Born and raised near Wimbledon, London, England, long time Chapter 59 member Nick Pocock had a different start in aviation from the typical EAA member in Waco, Texas. Sure, he made airplane models as a child, but it was train spotting that led to an interest in flying real airplanes. In England, young boys would commonly go to railway stations and record the type of train and the engine number. I guess there was not much on TV, (the “telly”) over there! Some of Nick’s train spotting friends led him to airfields to do plane spotting as well. Then one day in 1947 he saw a magazine on the newsstand with Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose on the cover. This magazine captured his imagination further and led Nick to his first ride in an airplane. At the age of 13, he bought a ride in a barnstormer’s Miles Messenger, a low wing, four place airplane.

An off-season job with Certainteed Corporation in Hillsboro, was meant to be temporary but lasted 16 years. In 1967 Nick joined the EAA, and though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact year, it was sometime in the ‘70s that Nick found his way into EAA Chapter 59.
In 1985, Nick took a job in Waco at TSTC as a Drafting Instructor. Besides his love for powered airplanes, Nick also was involved in glider flying beginning in 1953 as a member of the Imperial Gliding Club. There he flew a Skylark 2 and flew an Auster Six tow plane. While living in Texas, he flew gliders at Rockwall and towed gliders with a Super Cub. He later flew a Schwiezer 232 in Caddo Mills and became a Glider instructor.
Nick finally bought his first airplane in 1964, shortly
after moving to the U.S. Sticking with the familiar (and unusual for Americans) he located a Tipsey Nipper, an English, mid-wing airplane with a VW engine. Thus started a long and unusual chain of aircraft purchases Nick has owned over the years. Next he ran across a good deal on two British Chipmunks.

He bought one for himself and offered the other to Frank Price. By the end of 1965 Nick was on his third airplane, a Stampe bi-plane. He had been corresponding with famous Hollywood stunt pilot Frank Tallman, and Frank asked Nick for the use of his Stampe in the movie The Great Waldo Pepper, while filming in San Antonio. Unfortunately, the Stampe became unairworthy before the shooting, but Nick met with Mr. Tallman in San Antonio and was checked out to fly the Jenny used in that movie. It was through Frank Tallman that Nick came to know Roger Freeman, of Old Kingsbury Aerodrome fame. Roger later referred him to Julius Junge to do the woodwork on Nick’s Farman.

Next came a Fairchild 24-R which never made it home in one piece. The engine quit on the trip back to Texas.
He landed it safely on a road and parked it in a friendly front yard until he could get a replacement Ranger engine. Unfortunately, before he could get back to it a storm blew it over and seriously damaged it. He found another incomplete Fairchild in south Texas and finally made one out of the two airplanes.
Nick must have really liked the Luscombe 8E he bought next because he kept it for several years putting quite a few hours on it. He even modified it with an Aero-matic propeller and larger tires for his rather short grass airstrip. Of course, Nick had to eventually trade it for something a bit more unusual. That trade involved acquiring an OX-5 powered Curtiss Robin he saw advertised. It’s a beautiful airplane Nick still has, though
tucked away in the back of his hangar now. In front of the Robin sits the Curtiss Junior many of us have seen Nick fly at local events over the years. He got it and the Waco Minerva/Rallye when he sold a Fairey Swordfish project he had acquired in
Canada. He recently sold the Rallye project to Larry Smith.

Now Nick’s main flyer is an O-200 powered French Rallye, a cute little airplane ideal for his short strip. What about the 1919 Farman Sport Nick also has?
Well, after years of work on this very rare airplane it is essentially complete, but has not yet flown. The engine is basically a one-of-a-kind 60 HP, 9 cylinder Gnome-LeRhone rotary that has been run but not yet well enough for flight. The wings are now stored in the hangar and the rest is in the garage due to space limitations. Nick’s plan has been to have it displayed at the Old Kingsbury Aerodrome when they get museum space available.
Helping promote and preserve rare or unusual airplanes is not Nick’s only contribution to aviation. He has also written numerous magazine articles for the British magazine Pilot, and also American magazines including Flying, Private Pilot and Skyways. Nick also wrote a book about the Grumman/ Schweizer AgCat and a book about a Waco area man named Custead, who claimed to have flown an airplane from Elm Mott
to Tokio, Texas back in 1897.
Nick holds a Commercial pilot certificate as well as Glider Instructor and Seaplane ratings. He has amassed over 1900 hours of pilot time over the years. His love of aviation and active involvement over the past 55 years sets a high standard for all aviation enthusiasts. Nick has kept many rare airplanes “alive” through the years for future generations to enjoy and has preserved and brought them to life through his writings, too. We
are fortunate to have Nick Pocock as a member of EAA Chapter 59

.–McMains

Nick Pocock went "West" on November 29th, 2009
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.