My father, Toon Ghose, who has died aged 91, was a flying instructor and civil aviation pioneer. In a 40-year career he inspired hundreds of pilots with his unorthodox teaching methods and extraordinary flying skills.
In the 1970s, he founded a flying school, Toon Ghose Aviation, a business that would operate 21 aircraft from Shoreham airport in West Sussex. For Toon, real flying was the experience of the beautiful skies above Sussex in his Cessna 172 that he named Lord Shiva. His style was fluid and effortless; to fly with him was a joy.
Toon was determined to fly from his first sighting of a Tiger Moth at the age of six. His parents forbade it, as his horoscope predicted a fatal accident. Born in Kolkata, India, he was one of the four children of Avarani and Birendranath Ghose; his father was the commercial manager of the East India Railway Company. Table-tennis played a major part in Toon’s early life; he was a top player in the state of Bengal, and performed exhibition matches all over India.
He did various jobs, including a spell as a typewriter salesman, but his heart was set on flying. In 1955, he set off with his friend and table-tennis partner on a Vespa scooter, to learn to fly abroad.
Seven months later, Toon arrived in Britain, penniless. It was here that he met Daphne Wall, who would later become his wife. She was posted to Kolkata in 1958 as a junior diplomat and by then Toon had returned home. As their romance blossomed, he had to pretend to be her driver. Toon secured work with the film director James Ivory and the three travelled through Rajasthan, Toon driving and helping Jim to buy Indian miniature paintings.
Back in London, he got a job as a road sweeper. In 1960, he found work as a winch driver at Lasham airfield in Hampshire and took gliding lessons, developing his innate understanding of aircraft handling, wind and weather. In 1961, he reached a height of 25,002 ft without oxygen in the French Alps, a record for an Indian pilot.
He married Daphne in 1962. With her support he moved into powered flying and in 1965 he secured a permanent instructor job at Shoreham airport, West Sussex. He flew there until the age of 80, inspiring hundreds of students, many of whom went on to become pilots.
He was also an excellent cook, and students visiting him for a theory lesson would also be treated to a delicious curry. His humour helped even the most nervous trainees secure their pilot’s licence. Landing is the most difficult manoeuvre and his advice was always: “… throttle back, flaps down … and round-out at the height of an Indian elephant …”
Toon and Daphne separated in the 80s and later divorced. He is survived by their children, Nandita, Katie and me, a son, Cliff Arnall, from another relationship, and seven grandchildren.
