Danish Pilots

Flew with Major J.C. Savage's 'Sky Writers' at Hendon in the 1920s - borrowed an aeroplane to write a certain lady's name in the sky. She, of course, later became his wife.

And, would you believe it, he was in charge of the 'Scandinavian Sky-Writing Expedition' in 1923-24.

King's Cup in 1931

Father: Hans Christian Valdemar Hansen; Mother: Hanne Petrea [Sindt]

m. 27 Apr 1913 in Skt. Matthæus, København, Denmark, Ingeborg Sofie [Pedersen] (4 children)

prev. Danish Army 1913-1918, army pilot 1918; Corporal from 26 Jun 1913, Sergeant from 3 Oct 1914;

from 1921, commercial pilot for Det danske Luftfartsselskab (Danish Airlines);

The first Danish Airlines pilot to fly more than a million kilometres for the company, in 1937. Two years after he passes 1 ½ million kilometres.

On 8 Apr 1940, he happened to fly Fw 200A-02 OY-DAM "Dania", due to the intended pilot celebrating his birthday, to London on the eve of the German invasion of Denmark. The plane was taken over by the Secretary of State for Air and re-registered as G-AGAY.

British Airways (BOAC) from May 1940

Postings: 2FPP (Whitchurch)

d. 24 Jul 1941 (Died in ATA Service) Anson I R9761 hit by a Blenheim as it was making an emergency landing, at RAF Brize Norton on 22 Jul 1941. Died 2 days later in Radcliffe Hospital Oxford.

His body was repatriated to Denmark. 

"He was a linguist of some note, speaking French, German, English and Norwegian fluently.

He will be much missed in Bristol, where he has lived for over a year and made many friends. During the serious air raids in the district he went out in the thick of the attacks and worked with rescue squads. Even that did not satisfy him; for on days following raids he went out to the damaged areas and worked like a Trojan in helping to clear away debris.

Captain Hansen's wife and four children are in Denmark" - Western Daily Press, 26 Jul 1941

 * Ata File not seen

(naturalised Canadian 1932)

previously (from Jul 1939) a Pilot Officer in the RAF. Before that, he had been involved in a flying accident whilst being carried as a passenger, and this "seemed to affect him when he had to be carried as a passenger or member of the crew". However, they said "I have no hesitation in recommending him as a pilot. He has more sense of responsibility than most pilots of his age".

d. 4 Nov 1940 (Died in ATA Service) - Oxford R6019 flew into hill at Brynford nr Holywell, Flintshire, in poor visibility

buried Hawarden, Cheshire

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

prev. Chief Pilot of AllFlights Ltd, Heston from Mar 1939 - Jan 1940, then Chairman of Directors.

Jan-Feb 1940 Temp 2nd Officer for BOAC (left for reasons of ill health)

prev exp. 484 hrs (owned D.H. Moth G-ABJZ)

He was 'known to have previously had considerable income from his late father's estate in Denmark'.

Instructor's report says "This pilot is enthusiastic and rather temperamental. He is full of ideas, many of which are incorrect and he will need constant supervision... but his flying in Class I [single-engine] is very satisfactory".

d. 29 Jan 1941, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, in the RAF Ambulance at Edzell Camp, Kincardineshire, while being moved to the operating theatre.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Father: Raymond Edward Strodl, mother: Maren Sophie Christine [Holst], both Danish

Moved to Denmark in 1930, but returned to the UK in April 1934

prev: cashier; Flight Mechanic for Taylorcraft, Rearsby

Address in 1937: 46 Kenilworth Rd. St Leonards on Sea, Sussex

 Postings: 15FPP, 4FPP

   Vera with Mustang, 1943 - Wikipedia

 3 accidents, none her fault:

- 1 Dec 1942, a forced landing in Seafire IIc MB259 after a hydraulic failure

- 6 Dec 1942, another hydraulic failure, this time in Spitfire IX EN286, meant that the undercarriage would not retract. After using the emergency system, she made a forced landing

- 25 Aug 1944, a forced landing in Firefly I Z2037 after engine failure; the aircraft over-ran the runway and was damaged.

Post-WWII, Pilot Officer in the short-lived (1 Feb 1949 - 1954) Women's Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (WRAFVR), then an instructor for the Womens Junior Air Corps.

In Jul 1949, the Western Daily Press reported that "... Other sufferers from the heavy rain on Saturday were the five WRAFVR. pilots, from No. 8 Reserve Flying School at Woodley, Reading, who were scheduled to fly formation over the exhibition 2.30 p.m. During the morning a squall  hit their airfield, damaged some of the aircraft and delayed their take-off. Ten minutes after their arrival Filton, however, the five Tiger Moths were airborne again, flying over Southmead towards .the Downs cloudburst, and at 2.30 exactly led by Miss Vera Strodl, they flew over the exhibition site. The other four pilots were Mrs Fay Bragg, Mrs Marigold Rowland, Miss Sheila Van Damm, and Mrs Ann Kendall. All of them were, at one time A.T.A. pilots. "

m. 1963 Standford J Dowling

  1972

According to the Wichita Beacon and others, "She joined the Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII"... "it was mostly girls who were doing the flying", she [apparently] said...

Her biography, 'Pursuit of a Dream: The Story of Pilot Vera (Strodl) Dowling' was published in 2012:

d. 11 Jan 2015

  Edmonton Municipal Cemetery, Alberta, Canada

 "Vera Dowling died quietly at Youville Home in St. Albert on January 11, 2015, at 96 years of age."

  1990

"In Edmonton, she focused on Christian mission work in the prairies and the north, often flying to her post. Vera continued to fly in her 70's, testing planes at the Camrose airport. In 2000, Vera was named to the Aviation Hall of Fame. Four years later, she parachute jumped on her 85th birthday. Vera was a strong spirit and she looked forward to joining her Lord. Journey well!"

Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame: https://cahf.ca/vera-elsie-strodl-dowling/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Strodl_Dowling

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):