A WAR hero and flying legend has been in the region to talk to aviation enthusiasts.

Captain Eric Brown, the most decorated Fleet Air Arm pilot and British test pilot, was at the St George Hotel at Teesside Airport to talk to the Cleveland Aviation Society.

Cpt Brown had a 31-year career in the Royal Navy and has written ten books about his time in service.

He began his career flying from Britain's first escort carrier before being selected as a test pilot in 1942.

He was later appointed chief naval test pilot at the Royal Aircraft establishment, at Farnborough, where he worked for six years, becoming the first naval pilot to command the prestigious Aerodynamics Flight.

In 1951, Cpt Brown went to the US Naval Air Test Centre where he helped develop new planes and ways of flying.

He later became head of the British Naval Air Mission in Germany.

During his career, he broke world records including making 2,407 aircraft carrier landings in fixed wing aircraft, 2,721 catapult launches and flying 487 types of aircraft.

In 1984 he became an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is a fellow and past president of the Royal Aeronautical Association.

Cpt Brown spoke to the Cleveland Aviation Society last year and was invited back to talk about his assessment of the Axis types.