Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia

The Life/Career of Colin Champ

29 June 2011
Lieutenant Colin Champ, RAN (1948-1958)
Captain Colin Champ, BEA, BA (1967-1981)

Colin Champ, one of the first post-war intake into the Australian Fleet Air Arm, died in England on Saturday, 21 May 2011.

He was born in Brisbane in 1928 and learned to fly with the RAAF at Point Cook in Tiger Moths and Wirraways. He was then posted to Britain for naval training at Lossiemouth and Eglington in Firefly MkIV and V, with deck landing training on HMS Illustrious. Also in England he was introduced to an English girl who was a distant family friend.

A spell at No 1 Ferry flight, Culham followed, flying Fireflys, Sea Furies and the odd Seafire. Then it was back to Australia and 816 Squadron (20th CAG) at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, embarking on HMAS Sydney in February 1951 with Firefly Vs.

June saw a move to 817 Squadron, 21st CAG and the Firefly MkVI. 817 almost immediately reverted to the MkV as they worked up for Korea and the October/January tour, normally flying with O2 Morris.

After the Korean War tour he served in 816 with the MkVI, and then 723. In 1953 he did a maintenance test course and transferred to 808 and HMAS Vengeance. By now the times were changing, even for carrier flying, and in December 1953 he started a conversion course to the DH Vampire at RAAF Williamtown.

In June 1954 it was back to England and a conversion to Meteor VIII with Airworks at RNAS Brawdy and St Davids, and then 764 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton with time on the Seahawk - "favourite aircraft: beautiful to fly", Seafires, Sea Furys and Fireflies. He also took the opportunity to look up the English girl from 1951...

Next was 158 Night Fighter Course at 228 OCU, RAF Leeming in the Meteor NF11 with Lt Brennan, followed by 7 Air Warfare Instructor (F) Course at RNAS Lossiemouth in Vampires. June saw him back at Yeovilton with 891(x) Squadron and the Sea Venom 20, followed by 808, still at Yeovilton with deck landings on HMS Bulwark. In between all this he took time out to marry the English girl and was still married to her fifty-five years later.

By June 1956 808 was back at HMAS Albatross, and his new bride was being horrified by the notorious living conditions at Nowra. By September he was on board the new angled deck HMAS Melbourne and his first son appeared. In 1957 Albatross had acquired a couple of Austers, and there was a check flight with Lt Cordell. The remarks column in his log book merely says "Check Out (& how)". Appendix C states "bounced after landing on main wheels... starboard undercarriage collapsed and propeller struck runway".

Family legend has it that excessively subtle handling was inadvisable when 'landing on' a first generation jet aircraft, and that this was a factor.

This is the last of 4 entries in Appendix C; the others being a barrier visit on HMAS Sydney with a Firefly in 1951, a deck pecking incident later the same year after catching the wire, again with a Firefly, and a fractured Sea Fury tail oleo ("on normal landing") on HMS Vengeance in 1955. In 1958 he seems to have been acting mainly as a weapons instructor.

He had a spell in command of 724 Squadron (as Lieutenant) until he retired from the RAN in October. As commander, and not having been embarked on ship since the previous February, he found the need to do an extra 10 deck landings just a week before his retirement, which brought the total up to 300.

After leaving the RAN the young family emigrated to England. At that time, ex-military pilots were not greatly in demand and he worked briefly in the building trade with his father-in-law, and as a volunteer fireman. He then went back to aviation, working in Air Traffic Control, first at Prestwick, Scotland and then at Gatwick airport.

He joined British European Airways in March 1967, as P2/P3 on the Vanguard and the Merchantman freighter variant. In 1971, Vanguard/Merchantman, he converted onto P2 with the Trident 1/2. Next was the Viscount fleet as captain in 1974. In 1977 it was back to Trident 1 and 2s, this time as captain. He took early retirement from British Airways in 1981.

In retirement he took up sheep farming, in the rather unlikely surroundings of fields in Surrey rented from a Socialist MP. He derived a lot of pleasure from it, but it would be hard to describe it as a financial success. A lifetime of doing the best possible job with the right equipment doesn't really prepare you for a career, which, in order to be profitable, demands what one can only describe as a more agricultural approach...

Whilst farming he felt the need of a .22 rifle license. Surrey Police do their very best to prevent any issue of rifle licenses, and the application in a Magistrates court was vigorously opposed. The hearing concluded when the police expressed their firm opposition to firearms being held by inexperienced hands. "As a former RAN weapons instructor, qualified up to 4.5" guns", said Colin, "I can only agree". Collapse, as Punch Magazine used to say, of stout party.

Second retirement took him to the south coast of England. Unable to be idle, he worked with a local boatyard and at a builder's merchants. He also took on the role of sidesman and then churchwarden at the Parish Church.

In this role he also brought his long-term hobby of wood working to bear and constructed a number of church furnishings. Colin had always been intensely practical: able to take on almost any task with mind and hands, so it was especially cruel when a stroke robbed him of movement and left him with minimal speech in his last years. His final illness was short and painless. He is survived by his wife and two sons - Jim Champ.

Return to News and Information page.