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123.  British WWI RFC Pilot Grouping - British Pilot #146 - Royal Flying Corps' Pilot's Certificate # 120 - Top Rare!
Amazing grouping named to very early British pilot. This extremely early British Flying Certificate was earned by Lionel S. Metford at a time when very few individuals around the world had earned such a prestigious place in history. He had gained his flying certificate from the Royal Aero Club on October 17, 1911, being the 146th flyer to obtain the rating. During WWl he flew and fought with the RAF rising to the rank of Major before a crash put him on the disabled list. He is credited with designing and demonstrating the first parachute, becoming the first RAF pilot to jump with one in 1915.  Major Metford moved to Canada after the First World War, and was called to active duty when WWIl began although he was over 50 years old.  Lionel was an avid writer and wrote numerous articles describing everything from learning to fly to combat sorties. Besides the very rare 1913 Certificate, there are numerous photographs of Lionel as an early aviator before and during WWI, a rare ORIGINAL memo from the War Office concerning the sighting of Zeppelins!!s WWIl images are also within the Metford archive as well as original articles he wrote about flying. Newspaper articles, death certificates, and other items round out this historic archive.

Metford also was credited for designing and demonstrating the first air force parachute in 1915!!

As a menmber of the London Rifle Brigade, he was the FIRST Territorial to receive a pilot's license on a monoplane!

$1750

Metford, Lionel S(eymour) (1888-1950) (chron.)
* Ace Crasher, (ss) Wings June 1931
* Bombers Sometimes Fight, (ss) Air Stories (UK) September 1939
* Bombs in the Night, (ss) Battle Stories #22, June 1929
* Breeches of Discipline, (ss) Air Stories (UK) February 1938
* Call Me Jennie, (ss) Air Stories (UK) June 1937
* The Case of the “Mary Q”, (ss) Air Stories (UK) May 1939
* Double Decoy, (ss) Air Stories (UK) July 1937
* Early “Birdmen”, (ar) Air Stories (UK) April 1937
* The Fog of War, (ss) Air Stories (UK) October 1935
* He Couldn’t Say When, (nv) Air Stories (UK) April 1938
* Hill of Hate, (nv) Air Stories (UK) August 1938
* A Matter of Luck, (ss) Air Stories (UK) August 1935
* Milky Way, (ss) Air Stories (UK) December 1939
* On the Wings of the Morning, (ss) Air Stories (UK) March 1940
* The Pilot Who Found Himself, (ss) Flying Aces October 1928
* Raiders—By Appointment, (ss) Air Stories (UK) January 1939
* Secret of the Monsters, (ss) Air Stories (UK) December 1937
* Solo Special, (ss) Air Stories (UK) September 1936
* Somewhere in France, (ss) Air Stories (UK) June 1936
* A Spot of Salvage, (ss) Air Stories (UK) September 1937
* The Squadron of Death, (ss) War Stories (UK) February 1936
* Stuffed Dummy, (ss) Air Stories (UK) November 1939
* They Did the Dirty, (ss) Air Stories (UK) January 1937
* Too Good to Miss, (nv) Air Stories (UK) December 1936
* Twins in Trouble, (nv) Air Stories (UK) January 1936
* Wings for the Trojan Horse, (ss) Air Stories (UK) July 1939