Henry Biard | |
|---|---|
 Biard at the controls of a Supermarine Sparrow in 1924 | |
| Birth name | Henri Charles Amédée de La Faye Biard |
| Born | 1 January 1892 Godalming |
| Died | 18 January 1966 (aged 74) Charminster |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
|
| Rank | Flying officer[a] |
| Service number | 70062 |
| Known for | 1922 Schneider Trophy victory |
| Wars | |
| Alma mater | Victoria College, Jersey |
| Other work | Chief test pilot for Supermarine (1919–1933) |
Henry Biard (also known as Henri)[b] was a British pilot and aircraft racer. As chief test pilot for the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine, he won the 1922 Schneider Trophy air race and briefly held the world record for the fastest speed in a seaplane.
Biard was born in Surrey, where his father worked as a public school teacher, and spent time as a child on his mother's native island of Jersey, where he was educated at Victoria College. He first learned to fly in 1910 at the school of Claude Grahame-White in Hendon, and gained his aviator's certificate in 1912. He joined and resigned from the Royal Flying Corps shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, then worked as a flying instructor at the Grahame-White school. In 1917, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service, where he instructed pilots, flew anti-submarine patrols and saw aerial combat over the Western Front.
Biard joined Supermarine after being demobilised from the Royal Air Force, the successor to the RNAS, in 1919, and became a close colleague of R. J. Mitchell, the company's chief designer. He tested many Mitchell-designed aircraft, including the Swan, the Southampton, the Seagull and the Scarab. He was also the pilot for three of Supermarine's entries into the Schneider Trophy, winning the race in 1922, placing third in 1923 and being forced to withdraw after crashing his aircraft, the experimental Supermarine S5, the day before the 1925 race. Shortly beforehand, on 13 September 1925, he had set a world speed record of 226.75 mph (364.92 km/h) for a seaplane over 3 miles (4.8 km).
After Supermarine's acquisition by Vickers (Aviation) Ltd in 1928, Biard lost his position as chief test pilot. He continued to work for the company until 1933, and released his autobiography, Wings, in 1934. During the Second World War, he re-joined the RAF, but resigned his commission in 1944 on the grounds of ill health. He settled with his wife in Guernsey, and died in Charminster on 18 January 1966.
- ^ Marr 1984, p. 10.
- ^ Glancey 2020, p. 82.
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