User:Sunsetlilac

John Leonard Chorley FRAeS (1934-)

Captain John Leonard Chorley was a British RAF officer and senior Concorde pilot who set numerous supersonic world records.

Early Life & Education

John Chorley was born in Orsett, Essex to Percival Chorley and Irene Brind. Through his father he is descended from the Chorley family of Exmoor. He attended Brentwood School where he played for the 1st Rugby XV. Through the CCF he took up flying and proved himself a prodigious aviator, eventually winning a scholarship to Marshalls Airfield in Cambridge where he learned to fly Tiger Moths at the age of 16. In addition to his studies and flying, he achieved the Queens Scout Award.

Following school, John completed his National Service in the RAF. He trained at RAF Cranwell and mostly flew Meteor Jets, he completed his service in 1954, finishing with the rank of Flight Officer.

John then enrolled at the University College of Estate Manegement where he read Estate Management and Rowed for London Rowing Club. During this time he also continued flying recreationally at Orsett Hall with the permission of his friend John Whitmore.

Bibliography & References