Eric 'Winkle' Brown: Britain's most extraordinary pilot

Published: March 22, 2024, midnight

It would be fair to say that Second World War pilot Eric 'Winkle' Brown led an extraordinary life. He narrowly escaped death when his ship was torpedoed, smashed the world record for flying the most types of aircraft and had several unlikely encounters with the movers and shakers of his time. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian and biographer Paul Beaver charts some of Brown's remarkable adventures and escapades.\n\n(Ad) Paul Beaver is the author of Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain\u2019s Greatest Pilot (Michael Joseph, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fwinkle%2Fpaul-beaver%2F9780718186708 \n\n The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices