Awarded to a test pilot who has made an outstanding contribution in advancing the art and science of aviation.
2018 Awarded to: Frank Chapman
Liveryman Frank Chapman has been involved in flight test as an experimental test pilot since completing test pilot training with the French Ecole du Personnel d’Essai et de Reception (EPNER) in 1990.
Frank began his aviation career flying with the University Air Squadron whilst studying for a degree in engineering science at Oxford. Following fast jet training he flew both Harriers and F4 Phantoms on operational tours with the Royal Air Force in Germany between 1983 and 1989 before being selected for the French test pilot course. He then spent two years at RAE Farnborough where he was primarily involved in the development of electro-optical systems and Head-up displays, flying the Buccaneer, Jaguar, and Hunter. In 1992 Frank was posted, on exchange with the USAF, to Eglin AFB in Florida where he flew more than 1000 hours in the F-16 on trials including flight envelope expansion and weapon system integration.
In 1997 Frank retired from the Royal Air Force and spent the next six years flying A320s and A330s as an airline pilot with Monarch Airlines. This experience was ideal preparation for the next stage of his career as in 2004 he was recruited by Airbus and joined the flight test team in Toulouse as an experimental test pilot.
Frank was fully established by the time of the first flight of the A380 in 2005, and participated in much of the flight test programme of that aircraft as well as conducting production and development flight tests on all the other Airbus types. Subsequently he was nominated as a project pilot for the A350 and was involved in all aspects of that aircraft’s cockpit development whilst also taking a significant part in the on-going flight test programme of the A400M. In 2013 flight testing of the A350-900 began and Frank was one of the principal pilots, carrying out envelope expansion and handling qualities testing as well as systems development, leading to successful certification and entry into service in 2014. Frank then became the lead pilot for the A350-1000 providing operational input to the development and then conducting the first flight of that aircraft in November 2016. He was a lead pilot throughout the flight testing of the 350-1000 which culminated in the successful certification of the aircraft in 2017 and its entry into service at the beginning of this year.
In addition to his test flying, Frank is also an accomplished display pilot having displayed A350 and A380 at a number of commercial air shows, but also as a regular display pilot of vintage aircraft at the Shuttleworth Collection.
For his dedicated contribution to aircraft design, development, and flight testing, both military and civilian, Frank Chapman is a worthy recipient of the Derry & Richards Memorial Medal.
1953 Wing Commander J H Heyworth
1953/54 Wing Commander R Beamont
1954/55 L P Twiss Esq
1955/56 Squadron Leader J S Fifield
1956/57 M Randrup Esq
1957/58 T W Brook-Smith Esq
1959/60 A W Bedford Esq
1960/61 M J Lithgow Esq
1961/62 E B Trubshaw Esq
1962/63 H C H Merewether Esq
1963/64 P Bugge Esq
1964/65 E B Trubshaw Esq
1965/66 J Cunningham Esq
1966/67 H Cliff Rogers Esq DFC
1967/68 D G Taylor Esq
1968/69 J L Dell Esq
1969/70 T P Frost Esq
1970/71 W Gellatley Esq
1971/72 Duncan Simpson Esq
1972/73 J Cochrane Esq
1973/74 W P I Fillingham Esq
1975 Not Awarded
1975/76 Gilbert Defer Esq
1976/77 T M S Ferguson Esq
1978 Not Awarded
1978/79 Paul Millett Esq
1979/80 John F Farley Esq
1980/81 David Eagles Esq
1982 Not Awarded
1982/83 H R Radford Esq
1983/84 ChristopherYeo Esq
1984/85 Jeremy Lee Esq AFC
1985/86 Roy Moxham Esq
1986/87 J A Robinson Esq
1987/88 H E Frick Esq
1988/89 Angus M McVitie Esq
1989/90 K P Orme Esq
1991 Not Awarded
1991/92 P A Sedgwick Esq
1992/93 C F Roberts Esq
1993/94 C W Hague Esq
1995 Not Awarded
1995/96 D L J Thomas Esq
1996/97 Graham Tomlinson Esq
1997/98 Jeremy P Tracy Esq
1998/99 Squadron Leader David R Southwood BSc AFC RAF
1999/2000 Keith Hartley
2000/01 Derek Reeh
2001/02 Simon Hargreaves
2002/03 Gordon G (Jock) Reid FRAeS
2003/04 Paul Hopkins
2004/05 John Turner
2006 Not awarded2006/07 Graham M Archer
2007/08 Peter Lawrence Chandler
2008/09 Iain Young MBE BSc FRAeS
2009/10 Graham Tomlinson
2010/11 Edward (Ed) Strongman
2011/12 Andrew Warner MA(Oxon) MRAeS
2012/13 Peter Wilson
2013/14 Mark Bowman
2015 Not Awarded
2016 Lieutenant Commander Robert Dowdell RNR
2017 Andrew Strachan
2018 Frank Chapman