Bill Humble William Humble MBE ( 14 April 1911 – 1 March 1992 ) was a well - known pre - Second World War aviator , known as an air race r and for his aerobatic displays . He was also an officer in the Royal Air Force Special Reserve , and the Auxiliary Air Force . Although he qualified as a mining engineer the lure of flying proved too strong , and he did not enter the family mining company . During the war he became an important test pilot for aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley . Having tested some of the early jet aircraft , he retired from test flying in 1948 , becoming a sales executive for Hawker . He was the grandfather of British television presenter , Kate Humble . Early life . Humble was born on 14 April 1911 , the son of William Humble senior , a mining engineer and mine owner in the South Yorkshire coalfield , and also associated with the Staveley Coal and Iron Company . Humble was educated at Repton School and the University of Cambridge , following his father in qualifying as a mining engineer in 1930 . He learnt to fly in the Auxiliary Air Force in 1929 ( while still at university ) , and on 27 July 1930 he was commissioned as a pilot officer on probation in the Special Reserve of the Royal Air Force , his rank was confirmed on 25 October 1931 , and he was promoted flying officer on 27 January 1932 . He was a founder member of No . 504 ( City of Nottingham ) Squadron , and during this period received flying instruction from Arthur Marshall . He transferred to the Reserve of Air Force Officers , Class A on 16 May 1932 . In 1935 he entered the King ' s Cup Air Race , flying a Miles Hawk , he would enter again on several subsequent occasions . On 24 April 1936 he transferred to the Auxiliary Air Force , becoming a founder pilot of No . 609 ( West Riding ) ( Bomber ) Squadron , he returned to the Reserve of Officers on 31 August 1937 . He married for the first time in 1936 , but divorced just a few years later . Test pilot . Following the outbreak of the Second World War Humble was invited to join Hawker Siddeley ' s team of test pilots , taking up the role on 10 October 1940 . The testing team was led by George Bulman and Philip Lucas . Humble was initially involved in testing Hurricanes as they came off the production line at the rate of seven a day . Having proven his ability , he was soon assigned to help test and develop new aircraft types , initially the Hawker Typhoon , and then later types derived from it , the Hawker Tempest , Hawker Fury and Sea Fury . The Typhoon became particularly important as a " tank - buster " during the Normandy Campaign , and the Tempest in the fight against the V - 1 flying bomb . Development of the Fury was a particularly difficult experience . The aircraft could approach the sound barrier in a dive , causing unexpected handling problems ; the Bristol Centaurus engine was also still relatively new and experienced many problems , on more than one occasion it was only Humble ' s skill as a pilot which prevented a crash . Bulman had retired towards the end of the war , Lucas then became Hawker ' s chief test pilot . In mid - 1945 , Lucas was promoted to the board of the company , and in early January 1946 , Humble was appointed the new chief test pilot . Hawker now moved into the jet age , with Humble making the first test flight of the Hawker P . 1040 from Boscombe Down on 2 September 1947 . This ultimately entered service as the Hawker Sea Hawk . Later life and legacy . Humble retired from testing in 1948 , remaining with Hawker as a sales executive . He continued to give demonstration flights , and his skill as a display pilot is credited with helping to win Hawker sales . His main sales territory was the Middle East , and he spent much time in Egypt , Lebanon and Cyprus . According to his obituary in " The Times " he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1949 . He returned the United Kingdom permanently in the late 1980s when his health began to deteriorate . He died on 1 March 1992 , survived by his second wife , Georgina , his son ( by his first wife ) and his daughter . In an episode of the BBC television programme , " Who Do You Think You Are ? " , first broadcast on 29 July 2009 , TV presenter Kate Humble investigated her family history , starting by finding out more about her grandfather , Bill Humble . During a visit to the RAF Museum at Hendon , she was shown film footage of her grandfather flying , and spoke to one of his former colleagues , Captain Eric ' Winkle ' Brown .