Pilot receives university honour

Published on Monday 12 May 2008 10:45

ONE of the greatest pilots in aviation history is to be awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh University next month.

Former Chief Naval Test Pilot Captain Eric Brown will receive his degree alongside a double Oscar winner and former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds.

Captain Brown, who holds the record for flying the greatest number of different aircraft, is the Fleet Air Arm's most decorated pilot.

The former Edinburgh University student is the only living person who has flown every major Second World War combat aircraft, and all of the early jets.

Two-time Oscar winner Randy Thom, a sound designer at Lucasfilm, will be honoured for his work on films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Forrest Gump.

Professor Timothy O'Shea, principal and vice-chancellor of the university said: "We are very pleased to be recognising the significant contribution that these eminent individuals have made in the field of scholarship and to society in general."