Aerobatics
Neil Williams was born in Canada and educated in Wales, where he also first learned to fly in 1951.  In 1962 he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots' School and started competitive aerobatic flying.   In 1970 he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, when he successfully crash-landed a Zlin after a wing folded during aerobatic training.  Captain of the British Aerobatic team from 1966 until his death in 1977, he regularly flew at airshows and was best known for his displays in the Pitts Special, Spitfire and the famous Shuttleworth Collection.