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It's a busy life being a test pilot - says Phil O'Dell...

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Shippo
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 11:43 pm

It's a busy life being a test pilot - says Phil O'Dell...

Post by Shippo » Sat Sep 12, 2015 3:45 pm

Phil O'Dell , known by most as Pod, is Chief Test Pilot and Head of Flying at Rolls-Royce PLC (Aero Engines), and also displays the Rolls Royce MkXIX Spitfire. Until November 2001 he was Officer Commanding the Research & Development Flight of the Fast Jet Test Squadron at DERA Boscombe Down. He joined Rolls-Royce plc in November 2001 having completed 18 years in the Royal Air Force. During his time with the Royal Air Force he flew the Buccaneer, was both a weapons and flying instructor on the Hawk and flew operational sorties over northern Iraq and Bosnia with the Jaguar.

Whilst serving as an officer, he was selected by the RAF to attend the French Test Pilot School at Istres in Provence and flew over 25 aircraft from the F-14 Tomcat to the Airbus A320.

Since joining Rolls-Royce, Phil has contributed to a number of major engine development programmes, in particular the Adour Mk 951 upgrade to the SAAF Hawk, the Trent 900 for the Airbus A380 and the Trent 1000 for the 787 Dreamliner. To help his role for Rolls-Royce, Phil flew both the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 777 operationally with British Airways between 2002 and 2007. He currently flies the company's Gulfstream G450 aircraft and the in-house Boeing 747 Classic Flying Test Bed.

Phil is also charged with leadership of the Rolls-Royce Heritage Flight's Spitfire operation, a great privilege that requires flying the aircraft at a number of airshows and events throughout the UK each year. He flies and instructs in the Spitfire, Harvard and Chipmunk at the Boultbee Flight Academy, and is a Civil Aviation Authority Display Authorisation Evaluator.

To put the icing on the cake, Pod is one of five pilots for the iconic Vulcan XH 558 which is still flying to date as well and working with Martin Withers DFC, its Chief Pilot and Operations Manager, who flew Vulcan XM607 of 101 Squadron which bombed Port Stanley airfield then occupied by the Argentines during the Falklands War.

Phil remains a test pilot, so to find out more about his career, you are invited to come to the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre to hear the his illustrated talk of THE ROLE OF A TEST PILOT FOR ROLLS-ROYCE. This link should wet your appetite on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyiB80mox2g

The lecture will be in the WW2 gymnasium at the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre on Wednesday, 23rd September, beginning at 7.30pm

Admission is £5.00 to visitors to include refreshments but is free to members of Friends of Metheringham Airfield and veterans of 106 Squadron.

For further details contact 01526 378270


John Shipton
Press Officer
Friends of Metheringham Airfield
Lincoln

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