LIVE AUTOGRAPH AUCTION TV SPORT BATTLE OF BRITAIN, UK US LUFTWAFFE FIGHTER BOMBER ACES, DAMBUSTERS, NAVY, SPACE, CONCORDE
Lot 176:
Sold for: £30
Description
Very Rare Test pilot Chuck Sewell X29a signed 1984 Conquest of Space US FDC. He was sadly killed in a flying accident in 1986. Charles Arthur Sewell had a twenty-year career in the United States Marine Corps. He flew over one hundred combat missions in Korea and was shot down by the enemy. He served as an exchange pilot and commanded a squadron of the Royal Air Force in Great Britain for two years. During the Vietnam War, he was a Squadron Commander who flew 220 combat missions with F-4 Phantoms. By the time he retired from the Marine Corps, Chuck had earned the rank of Lt. Colonel and the following decorations: Legion of Merit with the Combat “V”, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, fifteen Air Medals, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He kept on flying, becoming the Grumman Corporation’s Chief Test Pilot in 1971. He flew almost every type of aircraft Grumman made, but he is best known for his work testing the F-14 Tomcat, demonstrating its unique capabilities under a variety of flight conditions. One of the planes he flew is on display at The Cradle of Aviation Museum. He was a Fellow in the Society of Aviation Test Pilots and received numerous awards for his work. When he wasn’t flying high-performance planes, Chuck enjoyed flying vintage aircraft of all types. He was killed in a plane crash shortly after take-off from Danielson Airport in Connecticut. He was attempting to fly a friend’s vintage Grumman Avenger Torpedo Bomber to Calverton, New York, then on to Florida. The accident investigators discovered that the plane had been filled with the wrong type of fuel. Good Condition Est.
Share this lot:
