Flying through the Ranks  
The Extraordinary Experiences of Airmen to Air Marshals from the Cold War to the Gulf
Published by Grub Street
Publication Date:  Available in all formats
ISBN: 9781911714637
Pages: 0

EBOOK (EPUB)

ISBN: 9781911714637 Price: INR 1353.99
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The inspiration for this brilliant anthology is the ‘I Learnt About Flying from That’ articles that first appeared in the RAF Flight Safety magazine Air Clues in the 1940s and continues to feature in the magazine to this day. Flying Through the Ranks gets a five-star start with an extraordinary tale from a Marshal of the Royal Air Force and continues in the same vein. Men and women of every rank – pilots, navigators, engineers, an RAF Regiment officer and airmen too – reveal similar intriguing experiences in both war and peace. Exciting, amusing, poignant too at times, their stories say as much about the development of the RAF and the making of the Cold War warrior as they do about the individuals themselves. It’s impossible not to be moved by these rousing stories of courage and leadership, risk-taking and pressure, invention and adventure. Starkly exposing human fallibility at times, they highlight the skill and improvisation central to the flying business. Other common themes across some uncommon accounts are the sheer exhilaration of flying, the role that luck plays in everyone’s life and the unspoken bond of respect that binds aviation professionals together. Strap yourself in for a top flight experience!
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The inspiration for this brilliant anthology is the ‘I Learnt About Flying from That’ articles that first appeared in the RAF Flight Safety magazine Air Clues in the 1940s and continues to feature in the magazine to this day. Flying Through the Ranks gets a five-star start with an extraordinary tale from a Marshal of the Royal Air Force and continues in the same vein. Men and women of every rank – pilots, navigators, engineers, an RAF Regiment officer and airmen too – reveal similar intriguing experiences in both war and peace. Exciting, amusing, poignant too at times, their stories say as much about the development of the RAF and the making of the Cold War warrior as they do about the individuals themselves. It’s impossible not to be moved by these rousing stories of courage and leadership, risk-taking and pressure, invention and adventure. Starkly exposing human fallibility at times, they highlight the skill and improvisation central to the flying business. Other common themes across some uncommon accounts are the sheer exhilaration of flying, the role that luck plays in everyone’s life and the unspoken bond of respect that binds aviation professionals together. Strap yourself in for a top flight experience!
Table of contents
  • Cover
  • Dedication
  • Title Page
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • INTRODUCTION
  • CHAPTER 1 – A MARSHAL’S MEMORIES
    • Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup of Marylebone
  • CHAPTER 2 – FOUR-STAR FORUM – SOME CHIEFLY CHAT
    • Air Chief Marshal Sir David Harcourt-Smith
    • Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford
    • Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy
  • CHAPTER 3 – THOUGHTS FROM THREE-STARS
    • Air Marshal G.A. ‘Black’ Robertson
    • Air Marshal Andrew Turner
  • CHAPTER 4 – ADVICE FROM AIR VICE-MARSHALS
    • Air Vice-Marshal Clive Bairsto
    • Air Vice-Marshal Stu Butler
  • CHAPTER 5 – AIR COMMODORES’ COMMENTS
    • Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards
    • Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork
  • CHAPTER 6 – GRUMBLES FROM GROUPIES
    • Group Captain Jim Beldon
    • Group Captain Ali McKay
    • Group Captain Dick Northcote
  • CHAPTER 7 –WING COMMANDERS’ WISDOM
    • Wing Commander Ian Gawn
    • Wing Commander John Grogan
    • Wing Commander Tim Jones
    • Wing Commander D.G. ‘Sam’ Lucas
  • CHAPTER 8 – SQUADRON LEADERS’ LESSONS
    • Squadron Leader ‘Ching’ Fuller
    • Squadron Leader Rick Offord
    • Squadron Leader Derek Sharp
    • Squadron Leader Ken Simpson
    • Squadron Leader Bob Tuxford
  • CHAPTER 9 – JUNIOR OFFICERS’ JAPES
    • Flight Lieutenant Johnnie Baines
    • Lieutenant Chris Bolton RN
    • Flight Lieutenant Julie Gibson
    • Flight Lieutenant Mike Grierson
    • Flight Lieutenant Martin Selves
    • Flight Lieutenant Duncan Wylie
    • Flying Officer Michael Gill
  • CHAPTER 10 – SALVOS FROM NCOs
    • Chief Technician Allan Hunn
    • Chief Technician Gavin Marshall
    • Chief Technician Tony Smith
    • Sergeant Mike Veale
    • Junior Technician Ray Deacon
  • CHAPTER 11 – PRE-SCHOOL PRANKS
    • Nigel Adams
    • Jock Heron
    • Andrew Roberts
  • GLOSSARY
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