David Eagles

David Eagles
The first prototype ZA254 of the Tornado F.2, first flown on 27 October 1979
Born	1935 Brighouse, Yorkshire
Nationality	British
Spouse	Ann Kendal-Ward
Aviation career
Known for	Former test pilot and former Fleet Air Arm aviator
First flight	1953
Rank	Lieutenant Commander
Awards	Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators

Lieutenant Commander John David Eagles AFC FRAeS (born 1935) is a British former test pilot and former Fleet Air Arm aviator.

Dave Eagles was born in Brighouse in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1935, now in Kirklees. He attended Mirfield Grammar School.

On starting National Service in 1953 he joined the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). For six months he trained on HMS Indefatigable.

He spent fifteen months learning to fly with the United States Navy, where he flew the Harvard (US Navy SNJ), the Grumman F9F Panther and the North American T-28 Trojan at Naval Air Stations Pensacola FLA (Naval Air Station Pensacola) and Kingsville Texas (Naval Air Station Kingsville). He returned to the UK to fly the FAA's Hawker Sea Hawk, one of Britain's first naval jet fighters. Seconded to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fleet Air Arm for two years from June 1956, he flew the Fairey Firefly and Hawker Sea Fury from RANAS Nowra (HMAS Albatross), New South Wales, leaving Australia in March 1958. He flew Sea Venom and Sea Vixen fighters from British carriers until 1963.