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Writer, web designer, etc.; born in New York; educated in Argentina, Scotland, and South Africa; now based in London. read more
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Squadron Leader Angus McKinnon McVitie (RAF Rtd), Old Philomathian
Last Christmas, Robert Leggat received 
a card that “made [him] sit up with a jolt”. “It was from Angus McVitie, who had been at St. Alban’s a little before my time,” Mr. Leggat recalls, but by pure coincidence was a member of a church he and his wife went to when they arrived in their current home. “He had recognized my OP tie, and from then onwards we met from time to time, and travelled to London to attend an OP reunion. (For the uneducation: and Old Philomathian is a former student of St Alban’s).
“His card stated simply that his cancer has spread, and that he expected to be called Home in the next few weeks,” Mr. Leggat writes. “He added that he had ‘the privelege of an interesting and rewarding life and my Christian faith to sustain me.”
As predicted, a few weeks later, Mr. McVitie did die, and his eulogy was read by Jack Wardle, who was his cousin as well as being an Old Philomathian. Here is part of it, reproduced from Mr. Leggat’s website:
Although cousin Angus would loved to have flown, for different reasons, Concorde and the Lancaster, and he had clocked up 11000 flying hours on all sorts of aircrafts, his greatest delight was the award of an Honorary Fellowship of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 1994 when he was numbered, amongst others, with Group Capt. John Cunningham of Comet fame, Charles Lindberg, Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle. He had previously, in 1988, received The Derry and Richards Memorial Medal, from the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, for test flying of outstanding value.
Although no prizes to guess his Scottish ancestry, it all began in The Forgotten Colony – Argentina. The English, Irish, Welsh and Scots had settled there in the 19th Century, making an incredible contribution without actually ruling the place! They formed their own communities..most of the Scots were farmers as were my ancestors, forming strong matriarchal societies marrying others who came over the horizon!. They celebrated St Andrew’s Day and Burns Night, had Gatherings of the Clans and Caledonian Balls, started their own Scots Church with itinerant ministers, schools and cemeteries. Practically everybody was related, or thought they were, however distant.
Eventually we ended up in St. Alban’s College, a public School. Angus was a Day Boy; I a boarder which meant invites to tea etc. and I well remember his bedroom, littered with The Meccanno Magazine and models of Aeroplanes all over the place as well as hanging from the ceiling. We were also members of a boy’s Bible Class called Crusaders, run by one of the masters, Charlie Cohen, which also meant free tea and plenty of wads!
That’s where it all began. He just wanted to fly and there was no action in Argentina. So in 1943, in mid war, he worked his passage on a banana boat to Britain and joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, Bristol as a student apprentice. It was the nearest he could get to aeroplanes, but discovered he could learn to fly Tiger Moths at the University Air Squadron. That’s when we joined up again about 1947/8… Bristol, Filton and Crusader leaders, where he was highly regarded. One of the seniors, now well into his 80’s, remembers him as a “genial, gentle, giant”.
The next stop was Glasgow University, early 50’s perhaps, where we tried to do Aeronautical Engineering. He flew most of the time and we lived in a place called Duntocher, which has disappeared, under motorways and development. The bungalow belonged to a certain Donald McLeod, whc had been commissioned in The Black Watch during the war, and was in ministerial training. The problem was looking after the place and studying at the same time. We often recruited, had to recruit, the ladies from the College of Domestic Science to spend a Saturday with us doing the necessary cleaning and cooking.
By 1950 he had decided on a career in the RAF and gained his ‘wings’ in 1951 at Syerston, Nottinghamshire. Posted to Transport Command, he served in the Middle East, during the Mau Mau Emergency. He was ADC flying top brass about as well as in his own words ‘dropping Bronco’ from Valettas and Ansons. He managed to fit in a wedding to Sheila in 1957.
But all along, his boyhood ambitions was in test flying, as did so many in that era. In 1956 he was accepted for the Empire Test Pilots School at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough — “the hardest years’ work I ever did” — and stayed on there for three years after qualifying, as the last test pilot with the National Turbine Establishment.
Then, all set to return to Transport Command Brittania Squadron at Lyneham, someone called him back and asked, rather apologetically, if he wouldn’t mind going instead to RAE Bedford as Commanding Officer of Aero Flight, which was, in those days a plum test pilot’s job. After two years, there was Staff College at Bracknell, followed by secondment to the Royal Malaysian Air Force running their Joint Operations Centre during the emergency. A desk job at the MOD, dealing mostly with fighter and helicopter cockpits was a pain…endless meetings fighting with financiers and so much being cancelled, with hardly any flying, decided him to take early retirement with the rank of Squadron Leader, and joined the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield Aerodrome as Chief Test Pilot in 1968.
But for all that, and its quite a career, Angus’s greatest joy was Sheila and Shuna, Fiona and Lorna… as he wrote in his Christmas card “the privilege of our interesting and rewarding life and my Christian faith to sustain me”. He had already written “my time to be with the Lord is fast approaching”. Well, that is where he is which is far better. He knew from an early age the assurance and certainty that his name was written in the “Lamb’s book of Life” (Rev 21.27).
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
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How remarcable a chance to call up Malaysia and find the web site of an old friend Angus bless him,I worked along side him in Mindef MINDEF Kuala Lumpur .What a waste of talent that was but he endured the situation well. Angus was too talented and too much one of natures gentlemen for the people around him.I often wondered wat happened.To his remaining relatives they can be very proud of Angus whose multiple talents were never recognised by the desk seniors.
I’m Philip Cohen – Charlie Cohen’s eldest. I remember Angus and his sister Cathy a also Jack Wardle – all older than I. I have memories of them attending Crusdares at my home – thought they were great bokes as they towered over me. I lost touch with them thanks to ending my education in the UK, but did manage to catch up with Cathy McVitie…. does anybody have any news of her? I’d love to re-make contact despite the fact that I became and Australian (!) some 35 years ago!
To Philip Cohen – just to let you know that Cathy McVitie is still “alive and kicking” and would like to find out how you are doing.
The Squadron Leader was the one instructor who made me ‘get’ landing.
I remember we went up in Delta Whiskey( one of the Cranfield Pups) with a thunderstorm blowing in, and just went around doing circuits and bumps as the plane buffeted about and lightning crackled in the headphones.
I flew the plane down like it was on a piano wire, and he was quietly instructing, “Left”, “Right”, then as I was anticipating, he said “Just fly the plane…”.
When we got down I said, “When would I normally be expected to do that?”
“Now.” he said.
I’m sorry to hear he’s gone. He always gave off an air of indestructability.
I am here in the Haemophilia Clinic at Great Ormond Street Hospital in tears. I am so very sad, BUT also happy that we both belong to JESUS. I am very late in discovering Angus’s passing to The Lord, and I offer my deepest condolences to the family, having also just burying my Mother.
He was simply the best flying Instructor Cranfield had or will ever have. His aircraft was just simply a part of his anatomy which he knew intimately. It was a privilege, and pleasure to share a cockpit, or aircraft with him (Delta Whiskey, India Alpha and the Jetstream)and to have been a very small part of his life as a student, and as President and Chairman of the Cranfield Association of Students. David Reid (Ex Flt Lt. RAFVR)
I didn’t know Angus on a personal level but the name stuck with me because of his character. He was the epitome of the daring hero pilot I would read about as a kid. I was a young student who attended a 2 week flight test course at Cranfield (1981) which was sponsored by the University Of Manchester School Of Aeronautics. This was part of my engineering degree in Aeronautics at Manchester. Angus was the test pilot of a twin prop Jetstream plane that was rigged up for instrument flight testing. A handful of students including myself would ride the plane to record and analyse flight data. Angus would throw us around in the air with high angle banking tests and stall tests and various manoeuvres that would take your breath away. It was a thrilling experience and I never forgot it. He was an inspiration.
As part of my BSc Avionics degree course we did an aircraft stability and control half unit which involved a weeks course at Cranfield in 1981 sponsored by Queen Mary College (University of London). Angus was the test pilot of a twin prop Jetstream plane that was rigged up for instrument flight testing at cranfield. Angus flew us on 3 of our 4 flights. His flying abilities still lives with me today. An awesome pilot.
I may well have been flown by Angus when a student at the Department of Mechanics of Fluids at Manchester…whoever flew us induced one of us to be sick 14 times in the Devon. But a couple of years later I did the 1 year Aero Masters at Cranfield and got my PPL on the Pup; Angus flew me on Valentines Day 1972. He also flew me a couple of times a week in the Morane Saulnier Paris.I would be in the back while my minor partner (Col. Dick Gustafsson, ex-Phantom and Pax River TP) would discuss and demonstrate tactical manoeuvering while muggins would sometimes slowly grey out. Stall turns with a bit of a tail slide without flaming out were a favourite. It was a huge privilege and he taught me so much that was useful when the time came to put into practice with the fast jets.
I am daughter of Norman Robert Chandler, a cousin of Angus. I had the joy of meeting Angus, Sheila, Fiona and Shuna in our home in Vancouver, Canada many years ago. My dad loved Angus very much and had such fond memories of him they will both be having a great catch up time in heaven together. I would love to be in touch with the family if any of them are interested. Hope to be in Glasgow in July