A FORMER Malvern schoolboy who went on to achieve remarkable feats in the field of aviation, including a world speed record, has died at his home in Brisbane, Australia.

Aviator, author, photographer and travel writer Terry Gwynn-Jones died on March 28 after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.

Mr Gwynn-Jones, along with his two brothers, attended the Hill School in Malvern and later King's School, Worcester.

For a time, he worked as a trainee reporter on the Malvern Gazette but opted for a career as a pilot, serving with the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and the RAAF.

In 1969, he joined the then Department of Aviation in Brisbane as an Examiner of Airmen, responsible for maintaining the operational standards of all Queensland aviation, bar the two major airlines, taking in seaplanes, gliders and hot-air balloons.

In 1975, he teamed up with Gold Coast pilot Denys Dalton to set a 'round the world' speed record for piston engined aircraft and in 1983 was a member of the Australian team which won the World Ballooning Championship in France, an event celebrating 200 years of flight.

Queensland Museum currently houses the Beechcraft Duke aircraft in which the speed record was set.

Mr Gwynne-Jones was also a respected aviation historian, penning 17 books, and in 1990 became a freelance travel writer, supplying some of Australia's largest newspapers and magazines.

In recognition of his achievements, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC granted him a Visiting Fellowship in the 1980s.

Mr Gwynn-Jones is survived by he wife Susan and his three sons, Anthony, Patrick and Stephen.