page_title: John Farley (pilot)
section_title: Flying career
hierarchical_section_title: John Farley (pilot) / Career / Flying career
caption_attribution_description: c/n 212002. Built 1969. XW175 spent her entire career as a test aircraft and was fundamental in the development of Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced Control, or ‘VAAC’ for short. Retired in 2010, she is believed to eventually be destined for the RAF Museum, although she currently remains safely stored with the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE). Seen on static display at the 2018 Cosford Airshow. RAF Cosford, Shropshire, UK. 10th June 2018.
context_page_description: John Frederick Farley, OBE, AFC was a British fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force and an experimental test pilot heavily involved in the development of the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 and latterly the BAe Harrier. During his aviation career Farley flew over 80 different types of aircraft and was the first British pilot to fly the Mikoyan MiG-29.
context_section_description: Able to husband the unique attributes of first class aeronautical engineer and exceptional pilot, it came as somewhat of a disappointment to Farley that following the 1957 Defence White Paper produced by Duncan Sandys, he had to settle for a ground tour having passed out from the Operational Conversion Unit on the Hawker Hunter. Eager to fly, this led to Farley sneaking into the office of the day fighter poster and highlighting his name on some of the posting forms whilst the officer was out playing sport.
  His reward was a posting to No. 4 Squadron RAF at RAF Jever, West Germany, for a tour on the Hunter which was followed by a posting to the Central Flying School at RAF Cranwell where he became an instructor on the Jet Provost. It was during this tour that he was rewarded in 1963 with the slot he most desired, that of a place at the Empire Test Pilots' School at RAE Farnborough, completing the highly challenging course with a distinguished pass.
  He subsequently joined the Aerodynamics Research Flight at RAE Bedford which saw Farley renew his association with Ralph Maltby, who had been his apprentice master at the beginning of his career. During 1964 Farley was first introduced to the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 which in turn led to his long and successful association with BAe Dunsfold, leading to 19 years of Harrier test flying. He joined Hawker Aviation as a company test pilot in 1967 following his service in the RAF, leading to him being appointed Deputy Chief Test Pilot in 1971 and Chief Test Pilot in 1978. In this capacity he began work on the development of the Sea Harrier, being the first pilot to undertake a take off with the aid of the 'ski-jump' and demonstrating this to the general public at the 1978 Farnborough Airshow.
  One particularly challenging aspect of the test flying programme on the Harrier revolved around the phenomenon which came to be known as Intake Momentum Drag Yaw. This was an aspect in which the mass of air ingested by the intake of the engine during a crosswind could lead to a state of uncontrolled roll.  Farley deliberately flew right into the edge of this condition repeatedly, so that a system to counter it could be developed.
  He was involved in the conversion course onto the Harrier of the first two United States Marine Corps pilots in 1967, which at that time consisted of neither a two-seater version of the aircraft nor a simulator being available, and called heavily on all Farley's experience. He was to continue this association with the USMC, utilising his skill on subsequent developments such as the AV-8B.
caption: Hawker Siddeley Harrier T.4(mod) XW175
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