Father: Ward Wilson Pickard, a lawyer; Mother: Alice [Rossington] Ed. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. Engineering) Prev. Airline Engineer, pilot for TWA and "deep sea navigator" prev. exp. 400hrs Address in 11941: 131 Satterthwaite Ave, Nutley NJ Arrived in the UK 2 Jun 1941 Postings: 6FPP, 2FPP, 4bFPP Reprimanded in January 1942 for flying aircraft without permission One accident, his fault: - 10 Jan 1942, when he mishandled the brake lever on landing his Rapide and the aircraft tipped over onto its nose. He divided opinion among his instructors and COs; either: "A capable pilot but flies in bad weather far too much. Grumbles a lot and 'shoots a line' which makes him a troublesome pilot" (Peter Mursell), or "This pilot is dependable, conscientious and tireless. By applying his ingenuity and a comprehensive knowledge of meteorology to the problems of flying in difficult weather he carries out flights such that critics who lack his skill and vision may conclude that he is a so-called 'bad weather pilot'. I am unable to subscribe to the above remarks to the effect that he 'shoots a line'; indeed I have found the reverse to be the case." (Douglas Fairweather) Returned to the USA on the 18 Jun 1942 with fellow ATA ferry pilots James Ansley, Clay Steffee, John Morrison, Kenneth Fogelberg, Stuart Updike, Russell Gibson, Keith Williams, Russell Gates, William Ressegger, and Clarence Conner. Transferred to RAF Ferry Command
d. 20 Sep 1948 (age 31) when he and George Krebs were test-piloting a North American B-45 Tornado, which exploded in flight near Alpaugh, CA. Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):
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1948
