The Association has learned of the death of Lt Cdr Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE RN on 22 September 2018.
Douglas Kingsford Hale was born on 24 March 1931 and died aged 87 at Mullion on 22 September 2018 after a career in the FAA and as the joint founder with his wife Audrey of the well known visitor attraction Flambards, formerly the Cornwall Aircraft Park. Known as Dougie Hale during his naval career, Douglas was born into an Exclusive Bretheren family, an extreme and doctrinaire branch of the Plymouth Bretheren. These early problems were undoubtedly the foundation of his competitiveness and determination to succeed at everything he did. As members of the EB were bound to register themselves as Conscientious Objectors his early years were spent escaping their hold so he could realise his ambition of becoming a naval fighter pilot.
After basic training onboard HMS Indefatigable Douglas trained at Corpus Christi in Texas, initially on the North American T6 Harvard then the Grumman F9F5 and the Lockheed Shooting Star. Upon return to the UK Douglas joined a Sea Hawk squadron onboard HMS Centaur.
Not long after joining this squadron in 1957 Douglas was taking part in an ejector seat training drill when after firing and travelling up a ramp the safety pawl at the top failed to engage and the seat slammed back down, seriously injuring his back. After a lengthy period of rehabilitation during which it was doubted he would ever fly again he undertook some intense horse-trading to get a helicopter conversion. Douglas then served in various capacities and helicopter squadrons onboard Bulwark, Eagle, Ark Royal and Albion before training to be a Helicopter Flying Instructor and taking command of 705 squadron.
A challenging appointment was as the pilot flying air experience flights for students of RNEC Manadon and BRNC Dartmouth, during the course of which a Whirlwind engine failure resulted in an emergency landing on a cricket pitch in Plymouth.
His final spell at Culdrose was as CO of Helicopter Flying Standards.
As a sideline at Culdrose Douglas also ran the station pig farm, which under his husbandry was highly successful and profitable. His final seagoing appointment was as Lt Cd Flying onboard HMS Hermes.
Douglas retired from the Royal Navy in March 1976 and the The Cornwall Aircraft Park was opened in June by Vice Admiral Sir Peter Austin.
The Cornwall Aircraft Park remained the company trading name but was soon christened Flambards Theme Park after the popular 1979 television programme featuring a hunting family whose youngest son becomes an aviation pioneer on their Essex estate called Flambards. The Cornwall Aircraft Park was highly acclaimed and during an exhibition at the London Boat Show a previous Commanding Officer Rear Admiral Percy Gick visited the stand where he informed Douglas how close he had been to a Court Martial for the many times he had stretched regulations to their limit. Douglas also devoted much of his time to promoting the interests of tourism in Cornwall, for which he was awarded an MBE.
For many years Douglas and Audrey regularly travelled to their home in Bath from where Audrey could mount antique collecting expeditions to stock the Victorian Village, one of Flambards most popular attractions.
David Edwards
The photograph shows Douglas in his US training uniform in 1956.