THE DERRY AND RICHARDS MEMORIAL MEDAL 2007

For test flying of outstanding value

 

PETER LAWARENCE CHANDLER BSc

After graduating from Southampton University with a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Peter Chandler joined the RAF in 1975. His first operational role was Maritime Strike Attack on Buccaneers. In 1981 he was one of the first pilots to transition to the Tornado serving on IX Sqn, the Weapons Conversion Unit, and then as Squadron Commander on the Tri national Conversion Unit at Cottesmore. He was selected for test pilot training in 1989 and, after attending the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, he was posted to the Fixed Wing Test Sqn at Boscombe Down. In 1992 he became tutor, then principle tutor at the Empire Test Pilots School. Peter left the RAF in 1994 to join Virgin Atlantic Airways flying the A340 with additional tasks of training officer and project pilot for the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and the A380.

Peter's valuable inputs to the FANS and the A380 projects were soon recognised at Airbus and he was asked to join the company as part of the development team. He was immediately involved in all aspects of the A380 design with particular emphasis on the cockpit layout, Pilot Displays, FMS, new ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring), and the Cursor Control interface, which provides a new level of interactivity with the FMS, FANS and many other systems. He also played a leading part in the initial design and the development of the Onboard Information System. Following the first flight, Peter was the next person to fly the A380 and was a major contributor to handling qualities, performances, and systems design, tirelessly following up his flight experience to ensure that every detail of the aircraft and its cockpit would be correct and optimum for airline operation. Airline pilots who are now flying the A380 in revenue service unanimously praise the user-friendliness, simplicity and intuitiveness of the A380 FMS and overall cockpit interface. This is a tribute to Peter Chandler's contribution to the design of the A380 cockpit.

In addition to test flying, he has displayed the A380 at numerous air shows and trained many of the first airline pilots converting to the type. Peter's ground and flight test work has been a major factor in advancing the state of the art to produce the A380's innovative cockpit design and excellent handling qualities, and he is accordingly awarded the Derry and Richards Memorial Medal.
 

 

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Previous Winners

1953 Wing Commander J H Heyworth

1954 Wing Commander R Beamont

1955 L P Twiss Esq

1956 Sqn LdrJ S Fifield

1957 M Randrup Esq

1958 T W Brook-Smith Esq

1959 A W Bedford Esq

1960 M J Lithgow Esq

1961 E B Trubshaw Esq

1962 H C H Merewether Esq

1963 P Bugge Esq

1964 E B Trubshaw Esq

1965 J Cunningham Esq

1966 H C Rogers Esq

1967 D G Taylor Esq

1968 J L Dell Esq

1969 T P Frost Esq

1970 W Gellatley Esq

1971 Duncan Simpson Esq

1972 J Cochrane Esq

1973 W P I Fillingham Esq

1974 Not Awarded

1975 Gilbert Defer Esq

1976 T M S Ferguson Esq

1977 Not Awarded

1978 Paul Millett Esq

1979 John F Farley Esq

1980 David Eagles Esq

1981 Not Awarded

1982 H R Radford Esq

1983 ChristopherYeo Esq

1984 Jeremy Lee Esq AFC

1985 Roy Moxham Esq

1986 J A Robinson Esq

1987 H E Frick Esq

1988 Angus M McVitie Esq

1989 K P Orme Esq

1990 Not Awarded

1991 P A Sedgwick Esq

1992 C F Roberts Esq

1993 C W Hague Esq

1994 Not Awarded

1995 D L J Thomas Esq

1996 Graham Tomlinson Esq

1997 Jeremy P Tracy Esq

1998 Squadron Leader David R Southwood BSc AFC RAF

1999 Keith Hartley

2000 Derek Reeh

2001 Simon Hargreaves

2002 Gordon G (Jock) Reid FRAeS

2003 Paul Hopkins

2004 John Turner

2005 Not awarded

2006 Graham M Archer

2007 Peter Lawrence Chandler