26 Facts About Derek Piggott

Alan Derek Piggott was one of Britain's best known glider pilots and instructors.

Derek Piggott had over 5,000 hours on over 153 types of powered aircraft and over 5,000 hours on over 184 types of glider.

Derek Piggott was honoured for his work on the instruction and safety of glider pilots.

Derek Piggott worked as a stunt pilot in several feature films.

Derek Piggott's 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 Piggott attended Sutton County School.

Derek Piggott had been a very active aero-modeller and helped to form the Sutton Model Aircraft Club.

Derek Piggott first flew in an Avro 504 as a passenger at the age of four.

Derek Piggott joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 as aircrew and made a first solo in a de Havilland DH.

Derek Piggott completed his training in Canada and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in 1943.

Derek Piggott was then sent on a multi-engine instructors' course and then on a course for elementary instructors before returning to England.

Derek Piggott taught school teachers in the Combined Cadet Force how to teach flying in primary gliders.

In 1953, Derek Piggott received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for work on developing and introducing new instructional techniques for gliding in the ATC.

Derek Piggott travelled widely, lecturing and advising gliding associations such as the Soaring Society of America and the Dutch gliding association on instructional techniques such as the use of motor gliders in training.

Derek Piggott 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.

Derek Piggott was a member of a test group for the British Gliding Association and tested a number of prototype gliders and foreign machines for approval to be imported.

Derek Piggott made a successful emergency parachute descent from a damaged SZD-9 Bocian making him a member of the Caterpillar Club.

Derek Piggott researched the effect of sub-gravity sensations as a cause for many serious and fatal gliding accidents.

On 9 November 1961, flying SUMPAC, Derek Piggott became the first person to make an officially authenticated take-off and flight in a man-powered aircraft.

Derek Piggott took a break from being a gliding instructor to become a stunt pilot and was technical adviser on several feature films.

Derek Piggott was enlisted as one of several pilots who helped recreate the live dog-fight scenes for the film.

Derek Piggott was able to fly through the arch reliably by aligning two scaffolding poles, one in the river and one on the far bank.

Derek Piggott flew some or all the aerial stunts in several other films: Von Richthofen and Brown ; Agatha; Slipstream; You Can't Win 'Em All; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and for several television programmes.

Derek Piggott was the inventor of the "Piggott-Hook", which is designed to prevent air brakes opening on a launch.

Derek Piggott died of a stroke, aged 96, on 6 January 2019.

In 1987 Derek Piggott was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.