- His colleagues nicknamed him "Winkle" because of his small size.
- He learned to speak German fluently. He witnessed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen camp, acting as interpreter for the trial of the camp commandants. Later, he interrogated prominent Nazis, including Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, and the senior Luftwaffe.
- Appointed MBE, OBE, and CBE.
- He was the Royal Navy's most decorated pilot. He held the world record for flying the greatest number of different types of aircraft -- 487. He also made 2,407 aircraft carrier landings.
- He caught the flying bug at age 8 when his father, a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during WWI, took him up in a bi-plane.
- He wrote numerous books on aviation before and after his retirement.
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