John Chorley
John Leonard Chorley FRAeS (born 1934) is a British pilot who flew the Concorde with British Airways[1] and set numerous supersonic world records.[2]
Early life
John Chorley was born in Grays, Essex in 1934 and raised in Orsett. He was the only son of Percival Chorley, a British businessman and RAF Intelligence Officer. He attended Brentwood School as a scholar and played for the school Rugby and Cricket teams. Through the school CCF he took flying lessons and proved himself an aviation prodigy, as a result, he was awarded a flying scholarship at Marshall's Airfield, Cambridge and learnt to fly Tiger Moths by his 16th birthday.[3] Following Brentwood, he attended the University College of Estate Management and completed his national service in the RAF, training at RAF Cranwell. He flew Meteors and ultimately became an all-weather fighter pilot with the rank of Flying Officer.[4] During his youth, Chorley was a great friend of John Whitmore, and was often invited to Orsett Hall to practice flying.[5]
Aviation career
Chorley began his career in 1956 as a Navigator for the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in the Comet fleet and was largely based in the Far East, India and Australia. He then became a commercial pilot, joining the Britannia 102 and 312 fleets. This led to operating on the East, West, and South African routes, and on 312s to the United States and the Caribbean. In 1964 he was posted to the VC10 fleet, flying on world-wide routes, initially being promoted to Senior First Officer, and eventually in 1973 to Captain.
In 1977, after a lengthy and rigorous training programme, he became a Concorde Captain[6] and flew all over the world, most regularly from London to New York.[7] In 1979, he spent three months based in Singapore, operating the joint BA/Singapore Airlines service via Bahrain to London.[8] As a senior Concorde Captain, he became a route check captain, which involved checking the competency of other pilots and overseeing the training of newer pilots for Concorde. He was also chosen to command three Round the World charters in the 1980s.[3]
In 1987, he flew British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on her tour to Canada. He and his wife were subsequently invited to a formal dinner party at 10 Downing Street on two occasions.[5]
Furthermore, he took part in training exercises with the RAF. The most notable occasion was when RAF pilots were supposed to intercept Concorde over the North Sea but Captain Chorley used his previous combat training to evade and subsequently embarrass his fellow British fighter pilots. He also took part in special operations where he was responsible for the training of members of the SAS for situations involving supersonic aircraft.[5]
As a Concorde Captain he set several supersonic world records, including:
- London (LHR) – Bahrain
- London (LHR) – Cairo
- London (LHR) – Sydney (Columbo – Perth leg)
When Captain Chorley reached retirement age in October 1989, he remarked "it appeared far too quickly".[3]
Live Aid
In 1985, during the historic Live Aid concert,[9] Chorley flew British musician Phil Collins across the Atlantic in Concorde so he could perform on two continents within the space of a few hours.[10] The flight from London Heathrow to JFK was televised, and during the flight the conversation between Collins and Captain Chorley was broadcast.[11]
Post Concorde
Following Concorde, Chorley became a private pilot for Egyptian billionaire Mohammad Al-Fayed and Bahraini-Emirati businessman Mahdi Al Tajir. Additionally, he gave numerous lectures regarding Concorde and aeronautical engineering around the world.[3]
Besides flying, he was involved in numerous real estate development projects in the seaside town of Milford on Sea and as a hotelier in Frome where he ran his property as a boutique hotel.[5]
Personal life
John married Valerie Scott in 1962, and they had two children together. He is descended from the Chorley Family of Exton, Somerset. He was an avid sailor and an active member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, he competed numerous times in the Fastnet Race. Chorley was also a keen skier in the Alps and North America. [5]
Honours
- Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS)
- Freedom of the City of London
References
- ↑ John, Katie (2007). "Mach 2: Concorde Magazine" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Concorde flight crews – British Airways". heritage-concorde. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Captain John Chorley". Buckingham Covers. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Memories of remarkable flights George Blundell-Pound". issuu. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ansty Group, Interview with Former Concorde pilot, Captain John Chorley, London, (2015).
- ↑ "Concorde Captains, First Officers & Engineer Officers". Club Concorde International. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ↑ "Concorde Cover Signed John Chorley". Memoryspot. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ↑ Bailey, Joanna (2019-08-13). "What Happened To Singapore Airlines' Concorde?". Simple Flying. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ↑ Zaleski, Annie ZaleskiAnnie. "35 Years Ago: Phil Collins Becomes Live Aid's Transcontinental MV". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ↑ "Supersonic History: What Routes Did Concorde Fly?". thepointsguy.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ↑ "LIVE AID CONCORDE FLIGHT". BBC News. 1985.
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