My father, Ken Souter, who has died aged 104, was a second world conflict fighter pilot who later moved into civilian aviation. He additionally spent a yr because the lead pilot for the 1955 movie The Dam Busters, chargeable for delivering its dramatic low-level flying sequences over water.
Ken was initially destined for artwork faculty, however as quickly as conflict seemed seemingly he enlisted with the RAF in August 1939. After coaching in Tiger Moths and Harvards he was let unfastened in a Hawker Hurricane, and joined 73 Squadron on operations.
In early 1941 the squadron was loaded on to HMS Livid, heading for north Africa. Regardless of by no means having operated off a provider, your complete squadron took off with out incident and, guided by a Blenheim bomber, flew by way of Sudan to the Western Desert in Libya.
Ken was credited with the taking pictures down of a Ju88 German bomber, and was fortunate to emerge unhurt when he crashed his Hurricane whereas taking off in a sandstorm. In early 1942, his distinctive flying means was recognised and he turned a de facto take a look at pilot for an unlimited vary of various plane varieties working within the Western Desert, a dangerous job typically leading to enforced stomach landings.
In January 1943 a broken eardrum ended his frontline operational flying. Glad to flee the flies and the warmth of the desert, he returned to the UK for a spell on the Air Gunnery Faculty in Scotland. On the finish of his service in Might 1945 he left with the rank of flight lieutenant.
Ken was born in Sunderland, the son of Jack Souter, a timber importer, and his spouse, Lilibet. Ken’s brother, Harry, who served within the military in the course of the conflict, emigrated to South Africa quickly afterwards, and on demobilisation Ken joined him there in establishing an engineering enterprise.
In 1951 Ken re-enlisted within the RAF, this time in Bomber Command, flying the Avro Lincoln for 83 Squadron. Two years later the squadron have been despatched to Singapore to help within the Malaya disaster. They returned in 1954 to Britain and Ken was seconded to move a flight of 4 Avro Lancasters tasked with re-enacting the flying sequences for the celebrated movie in regards to the 1943 Dambusters raid by 617 Squadron. The extraordinarily low-level day and night time flying sequences within the Lake District demanded by the script led to some thrilling moments, and on one event Ken’s Lancaster was low sufficient for the propellers to whip up spray from the floor of Derwentwater.
As soon as filming was over, in 1955 Ken made the conversion to flying quick jets, first the Gloster Meteor after which the brand new Canberra medium-range bomber, with 61 Squadron. After he left the RAF in 1958 he took itinerant flying jobs till the mid-60s, when he turned to piloting government jets for multinational corporations. He lastly retired from flying within the 70s.
After that he loved doing up homes, owned a series of fish and chip outlets, and lived for a interval in southern Spain. His lifelong interest was oil portray, and through his time within the RAF he produced caricatures of fellow squadron members.
Ken married Vera Wiseman in 1948, and I used to be born the next yr. The wedding led to divorce. His second spouse, Birgitta Takerhead, whom he married in 1971, predeceased him. He’s survived by me, two sons, Christian and Robin, from his marriage to Birgitta, and 4 grandchildren.
