| Hubert Stanford Broad | |
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Broad (right) and A. Butler in Berlin-Tempelhof in 1930 during the Challenge |
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| Born | 18 May 1897 Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Died | 30 July 1975 (aged 78) Basingstoke, Hampshire, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Test pilot |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire Air Force Cross |
Captain Hubert Standford Broad MBE AFC (1897-1975) was an English First World War aviator and notable sports and test pilot.[1]
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Broad was born in Watford on 18 May 1897[2] the son of Thomas and Amelia Broad.[3] In 1901 when Broad was three the family were living at Aston Lodge, St Johns Road in Watford his father is described as a Solicitor.[3] By the time of the 1911 Census, Broad is a 13-year-old student at St. Lawrence College in Ramsgate, Kent.[4]
In 1915 he learnt to fly at the Hall School of Flying at Hendon.[1] Flying a single-engined Caudron he received Pilot Certificate No. 2,044.[1] With his certificate to hand he joined the Royal Naval Air Service at Eastchurch.[1] After training he was posted to operations with No. 3 Squadron RNAS based at Dunkirk, France flying the Sopwith Pup. While escorting bombers Broad was shot in the neck and returned to England as an Instructor while he recovered.[5]
For his second operational tour he was loaned to No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps flying the Sopwith Camel.[1] At the end of the war he became an instructor at the Fighter Pilots Flying School at Fairlop.[1]
After leaving the RNAS he flew joy-riding aircraft for Avro and in 1920 he flew joy-riding flights in the United States with two Avro seaplanes.[1] In 1921 he came first in the Aerial Derby air race around London, flying a Sopwith Camel.[1] This gained the attention of de Havilland which took him on in October 1921 as Chief test pilot at Stag Lane.[1] With a general lack of test pilots he not only flew a wide variety of de Havilland types but also those of Handley Page and Gloster.[1]
At the 1925 Schneider Trophy Broad became the sole British entry following a number of pre-race accidents.[6] Flying a Gloster III seaplane he came second to an American Army test pilot called James Doolittle.[6]
At de Havilland, Broad flew many demonstration flights and entered air races and competitions to show of the de Havilland aircraft.[1] In 1926 he won the King's Cup Air Race in a de Havilland Moth.[1] In 1928 he took part in the International Light Aircraft Contest in France, completing it on the 3rd place. Next year, he was second in the F.A.I International Tourist Plane Contest - Challenge International de Tourisme 1929. In the next Challenge International de Tourisme 1930, he was 8th overall (he completed the rally part on the 1st place)[7].
In 1935 he left de Havilland and worked with the Royal Aircraft Establishment as a test pilot. He published a book in 1939 about flying - Flying wisdom; a book of practical experiences and their lessons. In 1940 he returned to industry as chief production test pilot for Hawker Aircraft.[1] He was responsible for test flying the Hawker single-seat fighters as they left the production line. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for his work as a Hawker test pilot.[8]
Broad died in 1975 at his home in Basingstoke with 7,500 flying hours on 200 different types.[1]