67-586: Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight , CBE , MC , DFC , FRSA , FRGS (6 November 1912 – 5 April 1979) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator, businessman, and a member of the prominent Whitney family . Born in New York City, Whitney Straight was the son of Major Willard Dickerman Straight (1880–1918) and one of the richest heiress Dorothy Payne Whitney (1887–1968), daughter of William Collins Whitney and she inherited $ 15,000,000 from her father. He
134-581: A Scots term for a school teacher. Hundreds of additional Dominies were also constructed during the war. Other Rapides continued to be operated by British airlines throughout the war under the auspices of the Associated Airways Joint Committee (AAJC). Postwar, many military aircraft were returned to civilian service. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland introduced a Dragon Rapide replacement,
201-681: A commodore or a brigadier / brigadier general . The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force , Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "air commandant". The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces , when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian air commodores then became brigadier-generals . In official Canadian French usage,
268-465: A basic mark number system. Mk 1 aircraft were those constructed pre-war, while Mk 2 and Mk 3 Rapides were ex-military conversions to a six-passenger cabin and eight-passenger cabin respectively. Those Rapides that were re-engined with a pair of de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines, were referred to as Mk 4s. These had an improved climb, cruise speed and single engine performance, but an increased all-up weight of 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg). By 1966, use of
335-447: A downwards-facing recognition light and metal propellers could be fitted as options. From 1937, to signify the fitting of improved trailing edge flaps, aircraft thus equipped were accordingly re-designated as DH.89A ; earlier-built Rapides were commonly retrofitted to this standard during their service life as well. During July 1934, the first production Rapide, G-ACPM , performed the type's public debut at Hatfield with its entry into
402-514: A fleet of Rapides on scheduled services from Ronaldsway Airport near Castletown to airports in north-west England including Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester. Some of its aircraft had been transferred to it after operation by Railway Air Services. During late 1935, the first of an initial batch of 16 Rapides were shipped to the manufacturer's Canadian branch, de Havilland Canada , for modification and re-sale purposes. Canadian aircraft received various changes, including an extended dorsal fin and
469-517: A modified undercarriage arrangement, allowing for either wheels, skis, or floats to be interchangeably installed, dependent upon usage and weather conditions. The sole Canadian prototype, CF-AEO , was sold onto Quebec Airways in June 1935. Further Rapides were delivered to other customers in Canada, such as Canadian Airways , who used it on their West Coast and maritime routes. On 30 January 1942,
536-679: A result. Straight was seriously wounded during a German bombing raid in Norway. He was temporarily deaf, because of this he was grounded and appointed personal air assistant ADC to the Prince George, Duke of Kent . For his service in Norway, he was awarded the Norwegian War Cross with sword in 1942. After convalescing, he next served with No. 601 Squadron RAF in the Battle of Britain . From September 1940 until April 1941, he
603-434: A single white star (air commodore is equivalent to a one-star rank) on an air force blue background. RAF air commodores are classed as air officers and as such have two rows of gold oak leaves on the peak of their service dress hats. The reigning monarch may appoint honorary air commodores for RAF flying squadrons and stations. For example, King Charles III is RAF Valley 's honorary air commodore and Winston Churchill
670-433: A speed of 138.7 mph, a record for 5-litre class cars. He was offered a works Auto Union drive for 1935, but he refused as he had promised his fiancée Lady Daphne to retire from driving. His last race was the 1934 South African GP, which he won. Flying was also another of his passions. At age 16, though still too young for a pilot's licence, he had already accumulated over 60 hours solo flight. In his early 20s, as head of
737-447: A typical Dominie-to-Rapide conversion performed by de Havilland involved the repainting of the exterior (replacing the wartime camouflage scheme) and the installation of sound proofing , upholstered seats and a new décor within the cabin area. Additionally, various third party companies offered and performed their own conversion schemes, including Field Aircraft Services , Airwork Limited, Air Enterprises , W.A. Rollason Limited and
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#1732772018730804-663: The Air Training Corps , an appointed air commodore holds ultimate authority over the cadet organisation as the Commandant Air Cadets . On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army , with officers at what is now air commodore holding the rank of brigadier-general . In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that
871-714: The Avro Anson . K4772 was later used by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in automatic landing trials before being broken down for spares. Work on a militarised version of the Rapide was not wasted as multiple sales were soon completed with other military customers, the first of which being to the Spanish government in December 1935. Sensing demand for the type, de Havilland continued to modify
938-784: The Lancashire Aircraft Corporation (LAC). By 1958, 81 examples were recorded as still flying on the British register. In the Netherlands, airline KLM , keen to restart operations, set about procuring a handful of Rapides even prior to the end of the war, commencing the first of its re-launched services during September 1945. Various British airlines also became prolific users of the type; British European Airways (BEA), formed on 1 January 1946, took order 39 Rapides during February 1947. BEA used many across its fledgling network, later focusing upon services within
1005-565: The Ministry of Aircraft Production . A number of Dragon Rapides were used to provide internal flights under the control of National Air Communications (NAC). Perhaps one of the most significant early uses of the Rapide during the war occurred during the crucial weeks of May–June 1940, in which the Battle of France occurred; Rapides of No. 24 Squadron acted as aerial couriers between Britain and France; out of 24 aircraft, 10 Rapides were lost during this intense period of fighting. Following
1072-832: The Mont Ventoux Hill Climb (3 September) and the Brighton Speed Trials (16 September). He also won the 1100 c.c. class in the Coppa Acerbo , held at Pescara, Italy, driving an MG Magnette . In 1934 he formed his own motor racing team, personally driving to victory in the South African Grand Prix , held on the 16-mile Buffalo circuit in East London. His brother Michael finished third in the same race. He also gave public demonstrations at Brooklands Racing Circuit achieving
1139-759: The Royal Aero Club . With the establishment of the British European Airways corporation in 1946, Straight was its deputy chairman. In July 1947, he became managing director and chief executive officer of British Overseas Airways Corporation . In 1949, Straight was appointed deputy chairman of the board. In the United States his cousin, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899–1992), was the President of Aviation Corporation of America, which became Pan American Airways . Around this time he
1206-526: The Royal Air Force . The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. Air commodore is immediately senior to group captain and immediately subordinate to air vice-marshal . It is usually equivalent to
1273-760: The Straight Corporation Limited, he operated airlines and airfields throughout Britain and ran flying clubs. He commissioned an advanced light aircraft, the Hendy Heck , and in 1936 he helped develop the Miles Whitney Straight aircraft, the same year he became a naturalised British citizen. On 18 October 1938, the Straight Corporation purchased control of Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Ltd . and renamed it Western Airways Ltd . His commercial airline business in
1340-543: The de Havilland Dove . During summer 1933, the de Havilland aircraft company commenced work upon an aircraft to meet an Australian requirement, producing a four-engined faster passenger aircraft capable of seating ten passengers, the DH.86 Dragon Express . An important feature of the DH.86 was the newly developed and powerful Gipsy Six engine, a six-cylinder variant of the four cylinder Gipsy Major engine. The DH.86 would serve as
1407-401: The 1934 King's Cup Race . While having achieved an average speed of 158 MPH, G-ACPM had to be withdrawn from the race during Heat 9 of Round 2 when the wing sustained damage caused by hail while flying over Waddington, Lincolnshire . Another purpose-built Rapide, ZK'-ACO , was entered into the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race ; fitted with three additional fuel tanks within the fuselage to extend
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#17327720187301474-410: The 60th airframe to be produced, G-ADWZ , was modified and used by de Havilland as a trials aircraft. Fitted with elongated rear windows, cabin heating, thickened wing tips, and a strengthened airframe to allow for an elevated gross weight of 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg), G-ADWZ later participated in trials at Martlesham Heath, after which the higher gross weight was cleared for service. In response to
1541-539: The British Air Ministry, which sought to expand this capability. Repeat orders were placed by Airwork in the lead up to the Second World War, upon which point the firm's fleet of Rapides were all taken on by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII ), owned a single Dragon Rapide ( G-ADDD ), which he frequently used for carrying out his royal duties. He flew this aircraft to London on his accession as king in 1936, making him
1608-424: The English countryside on an outdated motorcycle with just a few shillings in his pocket. He claimed to have worked as a stonemason's labourer for 30/-a week for a time while acting as a mechanised hobo. However, it appears that there were times when even this modest competence overcame him. In the summer of 1933, for example, when he was just beginning to lose his shine on names like Birkin and Campbell, he admitted he
1675-525: The RAF might use the Royal Navy's officer ranks , with the word "air" inserted before the naval rank title. Although the Admiralty objected to this simple modification of their rank titles, it was agreed that the RAF might base many of its officer rank titles on Navy officer ranks with differing pre-modifying terms. It was also suggested that air-officer ranks could be based on the term "ardian", which
1742-517: The Rapide had gone into decline and several formerly large operators had phased out the type completely. Due to the declining stocks of spare components available, individual Rapides were commonly being broken up in order to scavenge parts to maintain other active aircraft. Regardless, demand for such an aircraft was still relatively strong at this time, according to Moss. The DH.89 proved an economical and durable aircraft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction and many were still flying in
1809-509: The Rapide's design following its entry to service, creating both refinements and entirely new derivatives as a result. Aiming to produce a faster version of the Rapide, a smaller, lighter and externally cleaner version, designated as the DH.90 Dragonfly , emerged; first flying in August 1935, the DH.90 failed to achieve a similar rate of sales to the Rapide and production was terminated in 1938 after 67 aircraft had been completed. In November 1935,
1876-461: The Scottish, Scilly , and Channel Islands while gradually selling on displaced and excess aircraft via Airwork. Small independent British airlines that chose to resist pressure from the British government to merge into BEA also commonly operated the Rapide. In order to better distinguish between the different standards of Rapides available in the post-war environment, de Havilland established
1943-605: The UK and Europe. Like a lot of other wealthy young men of his generation, he had passion for motor racing. He competed in more Grands Prix than any American until after the Second World War . Straight started competing in 1931 with a Brooklands Riley competing at Shelsley Walsh , Southport and Brooklands circuit. In 1933, driving a black and silver Maserati , he won the Mountain Championship at Brooklands ,
2010-544: The United Kingdom. Air commodore-in-chief is not a rank and such an appointment does not convey the rank of air commodore upon the recipient. De Havilland Dragon Rapide The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide is a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland . Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its outdated plywood construction. Developed during
2077-499: The a key starting point for the later DH.89. During late 1933, a team at de Havilland, led by aircraft designer Arthur Ernest Hagg , began working on a new design, intended to be a faster and more comfortable successor to the earlier DH.84 Dragon . The new aircraft was, in effect, a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the four-engined DH.86 Express . It shared many common features with the earlier DH.86 Express, including its tapered wings, streamlined fairings and fuselage, as well as
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2144-611: The aircraft quickly became popular in the oil industry, with the Iraq Petroleum Company and the Asiatic Petroleum Company also procuring their own Rapides. From August 1934, Railway Air Services (RAS) operated a fleet of Dragon Rapides on routes linking London, the north of England and on to Northern Ireland and Scotland. The RAS DH.89s were named after places on the network, for example "Star of Lancashire". Isle of Man Air Services operated
2211-550: The aircraft's range to 1,000 miles, the aircraft, flown by Squadron Leader J.D. Hewett and Mr C.E. Kay, took sixth place in the handicap race and fifth place in the speed race. In the summer of 1934, the type entered service with UK-based airlines, with Hillman Airways Ltd being first to take delivery in July. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was another early company to purchase the Rapide; used for quick communications purposes between individual oil fields spread out over vast distances,
2278-553: The announcement of an air race between Britain and Johannesburg , South Africa , de Havilland's design team produced a specialised variant of the Rapid, designated as the DH.92 Dolphin . This one-off derivative featured a retractable undercarriage , an expanded wingspan of 53 feet 7 inches (16.33 m), a modified nose section, and an increased all-up weight of 6,600 pounds (3,000 kg); however, flight tests in August 1936 revealed there to be no performance improvement over
2345-452: The closure of the NAC network, Dragon Rapides continued to fly for British airlines during the war as part of the Associated Airways Joint Committee (AAJC). Upon the outbreak of war, all civil services had been halted; however, some routes were progressively returned to operation as and when they were deemed of value to the war effort or found to be in the national interest. The AAJC co-ordinated
2412-415: The daughter of Guy Finch-Hatton, the 14th Earl of Winchilsea (1885–1939) and American heiress Margaretta Armstrong Drexel (1885–1952). Lady Daphne's paternal uncle was Denys Finch Hatton (1887–1931), a famous pilot who was involved with Beryl Markham (1902–1986), another British pilot. Lady Daphne was half-American as her mother, Margaretta, was the daughter of Anthony Joseph Drexel, Jr. (1864–1934) and
2479-605: The early 1930s, the Dragon Rapide was essentially a smaller, twin-engined version of the four-engined DH.86 Express , and shared a number of common features, such as its tapered wings, streamlined fairings and Gipsy Six engines. First named the "Dragon Six", the type was marketed as "Dragon Rapide" and later simply known as the "Rapide". Upon its introduction in summer 1934, it proved to be a popular aircraft with airlines and private civil operators alike, attaining considerable foreign sales in addition to its domestic use. Upon
2546-578: The early 2000s. Several Dragon Rapides are operational in the UK, while multiple operators, including Classic Wings and Plane Heritage, offer pleasure flights in them to the general public. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland introduced a Dragon Rapide replacement, the de Havilland Dove . Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938 General characteristics Performance A 1986 Spanish film, Dragon Rapide , covers its historical use by Generalissimo Francisco Franco during
2613-604: The end of the conflict, only a total of nine impressed Rapides were restored to their civilian registrations; however, these were joined by many Dominies which had been deemed to be surplus to requirements. Postwar, the Dominie continued to be used for some time by Royal Naval air station flights as communications aircraft. By 1960, the Royal Navy still had a fleet of 14 Dominies, although under normal circumstances only three would be actively used at any one point in time, while
2680-753: The first British monarch to fly. In July 1936 a pair of British SIS agents, Cecil Bebb and Major Hugh Pollard , flew Francisco Franco in Rapide G-ACYR from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco , at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War . The aircraft involved has since been placed on public display in the Museo del Aire , Madrid , Spain. At the start of Second World War on 3 September 1939, all British civil transport aircraft were requisitioned by
2747-409: The go-ahead from management. During May 1934, airworthiness trials commenced at RAF Martlesham Heath using the prototype; during one such flight, upon attaining a speed of roughly 175 miles per hour (282 km/h), the tip of the aircraft's nose buckled. In response to this event, a maximum permissible speed of 160 mph (260 km/h) was implemented for all DH89s. Upon the conclusion of trials,
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2814-596: The granddaughter of Anthony Joseph Drexel (1826–1893), all from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Lady Daphne's maternal uncles included, Anthony J. Drexel II, who married Marjorie Gould, daughter of George Jay Gould , and John Armstrong Drexel (1891–1958), who was also an aviation pioneer. Daphne was also a 4x great niece of Jane Austen , through her brother Edward Austen Knight . Together, Whitney and Lady Daphne had two daughters: After his colleague died in car crash, he promised his fiancée, Lady Daphne Finch-Hatton that he would quit racing and he never race again since. He
2881-513: The greater proportion of the work. The Dominies were mainly used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy for radio and navigation training. Other duties they were used for included passenger and communications missions. Throughout the course of the war, civilian Rapides were progressively replaced by Dominies as the type became available in greater quantities. Rapides were either dispatched to perform passenger operations or occasionally converted for other purposes, such as Air Ambulances ; by
2948-413: The honorary rank. In such cases the individual is made an honorary air commandant and they retain their regular rank. Larger air force organisations or formations may be honoured by having an air commodore-in-chief appointed in their name. These RAF appointments are rare and to date (2020) have been given to just five senior members of the royal family, of whom three were reigning or future monarchs of
3015-536: The later 1930s was reputed to be carrying more passengers than Imperial Airways , on short routes within the UK, flying de Havilland Dragon Rapides . During the Second World War, Whitney Straight served as a Royal Air Force pilot. He was sent to Norway in April 1940 to find frozen lakes suitable for use as airfields. Lake Lesjaskog was utilised by No. 263 Squadron RAF during the Norwegian Campaign as
3082-563: The majority of UK's wartime scheduled services, which were entirely operated on over-water routes. Other Dragon Rapides were impressed into service with the British armed forces as communications aircraft and training aircraft; Australian Rapides were also impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Furthermore, while the final production Rapide was completed in November 1941, de Havilland instead produced
3149-409: The majority of major Canadian operators were amalgamated into Canadian Pacific Air Lines , who continued to use the type. Further Canadian sales of the Rapide would occur both during and after the end of the Second World War . During 1938, British operator Airwork Limited placed an initial order for nine Rapides to serve as navigation trainers. The order had been motivated by policy changes within
3216-411: The military-orientated Dominie variant exclusively. Over 500 additional Dominies were manufactured for military use, powered by improved Gipsy Queen engines; by the end of production in July 1946, a total of 727 aircraft (both Rapides and Dominies combined) had been manufactured. During the war, Dominie production was performed by de Havilland and Brush Coachworks Ltd , the latter being responsible for
3283-423: The others were stored at RAF Lossiemouth , Moray , Scotland . The last of the Royal Navy's Dominies had been phased out of service during 1963; thirteen aircraft were subsequently sold on via public tender , a number of which having been converted to civil Rapide configurations. Many ex-RAF survivors had quickly entered commercial service after the end of the conflict; according to aviation author Peter W. Moss,
3350-460: The outbreak of the World War II , many of the civil Rapides were impressed into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy . Referred to in military service by the name de Havilland Dominie , the type was employed for radio and navigation training, passenger transport and communications missions. British training aircraft had names with educational associations, and dominie is
3417-412: The prototype was sold. By November 1934, series production of the Rapide had reached full swing. Originally referred to as the "Dragon Six", the aircraft was first marketed as the "Dragon Rapide", although the type later came to be popularly referred to as simply the "Rapide". Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War , 205 aircraft were manufactured for airlines and other private owners all around
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#17327720187303484-537: The rank title was commodore de l'air . The position of honorary air commodore still exists in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets . In the present-day RAF, air commodores typically hold senior appointments within groups , acting directly in support of the air officer commanding . However, during the inter-war period, and in the case of the contemporary No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group , the air officer commanding held or holds air commodore rank. In
3551-510: The same Gipsy Six engines. However, the DH.89 demonstrated none of the operational vices of the Express. On 17 April 1934, the prototype conducted its maiden flight at Hatfield Aerodrome , Hertfordshire . Flown by senior de Havilland test pilot H.S. Broad, it was powered by a pair of 200 horsepower (150 kW) Gypsy Six engines. Even prior to the prototype's first flight, plans to proceed with serial production of DH.89 had already received
3618-482: The standard Rapide, leading to the sole Dolphin being scrapped months later. In November 1936, in response to suggestions that the addition of flaps would aid in landing, a single Rapide was modified in order to explore their functionality. Based on this performance, in February 1937, de Havilland announced that flaps would be fitted to all production aircraft from that year onwards, while other improvements such as
3685-487: The tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. On the mess uniform , air commodores wear a broad gold ring on both lower sleeves. The command flag of an air commodore has one narrow red band running through the centre and is rectangular with a cut-away section giving it two tails. It is the only RAF command flag of this shape and it is similar in shape to that of a Royal Navy commodore's broad pennant . The vehicle star plate for an air commodore depicts
3752-592: The world. The Rapide is perhaps the most successful British-built short-haul commercial passenger aircraft to be produced during the 1930s. In response to the issuing of Specification G.18/35 by the British Air Ministry , de Havilland decided to design and produce a single prototype of a modified Rapide for undertaking coastal reconnaissance. Trials using the prototype, K4772 , were performed between April and June 1935 at RAF Martlesham Heath and RAF Gosport . However, it ultimately lost out to its rival,
3819-402: Was 615 Squadron 's honorary air commodore. As the title suggests, this is an honorary position bestowed by the reigning monarch and it does not grant the recipient command of a unit or formation. It is designed to strengthen the bond between the military unit and the individual and promote the role of the air force amongst the public. Serving officers may be granted an equivalent appointment to
3886-596: Was almost six years old when his father died in France of influenza during the great epidemic while serving with the United States Army during the First World War . Following his mother's remarriage to British agronomist Leonard K. Elmhirst (1893–1974) in 1925, the family moved to England. They lived at Dartington Hall where he attended the progressive school founded by his parents. His education
3953-612: Was also on the board of Rolls-Royce and he discovered that in 1947 Rolls-Royce had sold 55 jet engines to the Soviet Union, the sale being approved by the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee . The Russians had copied the technology to produce their own version of the jet engine and were powering the MiG fighters using Rolls-Royce technology. He decided to sue the Russian government for copyright infringement. The figure claimed
4020-630: Was captured and put in a prisoner-of-war camp . However he escaped on 22 June 1942 and with the aid of the French Resistance reached safety in Gibraltar . In September 1942, now as an air commodore , he was sent to the Middle East joining HQ, No. 216 Group RAF , as Air Officer Commanding . At war's end, he returned to the UK becoming AOC, No. 46 Group in June 1945. He was released from the RAF in late 1945, and he became chairman of
4087-529: Was completed at Trinity College , Cambridge . He became close friends with Dick Seaman who attended the same college. Among his relations were his first cousin Jock Whitney , U.S. ambassador to Britain, his uncle in law Lord Queenborough and his first cousin the Hon. Dorothy Paget . While still an undergraduate at Cambridge, he became a well known Grand Prix motor racing driver and competed at events in
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#17327720187304154-445: Was considering giving up everything he owned and spending the rest of his life in a monastery, but Straight's qualities as a driver were genuine. While Straight was married to Lady Daphne, he had an affair with noted aviator Diana Barnato Walker , the first British woman to break the sound barrier. Diana was the daughter of Woolf Barnato (1895–1948), another famous racing driver, and the widow of Wing Commander Derek Ronald Walker, who
4221-495: Was credited with two aircraft destroyed. He then became commanding officer of No. 242 Squadron RAF , bringing his total to 3 and 1 shared ( with 2 'probables') by late July 1941. Early in 1941 he was awarded a Military Cross for his work in Norway. He was shot down by flak over France on 31 July 1941 and initially evaded capture. Through the French Underground , he made his way to unoccupied Vichy France where he
4288-515: Was derived from a combination of the Gaelic words for "chief" ( ard ) and "bird" ( eun ), with the term "fourth ardian" or "flight ardian" being used for the equivalent to brigadier-general and commodore. However, the rank title based on the Navy rank was preferred and air commodore was adopted in August 1919. The rank insignia is a light-blue band on a broad black band worn on both the lower sleeves of
4355-498: Was handsome, normally of a quiet and courteous disposition, Straight nonetheless had one dislike, he hated allusions to his wealth. He especially resented the way Newspaper sensationalized him as "Boy Millionaire Race Track Idol". One columnist quoted Whitney as saying "I often wish I never had a fortune. It is difficult to make real friends and nobody appreciates you at your true worth". In an attempt to prove his own value to himself, he once temporarily abandoned luxury and rode out into
4422-525: Was killed on 14 November 1945 in bad weather while flying. Together, Whitney and Diana had a son: Barney Barnato Walker (born 1947). Straight died in Fulham in 1979 at the age of 66. Lady Daphne died at her home in London on 3 June 2003, and Diana died on 28 April 2008, aged 90. Air Commodore Air commodore ( Air Cdre or Air Cmde ) is a air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from
4489-556: Was £207 million which he never received. In 1967, he donated the Whitney Straight Award to the Royal Aeronautical Society to recognise the achievement and status of women in aviation . The award consisted of a cheque and a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth . It was won by Anne Burns in 1967 and Peggy Hodges in 1970. On 17 July 1935 he married Lady Daphne Margarita Finch-Hatton (1913–2003),
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