Joseph Summers

Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, CBE (10 March 1904 – 16 March 1954), was chief test pilot at Vickers-Armstrongs and Supermarine.

During his career Summers flew numerous prototype aircraft first flights, (a record of 54 by a test pilot), from the Supermarine Spitfire, to the Vickers Valiant. He also holds the current second place record for 366 general types tested, below Eric "Winkle" Brown's 487.

Summers also holds the highest number of flying hours of any test pilot in the world; he clocked up over 5,600 flying hours. He also flew over 300 different types of aeroplane.

Career

Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers received his nickname "Mutt" during his early days in the RAF from his habit of urinating before take off on the small rear wheel or skid of the aircraft he was testing. This led to his being accused of christening his aircraft like a dog marking its territory. He did this because he was aware that during some crashes a full bladder could prove fatal. Paul Brickhill (in The Dam Busters) referred to the two test pilots Joseph Summers and Jeffrey Quill, as "Mutt" and "Jeff", alluding to the characters in the pioneering American comic strip created by Harry Conway "Bud" Fisher.