# Derek Piggott

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English aviator

Derek Piggott MBE Derek Piggott in his natural habitat at the Lasham Regional Competition in 2005 Born Alan Derek Piggott (1922-12-27)27 December 1922 Chadwell Heath, Essex, England Died 6 January 2019(2019-01-06) (aged 96) Citizenship United Kingdom Occupations Aviator, flying instructor and author

**Alan Derek Piggott** [MBE](/source/Member_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) (27 December 1922 – 6 January 2019) was one of Britain's best known [glider](/source/Gliding) pilots and instructors. He had over 5,000 hours on over 153 types of powered aircraft and over 5,000 hours on over 184 types of [glider](/source/Glider_(sailplane)). He was honoured for his work on the instruction and safety of glider pilots. In 1961 he became the first person to make an officially authenticated take-off and flight in a [man-powered aircraft](/source/Human_powered_flight). He also worked as a stunt pilot in several feature films.

## Early years

Piggott was born in [Chadwell Heath](/source/Chadwell_Heath), Essex, the son of Rev. William Piggott and Alice Harvey. His father was a conscientious objector in the First World War, led the rent strike against London County Council after the war, and was a frequent speaker at Hyde Park. When his mother died, the family moved to Sutton, Surrey, where Derek attended Sutton County School. When he left school he became a trainee scientific instrument maker. He had been a very active aero-modeller and helped to form the Sutton Model Aircraft Club. After the war he was selected to be a member of the British Wakefield Cup team, a prestigious aero modelling competition held that year in Akron, Ohio. He first flew in an [Avro 504](/source/Avro_504) as a passenger at the age of four.

## Royal Air Force

Piggott joined the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) in 1942 as aircrew and made a first solo in a [de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth](/source/De_Havilland_DH.82A_Tiger_Moth) after only six hours dual. He completed his training in Canada and was commissioned as a [Pilot Officer](/source/Pilot_Officer) in 1943. He was then sent on a multi-engine instructors' course and then on a course for elementary instructors before returning to England. By 1944, there was a surplus of trained pilots and he volunteered to fly [military gliders](/source/Military_gliders). After a short conversion to the [Airspeed Horsa](/source/Airspeed_Horsa), [General Aircraft Hotspur](/source/General_Aircraft_Hotspur), and [Waco Hadrian](/source/Waco_Hadrian), he was posted to India and then on to Burma where he flew [Douglas Dakotas](/source/Douglas_Dakota) dropping supplies to front-line troops. During his stay in India, he instructed [Royal Indian Air Force](/source/Royal_Indian_Air_Force) students and flew low anti-riot patrols just before the [partition of India](/source/Partition_of_India) in August 1947.

Back in the UK, he was posted as a Staff Instructor at the [Central Flying School](/source/Central_Flying_School) at [RAF Little Rissington](/source/RAF_Little_Rissington) where he trained instructors and flew [North American Harvards](/source/North_American_Harvard), [Boulton Paul Balliols](/source/Boulton_Paul_Balliol), [Avro Athenas](/source/Avro_Athena), [Gloster Meteors](/source/Gloster_Meteor), [Supermarine Spitfires](/source/Supermarine_Spitfire), [de Havilland Mosquitos](/source/De_Havilland_Mosquito), and [Avro Lancasters](/source/Avro_Lancaster). After being awarded an A1 Instructor Rating, he joined the Home Command Gliding Instructors' School at [Detling](/source/Detling) teaching civilian instructors for the [Air Training Corps](/source/Air_Training_Corps) on [Slingsby T.21](/source/Slingsby_T.21) and [Slingsby Kirby Cadet](/source/Slingsby_Kirby_Cadet) gliders. As Chief Flying Instructor he introduced training methods that greatly improved safety. He also taught school teachers in the [Combined Cadet Force](/source/Combined_Cadet_Force) how to teach flying in primary gliders. Flying with an ATC cadet as co-pilot in the national gliding championships, he established a British two-seater altitude record, in a T.21, climbing to over 17,000 feet (5,200 m) in a thunderstorm over [Sheffield](/source/Sheffield). In 1953, Piggott received the [Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air](/source/Queen's_Commendation_for_Valuable_Service_in_the_Air) for work on developing and introducing new instructional techniques for gliding in the ATC.[1]

## Gliding career

In 1953, he left the RAF as a [Flight Lieutenant](/source/Flight_Lieutenant) and was the Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) for [Lasham Gliding Society](/source/Lasham_Airfield) between 1953 and 1989, though he took breaks during this time to do stunt flying. He travelled widely, lecturing and advising gliding associations such as the [Soaring Society of America](/source/Soaring_Society_of_America) and the Dutch gliding association on instructional techniques such as the use of motor gliders in training. As a leading authority on [gliding](/source/Gliding), he wrote seven books on the subject, an autobiography, several monographs, and many magazine articles.[2] His first book 'Gliding' was first published in 1958 and an eighth edition in 2002.

In addition he had success as a competition glider pilot winning three regional championships, was the UK National aerobatic glider champion in 1961, and set several national gliding records including the single-seat altitude record of over 25,000 feet (7,600 m) in an active thunderstorm in a [Slingsby Skylark](/source/Slingsby_Skylark). He holds the [FAI](/source/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_A%C3%A9ronautique_Internationale) Diamond Badge. In 2003 at the age of 81, he completed a 505 km (314 mi) task in a [Fedorov Me7 Mechta](/source/Fedorov_Me7_Mechta) glider with only a 12.7 m (42 ft) span in a national competition in a time of 7hr 14min. (Several much younger pilots with superior machines failed to complete this task). He ceased regularly flying gliders solo in December 2012 but had one last Hurrah in an EoN Baby at Lyveden in August 2013, and ceased holding a [Private Pilot Licence](/source/Private_Pilot_Licence) (PPL).

He was a member of a test group for the [British Gliding Association](/source/British_Gliding_Association) (BGA) and tested a number of prototype [gliders](/source/Glider_(sailplane)) and foreign machines for approval to be imported. He made a successful emergency parachute descent from a damaged [SZD-9 Bocian](/source/SZD-9_Bocian) making him a member of the [Caterpillar Club](/source/Caterpillar_Club). He researched the effect of sub-gravity sensations as a cause for many serious and fatal gliding accidents.

## Other flying

On 9 November 1961, flying [SUMPAC](/source/SUMPAC) ([Southampton University](/source/Southampton_University)'s Man Powered Aircraft), Derek Piggott became the first person to make an officially authenticated take-off and flight in a [man-powered aircraft](/source/Man_powered_flight).[3] The longest flight was 650 yd (590 m); turns were attempted, with 80 degrees the best achieved and he made a total of 40 flights in SUMPAC.[4]

He took a break from being a gliding instructor to become a stunt pilot[5] and was also technical adviser on several feature [films](/source/Film). His role as a stunt pilot, began in 1965 with the film *[The Blue Max](/source/The_Blue_Max)* which tells the story of the competitive rivalry between two [German](/source/Germany) pilots in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). He was enlisted as one of several pilots who helped recreate the live dog-fight scenes for the film. However, he was the only stunt pilot to agree to fly for the climax of the film in which the two rivals challenge each other to fly beneath the spans of a bridge over a river. Taking the role of both German pilots and with multiple takes from contrasting camera angles, he ended up flying through the wide span of this bridge in Ireland 15 times and 17 times through the narrower span. The two [Fokker Dr.I](/source/Fokker_Dr.I) replicas had about 4 ft (1.2 m) of clearance on each side when passing through the narrower span. Piggott was able to fly through the arch reliably by aligning two scaffolding poles, one in the river and one on the far bank. The director had placed a flock of sheep next to the bridge so that they would scatter as the plane approached in order to demonstrate that the stunt was real and had not used models. However, by later takes, the sheep had become accustomed to the planes and continued to graze, and so they had to be scared by the shepherd.

In *[Darling Lilli](/source/Darling_Lilli)*, he was responsible for the majority of the designs of six replica aircraft and for supervising their construction in a period of nine weeks. Some of the dog fight scenes are considered to be among the best made. However, they had to be re-shot the following year because the film was changed from being comic to serious.

Another notable film role was Derek Piggott's contribution to *[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines](/source/Those_Magnificent_Men_in_Their_Flying_Machines)* in which he flew and advised on the construction of several of the early aircraft recreated for use in the film. Many of the planes employed [wing warping](/source/Wing_warping) for control in roll, which involved re-discovering how to fly them safely without the better roll control that comes from the use of ailerons. Several of the aircraft had dangerous features and he had a number of narrow escapes.

In *[Villa Rides](/source/Villa_Rides)* he had to crash an aircraft that was flying towards a cliff by making the undercarriage collapse. This stopped it from 110 km/h (68 mph) in about 10 m (33 ft)

The replica of Cayley's glider flown by Derek Piggott

Derek Piggott flew some or all the aerial stunts in several other films: *[Von Richthofen and Brown](/source/Von_Richthofen_and_Brown) (The Red Baron)*; *[Agatha](/source/Agatha_(film))*; *[Slipstream](/source/Slipstream_(1989_film))*; *[You Can't Win 'Em All](/source/You_Can't_Win_'Em_All)*; *[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang](/source/Chitty_Chitty_Bang_Bang)* and for several television programmes. For one of these TV programmes a replica of the [Sir George Cayley's](/source/George_Cayley) first heavier-than-air flying machine was built in the early 1970s. The machine was flown by Derek Piggott at the original site in [Brompton Dale](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brompton_Dale&action=edit&redlink=1) in 1973 for a TV programme[6] and again in 1985[7] for the [IMAX](/source/IMAX) film *[On the Wing](/source/On_the_Wing_(1986_film))*.

## Piggott Hook

Derek Piggott was the inventor of the "Piggott-Hook", which is designed to prevent air brakes opening on a launch. The system is installed in all new gliders built by [DG Flugzeugbau](/source/DG_Flugzeugbau)[8]

## Death

Piggott died of a [stroke](/source/Stroke), aged 96, on 6 January 2019.[9]

## Honours

In 1987 Derek Piggott was appointed a [Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire](/source/Member_of_the_Most_Excellent_Order_of_the_British_Empire) (MBE). In 2007 he was awarded the [Royal Aero Club](/source/Royal_Aero_Club) Gold Medal—the highest award for aviation in the UK. Also in 2007 the [Royal Aeronautical Society](/source/Royal_Aeronautical_Society) appointed Derek an Honorary Companion of the Society. In 2008 he was awarded the [Lilienthal Gliding Medal](/source/Lilienthal_Gliding_Medal) by the [Fédération Aéronautique Internationale](/source/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_A%C3%A9ronautique_Internationale) for outstanding service over many years to the sport of gliding. In July 2016 he was appointed President of the BHPFC (British Human Powered Flying Club) in recognition of his pioneering achievements in the field of human powered aviation.

## Bibliography

- Piggott, Derek (1977). *Delta Papa A Life of Flying*. Pelham Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7207-0979-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7207-0979-2).

- Piggott, Derek (1978). *Going Solo: A Simple Guide To Soaring*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-1899-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-1899-X).

- Piggott, Derek (2002). *Gliding: A handbook on soaring flight*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-6148-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-6148-8).

- Piggott, Derek (1998). *Gliding Safety*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-4853-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-4853-8).

- Piggott, Derek (1999). *Understanding Flying Weather*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-4346-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-4346-3).

- Piggott, Derek (2002). *Understanding Gliding*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-6147-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-6147-X).

- Piggott, Derek (2002). *Beginning Gliding*. A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-4155-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-4155-X).

- Piggott, Derek (1990). [*Derek Piggott on Gliding*](https://archive.org/details/derekpiggottongl0000pigg). A & C Black. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7136-5799-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7136-5799-5).

His monographs are:

- 'Sub-gravity sensations and gliding accidents'

- 'Stop worrying about stalling and spinning'

- 'Using motor gliders for training glider pilots'

- 'Ground launches'

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["No. 40366"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40366/supplement/36). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 31 December 1954. p. 36.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GlidMagIn_2-0)** Piggott, Derek. ["List of 'Derek on Instructing'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110711101612/http://www.glidingmagazine.com/features.asp?issue_date=4%2F1%2F2008&search=%22Derek+On+Instructing%22). *glidingmagazine.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.glidingmagazine.com/features.asp?issue_date=4%2F1%2F2008&search=%22Derek+On+Instructing%22) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Flight marks 50th anniversary of pedal plane's flight"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-15705954). *BBC News*. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-hpf_4-0)** ["THE FIRST TRUE FLIGHTS SUMPAC"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110519173408/http://http/). Archived from [the original](http://www.humanpoweredflying.propdesigner.co.uk/html/flights.html) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["IMDB"](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0683105/?ref_=nv_sr_1). Retrieved 3 January 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-glidmag1_6-0)** Piggott, Derek (October 2003). ["Gliding 1852 Style"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120717072431/http://www.glidingmagazine.com/FeatureArticle.asp?id=360). *glidingmagazine.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.glidingmagazine.com/FeatureArticle.asp?id=360) on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-glidmag2_7-0)** Short, Simine (October 2003). ["Stamps that tell a story"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120729014138/http://www.glidingmagazine.com/FeatureArticle.asp?id=357). *glidingmagazine.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.glidingmagazine.com/FeatureArticle.asp?id=357) on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dg_8-0)** ["The Piggott-Hook for locking the Brake Handle or How an Invention Begins"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150923214153/http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/piggott-haken-e.html). *dg-flugzeugbau.de*. Archived from [the original](http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/piggott-haken-e.html) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-flyermag_9-0)** ["Derek Piggott, gliding legend and pilot, RIP"](https://www.flyer.co.uk/derek-piggott-gliding-legend-and-pilot-rip/). *FLYER*. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.

## External links

- [Lasham Gliding Society](http://www.lasham.org.uk/)

- [Video interview with Derek Piggott](https://web.archive.org/web/20151223024253/http://www.communitychannel.org/video/8-DM7-_Iy38/the_memory_team_episode_1/)

- [Derek Piggott](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0683105/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Netherlands Israel Other Open Library Yale LUX

v t e Recipients of Lilienthal Gliding Medal 1938–1950 Tadeusz Góra (1938) Per-Axel Persson (1948) John C. Robinson (1949) William S. Ivans (1950) 1951–1975 Marcelle Choisnet-Gohard (1951) Charles Atger (1952) Victor Iltchenko (1953) Philip Wills (1954) Joachim Küttner (1955) Paul MacCready (1956) Don Luis Vicente Juez Gomez (1957) Wolf Hirth (1958) Richard Schreder (1959) Pelagia Majewska (1960) Adolph Gehriger (1961) Paul Bikle (1962) Heinz Huth (1963) Alvin H. Parker (1964) Edward Makula (1965) Anne Burns (1966) Lennart Stahlfors (1967) Alejo Williamson (1968) Eric Nessler (1969) Hans-Werner Grosse (1970) Karl Striedieck (1971) Jan Wróblewski (1972) Ann Welch (1973) August Hug (1974) Adela Dankowska (1975) 1976–2000 Louis A. de Lange (1976) George B. Moffat Jr. (1977) Helmut Reichmann (1978) Hans Wolf (1980) George Lee (1981) Hans Nietlispach (1982) C.E. Wallington (1984) Sholto Hamilton Georgeson (1985) Dick Johnson (1986) Juhani Horma (1987) Ingo Renner (1988) Fred Weinholtz (1990) Raymond W. Lynskey (1991) Franciszek Kępka (1992) Bernald S. Smith (1993) Terrence Delore (1994) Thor Johannessen (1995) Manfred Reinhardt (1997) Oran Nicks (1998) Hana Zejdova (1999) Klaus Ohlmann (2000) 2001–present James M. Payne (2001) John Hamish Roake (2002) Piero Morelli (2003) Janusz Centka (2004) Ian Strachan (2005) Alan Patching (2006) Derek Piggott (2007) Roland Stuck (2008) Ross Macintyre (2009) Reiner Rose (2010) Giorgio Galetto (2011) Bob Henderson (2012) Loek Boermans (2015) Rainer Wienzek (2016) Patrick Pauwels (2017) Richard 'Dick' Bradley (2019) Gisela Weinreich (2020) Eric Mozer (2021)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Derek Piggott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Piggott) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Piggott?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.