On Sunday (29th March ) as part of the Whirly Birds event, pilot Jerry Grayson will visit The Helicopter Museum to see the Westland Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters he flew in the Fleet Air Arm and to sign copies of his new biography ” Rescue Pilot”.

Jerry Grayson became the youngest helicopter pilot to ever serve in the Royal Navy at the age of 17. He was one of the last pilots to train on the Westland Whirlwind, as they were soon replaced by the Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopter.  By the age of 25 he was the most decorated peacetime naval pilot in history.

Jerry served in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm for eight years, during which he was presented with the Air Force Cross by the Queen for outstanding gallantry in search and rescue.

His illustrious career has included saving a wounded fighter pilot who ditched in the sea, rescuing desperate sailors from a sinking ship during the Fastnet Yacht Race of 1979, in which 25 yachts were lost, and picking up a grievously ill crewman from the deck of a nuclear-armed submarine that was playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Soviet Navy. As a search and rescue pilot, his work was vital and dangerous. Jerry went on to become a well known movie industry helicopter pilot ,filming TV series “Treasure Hunt”‘ with Anneka Rice and films such as ‘Black Hawk Down ‘ and James Bond’s ” A View To Kill”.

Jerry Grayson will be signing copies of his book at the museum between 10am and 1pm

Rescue Pilot – Cheating the Sea. Rescue Pilot is published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

The Helicopter Museum houses the Worlds Largest Collection Of Helicopters and is a Registered Charity (Number 281053)