, flying Douglas DC-3, Vickers Viscount and BAC One-Eleven aeroplanes.

After emigrating to Rhodesia in 1978, he joined the Rhodesian Air Force, returning to England after the Bush War. He flew with Channel Express until his retirement in 2000.

After his retirement, Fairey continued to fly in displays, particularly in his Spitfire trainer. He later sold this aircraft and commissioned the construction of a replica Fairey Flycatcher, which is now on show at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Appointed positions

Fairey was chairman of the Museum of Army Flying's Development Trust, vice-president of the Historic Aircraft Association, a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. He was also Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

Death

Fairey died on 8 July 2009 when the Percival Provost T1 he was piloting crashed in a field near Bishop Norton in Lincolnshire. The aircraft, which had been on display at RAF Waddington, was based at Brimpton Airfield in Berkshire. He is survived by his wife, Beverley (née Halford); his daughter, Sarah Jane, and his grandson, Alexander. His three sons – Richard, James, and Alexander – predeceased him.