How Meteors Hit the Ground

Geoffrey Higges trained as a fighter pilot with the British Royal Air Force in 1949 to 1951. He served for 3 years with No. 616 Fighter Squadron in South Yorkshire for 3 years flying Gloster Meteors, then 3 years with No. 501 Squadron in Bristol on De Havilland Vampires and Gloster Meteors. During his time in Yorkshire Geoffrey gained a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Leeds University, while during his 3 years at Bristol he served as a Flight Test Engineer with the Bristol Aero Engine Company where he was responsible for the flight testing of the Olympus engine in the Avro Vulcan, and for the Orpheus engine in several European light fighters. Geoffrey spent the next 6 years as an Airline Pilot with Trans Australia Airlines and Swissair. It was not until the official Air Ministry statistics for the Royal Air Force in the 1940s and 1950s were released 50 years later that it was revealed that there were so many accidents to many service aircraft during that period, and it is the record pertaining to the Gloster Meteor particularly that is discussed by Geoffrey in the light of his personal experience with this aircraft.