I don't normally include obituaries in Hangar Talk, but for Lewis Benjamin it's right to make an exception. Lewis, who died peacefully at the age of 95 at his home in Leicestershire on 9 April, was an adventurous aviator, an entertaining writer - not least in the pages of this magazine - and an all-round good chap. And he certainly could spin a good yarn. Like many of his generation, Lewis was taught to fly by the RAF, but when civilian flying restarted in 1946 he was one of the first to claim a post-war private pilot's licence. Given his military flying experience, he was able to gain his certificate after just an interview with Col 'Mossy' Preston, the secretary of the Royal Aero Club. Those were the days.
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