Motoring Discussion > Graham Hill Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Alastairw Replies: 7
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 19:06 
 Graham Hill - Alastairw
There is a documentary about him on BBC2 now (7pm 20/2/2010).

Never saw him race, but he seems like a good bloke.
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 19:17 
 Graham Hill - Zero
He was a bit of a cad. There are rumours he was smuggling in his light plane when he crashed.
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 19:32 
 Graham Hill - Skip
I remember reading an article written by Damon Hill where he said that Graham was flying without the equivalent of a driving licence, insurance and MOT when he crashed and this resulted in the loss of the Hill family fortune but i can't remember the reason why this was, law suits from the families of the other people on the plane possibly.
Last edited by: Skip on Sun 20 Feb 11 at 19:32
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 19:47 
 Graham Hill - Iffy
...Graham was flying without the equivalent of a driving licence...

So was Colin McRae, and some say he was showing off at the time of his crash.

Seems to me racers are temperamentally unsuited to flying.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7884088.stm
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 20:37 
 Graham Hill - Bromptonaut
He was flying his Piper Aztec in crap weather.

IIRC he had the licence ratings etc to carry out an instrument approach or a radar 'talkdown' at Luton. Impatience &/or overconfidence led him to try and land, sans ground assistance at Elstree aerodrome as that was nearer home.

Result inevitable.
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 20:44 
 Graham Hill - henry k
>>law suits from the families of the other people on the plane possibly.
>>
Yes. IIRC Damon ensured they were all paid.
I am going to a talk by him at Oxford this week but I will not be asking about that event.
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 21:12 
 Graham Hill - Bromptonaut
A bit of googling finds the AAIB report:-
www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/14-1976%20N6645Y.pdf

Hill probably had the skills to carry out an instrument approach to Luton as i describe above but his licence hadn't been maintained to the requisite level. So Skip's post is pretty much spot on.
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 Sun 20 Feb 11 21:13 
 Graham Hill - Armel Coussine
I did see Graham Hill race, in F1 cars and saloons. Paddock bend at Brand's Hatch, Hill, Clark and Dan Gurney or someone in Lotus Cortinas from different teams, on 3 wheels closely followed by a jostling throng of Minis... oh yeah. Race of Champions 67 or 8 or 9...

I don't see why Zero has to accuse him of smuggling just because he couldn't pronounce the word Mirafiori. Lots of people couldn't.
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