1956 Fairey Aviation Company Map of the Delta 2 World Airspeed Record Flight (2 Maps)

This is a set of 2 Fairey Aviation Company proof maps of the world air-speed record flight of the Fairey Delta 2 - here in their only known examples. During this flight, on October 6, 1954, the Delta 2 broke the world speed record, becoming the first aircraft to fly over 1,000 mph in level flight.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the Delta 2's course around southern England on its successful world record flight. A black line illustrates the Delta 2's course and direction from Boscombe Down, with circles marking time checks from takeoff and altitude. The points where the afterburners were engaged are indicated as 'reheat on'. Towns in the vicinity are labeled, including Brighton, Portsmouth, and Bournemouth. A printed signature by the pilot, Peter Twiss (1921 - 2011), appears below the title.

The Record-Breaking Flight of the Fairey Delta 2

On October 6, 1954, Pariey Aviation Company test pilot Peter Twiss sat in the cockpit of the Fairey Delta 2 ahead of what was going to be the last attempt at breaking the world speed record set the previous year by a U.S. Air Force North American F-100 Super Sabre. The U.K. Ministry of Supply did not support the attempt, believing that aviation was heading away from manned military aircraft in favor of guided missiles. Curiously, Rolls-Royce (which built the Delta 2's engine) also decided not to support the attempt to break the record. Fairey went ahead with the attempt without the government's support, renting the aircraft from the Royal Air Force and financing its own insurance. The weather had been uncooperative for the first half of the week, and technical issues plagued most of the attempts once the weather finally cleared. It was not until the final flight on Friday afternoon that Fairey succeeded. The Delta 2 reached a speed of 1,132 mph, 310 mph above the previous record, making it the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight. The Delta 2 held the record until December 12, 1957, when it was broken by a U.S. Air Force McDonnell JF-101A Voodoo.

Publication History and Census

These maps were published by the Fairey Aviation Company Flight Development Department c. 1956. Both maps feature identical content and bear indications that they are proofs - such as manuscript highlighting and white-on-black printing. They are the only known surviving examples, suggesting that the map never went into mass production.