Mike Snelling

Sea Harrier FA2 of 801 Naval Air Squadron on HMS Illustrious (R06) in June 2001

In 1970 he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots' School 29 (FW) course. He joined A (Fighter Test) Squadron A&AEE Boscombe Down. He specialised in weapon system testing. In 1972 he was appointed Senior Pilot. In 1973 he was awarded the Air Force Cross.

He left the RAF and started work as a test pilot for Hawker Siddeley in 1973 and joined the Harrier project.

He was the pilot that tested the Harrier and Sea Harrier from the ski jump[2] take-off method in 1977 and 1978, later adopted by the Royal Navy. The testing began on 5 August 1977 with Harrier XV281. On 13 November 1978 he was the first person to land a Sea Harrier at sea in the Moray Firth on HMS Hermes. The ship was anchored whilst the trials took place. In 1980 he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.[3]

Harrier GR5 ZD322 of No 233 Operational Conversion Unit RAF (RAF Wittering) in July 1989

He was the first person to fly the Harrier GR5 (ZD318) on 30 April 1985 at Dunsfold. The Harrier GR5 (41 in total) would enter RAF service in July 1987, and was designated as the British Aerospace Harrier II. It was the version of the Harrier that would remain in service until 2010. It had a larger composite wing and flap system giving greater range and payload than the previous Harrier.

On 19 May 1986 he was the first person to fly the single-seat Hawk 200 fighter plane on a flight of 1 hour 20 minutes from Dunsfold Aerodrome. He was a main test pilot on the British Aerospace Sea Harrier. In August 1978 he became the second person to fly the Sea Harrier when he took XZ450 for its sixth flight at Dunsfold.[4] The aircraft itself had been first flown on 20 August 1978.

He retired from test flying in 1989.

He joined Air Europe in 1990 and flew Boeing 737 aircraft as a captain on European routes. When that airline failed, he joined Sabena as a contract pilot flying DHC8 aircraft from Brussels and retired from flying in 1994.