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Squadron Leader Ernest Derek 'Dave' Glaser (20 April 1921 – 2001) was a British Royal Air Force officer of the Battle of Britain, and later a notable test pilot. Dave Glaser profile
(Accessed 8 January 2015) His plane became known for its nose art, representing The Laughing Cavalier. Glaser was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and in July 1940 transferred to No. 234 Squadron RAF as a flight commander.Peter Brown, '6 October', RAF Southend (The History Press, 1 June 2012) It was while serving with No. 234 that he was mistakenly shot down on 13 July 1940 by a Royal Navy warship off the English south coast. He was promoted to Pilot Officer in 1941.
He became temporary commander of the squadron in October. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August 1942. In 1943, Glaser was posted to Australia as OC 'B' Flight of No. 549 Squadron RAF, a Spitfire squadron charged with defending Darwin against Japanese air attack.Andrew Thomas, Spitfire Aces of Burma and the Pacific (Osprey Publishing, 2009), 93. In early 1945 he was promoted Sqn Ldr and posted to command No 548 Squadron RAF, also at Darwin. In 1946 he was awarded the Air Efficiency Award.
In 1949 Glaser passed the Empire Test Pilots' School and became a test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. He became a test pilot with Vickers Armstrong in 1952, and was involved in testing and developing planes such as the Vickers Varsity, Vickers Viscount and the Vickers Valiant. Glaser was also involved in testing the BAC One-Eleven.Stephen Skinner, BAC One-Eleven: The Whole Story (The History Press, 31 January 2013) In 1979 he became flight operations manager and test pilot instructor of Rombac in Romania. In 1983 he retired from British Aerospace and worked as a successful aviation consultant. He had been awarded the military Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in 1953, and was rewarded the commendation for civil test flying in 1968.
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