Charles Wolley-Dod, OBE | |
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| Born | 25 August 1892 |
| Died | 15 or 16 March 1937 (aged 44) |
| Cause of death | Aircraft accident |
| Education | Rugby School |
| Known for | First planned civilian flight from England to India (1927) |
Captain Charles Francis Wolley-Dod OBE (25 August 1892 – 15 or 16 March 1937) was a British pilot and aviation executive. He was one of Imperial Airways' early pilots and later became their European manager. Imperial was an early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939, and Wolley-Dod developed several of their commercial routes between London, South Africa, the Middle East, and India.
He had a reputation for his sense of direction over Europe, rarely requiring the use of a map. In 1927, he co-piloted the aircraft that took Sir Geoffrey Salmond, Sir Samuel Hoare and Lady Maud Hoare in Imperial's first planned civilian flight from London to Delhi.
Wolley-Dod was killed "on flying duty ... just before the Second World War"[1] about 20 miles (32 km) west of Cologne.[2] Under-Secretary of State for Air Sir Philip Sassoon reported to Parliament that the cause of the crash was unknown. Why an important Imperial Airways manager was flying over Germany in 1937 remains unclear.