PILOT'S SKILL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 127, 1 June 1942, Page 5

PILOT'S SKILL

D.F.C. Awarded To Wellington Airman OVERCAME SEVERE TESTS Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, May 31. Flight-Lieutenant David Neville Milligan, of Wellington, has been awarded the D.F.C. The citation says that he is a most courageous and determined pilot and has completed a large number of sorties Three times when his flying-boat developed engine failure" his superb airmanship was responsible for the safe return of the plane. On the first occasion one engine shed a propeller, then took fire. Although the plane was vibrating badly, making it Impossible to read the instrument panel and despite bad weather, Flight-Lieutenant Milligan succeeded in landing his heav-ily-laden plane safely. Two days later he experienced another engine failure, but succeeded in reaching his base where he made an emergency landing without the aid of the flare path. While taking off from Malta during a heavy raid in March a large bomb burst close to his plane. The explosion apparently affected the port engine cowling and after an hour in the air the main cowling became partially adrift causing the plane to lose height. He regained control and completed the flight safely. On all these occasions he magnificently overcame extremely severe tests.