Norman Macmillan

Norman Macmillan was a pilot and author.Upon the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Macmillan served in the trenches as a soldier in the 5th Highland Light Infantry (HLI), earning his officer's commission by the time he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in the spring of 1916.Macmillan returned to the Western Front in 1917–18 with the RFC and Royal Air Force (RAF), flying Sopwith 1½ Strutters and Sopwith Camel fighters, becoming an ace by claiming 11 victories and being credited with 9. He would write about these experiences in his book 'Into the Blue' (1929).He was decorated with the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in 1918. He was also awarded the Air Force Cross.Later, Macmillan was a flight instructor to the Spanish Navy and Army Air Forces. He also took part in the 1923 Lympne light aircraft trials, demonstrating the Parnall Pixie aircraft. During the early 1920s, MacMillan, like several others acted as free-lance test pilots, unattached to particular companies. He took five Parnall aircraft on their first flights.He flew Fairey aircraft from 1921 as a free-lance, joining them full-time early in 1925 as chief test pilot and staying with them until the end of 1930. He then became chief consultant test pilot to Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft.In 1925 Macmillan was the first to land (an emergency landing) at Heathrow, which then was a row of cottages in land used for market gardening. In 1931, he became the first British pilot to fly across the Andes.He wrote numerous books on aviation, including a series detailing history of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Despite being partly written during the war, they are remarkably detailed and accurate.He became a Deputy Lieutenant for Cornwall in September 1951.Throughout his life, Macmillan contributed to many newspapers and magazines and had written or edited over 20 books.