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An in-depth look at these Cold War–era bombers, in the words of those who flew them—includes photos. The Vulcan, the second of the three V bombers built to guard the United Kingdom during the Cold War, has become an aviation icon like the Spitfire, its delta shape as instantly recognizable as the howling noise it makes when the engines are opened for takeoff. Vulcan Boys is the first book about this bomber recounted completely firsthand by the operators themselves. It tells the story of the aircraft from its design conception through the Cold War, when it played out its most important job as Britain’s nuclear deterrent; it also reveals the significant role its bombs and missiles played...
A fascinating collection of personal accounts of operating Britain’s first V bomber by aircrew and ground crew. Valiant Boys tells the story from the aircraft’s birth, taking off from Vickers’ tiny airfield at Wisley near Brooklands, to its premature death from fatigue. There are tales of testing atom bombs in the Australian desert, dropping hydrogen bombs in the middle of the Pacific, and attacking airfields with conventional bombs in Egypt during the Suez campaign. We are reminded of how the Valiant provided the UK’s first nuclear deterrent by always having some armed aircraft on stand-by twenty-four hours a day, supported by their air and ground crews, ready to be flown at a momen...
Java Waters Run Deep, set a few years ahead, is an aviation mystery. An airliner flying from Singapore to Adelaide disappears off the Air Traffic Controllers’ screen 250 miles before crossing the Australian Coast. A bomb was suspected but Peter Talbert, aviation insurance expert, didn't believe the ISIS claim that it had destroyed the aircraft. Helped by the very attractive Mary French, working for the UK accident investigation team, he suspects some military involvement and shuttling between Australia and London he slowly pieces together what actually happens and arranges a settlement. However just after the accident report is issued Mary adds another dimension to this terrible accident. This book is the seventh aviation mystery in the series and is a must for any follower of Peter Talbert and lovers of a good story. The book is right up to date dealing with current issues of locating crashed aircraft under water, multi satellite internet/phone systems with coded transmissions, over the horizon radars, ISIS and Government terrorism, unmanned aircraft and even re-organises the UK accident investigation facilities to bring them in line with USA and Australian safety organisations.
No aircraft is absolutely safe. This book is about Aviation, from learning to fly, becoming a test pilot, flight testing, demonstrating on some of the third world's worst airfields, then specializing in Avionics and finally joining the Board of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, helping to formulate the regulations that the author had spent so many years living by. Many stories are told, including flying with the legendary Howard Hughes when the world thought him a mad recluse, and testing many aircraft including all three V Bombers, an almost unique experience. The book, very well illustrated, makes the point that flying is inherently risky, that regulations always try to quantify acceptable risk, that safety is a cost, and that test pilots have to sell their aircraft and should not try to make an aircraft safer than the rules require. It emphasizes the almost unbelievable changes in aviation in one working lifetime, whilst painting a picture of a much simpler world, now gone beyond recall
"The idea that the Caribbean could be devolving downward in wealth, function and sovereignty has become a recurrent theme in both academic and popular literature. By focusing on some of the current issues facing Caribbean nation states, the editors and contributors to this volume hope to inform and contribute to the ongoing debate on the broad themes of Sovereignty and Development and the prospects for survival of Caribbean nation states in a globalised world. While some of the papers seek to describe and analyse the range and complexity of the challenge to national sovereignty and public policy autonomy, others focus on issues relating to small country size, gender and ethnic tensions, security, constitutional reform and regional integration. The result is a balanced perspective; the contributors do not gloss over the problem faced by the region. At the same time they do not present a hyper-pessimistic picture of Caribbean development prospects. What gives the collection a particular dynamism is the way in which the authors have challenged the terrain of political possibilities traditionally defined for small peripheral socities. "
The test pilot and author of Nimrod Rise and Fall shares a collection of over twenty tales from the cockpit of Nimrod aircraft during the Cold War. As the first jet-powered maritime aircraft, the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod could reach critical points for rescues or for operational requirements in rapid time. Its outstanding navigation and electronics systems also allowed the Nimrod to be a first-class machine in antisubmarine warfare. In Nimrod Boys, author and pilot Tony Blackman offers vivid, firsthand accounts of the Nimrod’s UK-based and worldwide operations. The stories in this volume range from the Nimrod’s role during the Falklands Campaign and the First Gulf War to more recent anti-drug smuggling operations in the Caribbean. There are also descriptions of the Nimrod’s achievements in the International Fincastle Competition—where Royal Air Force squadrons competed against counterparts from Australia, Canada and New Zealand. With a variety of perspectives on Nimrod crew life, including from a female air electronic operator, readers will find dramatic, engaging and occasionally humorous stories. One flight test observer also reflects on the canceled Nimrod MR4 project.
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The episodic history of Britain’s infamous military reconnaissance aircraft, by the author of Vulcan Test Pilot and aviation expert who witnessed it all. The scrapping of the Nimrod program has been one of the most controversial events in the military aviation world for many years. For most of its operational life, from 1969 to date, its contribution to the defense of the realm and its role in offensive duties was, of necessity, often shrouded in secrecy. It was the “eye in the sky” that was vital to a host of activities—from anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, to support of land battles throughout the world, to the Falklands campaign, to combating drug-running. Now the UK is be...
The V Force consisted of three four-jet bombers, the Valiant, the Vulcan and the Victor, all required as part of the nuclear deterrent in the Cold War following the end of the Second World War. The Valiant was less aerodynamically advanced than the other two and went into service in 1955. The Vulcan entered service in 1956 and the Victor a year later. The Valiant finished operating in 1965 and the Vulcan in 1984. The later Victors were converted into refueling tankers and carried on until 1993. V Force Boys contains a fascinating collection of previously unpublished stories by V Force ground and aircrew for all three V bombers. Among other highlights, the book includes a firsthand account of...
Tony Blackman OBE, MA FRAeS was educated at Oundle School and Trinity College Cambridge, where he obtained an honors degree in Physics. He learnt to fly in the RAF, trained as a test pilot, and then joined A V Roe where he became chief test pilot. As an expert in aviation electronics he was subsequently invited by Smiths Industries to join their Aerospace Board, initially as technical operations director, helping to develop the new large electronic displays and flight management systems. On leaving Smiths he joined the board of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. He is a fellow of the American Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and a Liveryman of ...