Front-Line and Experimental Flying with the Fleet Air Arm

Nonfiction, History, Military, Aviation, World War II
Cover of the book Front-Line and Experimental Flying with the Fleet Air Arm by Geoffrey Higgs, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Geoffrey Higgs ISBN: 9781844687787
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: June 19, 2010
Imprint: Pen and Sword Language: English
Author: Geoffrey Higgs
ISBN: 9781844687787
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: June 19, 2010
Imprint: Pen and Sword
Language: English

The spectacle of Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus and the Fleet at anchor in Weymouth inspired the author’s lifelong passion for aeroplanes, flying and the Royal Navy. World War Two provided the opportunity to fulfill his ambition and at eighteen he volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. Training in Canada began a Naval flying career that spanned thirty-years. Front line squadron service, embarked on aircraft carriers was followed by qualification as a flying instructor. Selection for the Empire Test Pilots School at Farnborough and qualification as an experimental Test Pilot changed the direction of his naval career. In all he flew nearly one hundred types of aircraft and carried out close to a thousand deck landings. Initial flight testing of a number of new naval aircraft, as well as research flying in support of the development of aircraft such as the English Electric Lightning and Concorde added to a unique career.

Such a long and varied period of flying was not without the inevitable mishaps. A near catastrophic catapult launch of a new naval aircraft, the jamming of the power control system in a research aircraft and hazardous flying through tropical storms at supersonic speeds to determine safety factors for Concorde’s intended Far East route were some of the dangers of flying at the cutting edge. As pilot, he flew the first Royal Naval aircraft to cross the Atlantic nonstop without in-flight refueling or navigational aids. He describes the fascinating ten day flight from Croydon to Rangoon across Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and India to deliver a Percival Provost trainer to the Burmese Air Force.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The spectacle of Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus and the Fleet at anchor in Weymouth inspired the author’s lifelong passion for aeroplanes, flying and the Royal Navy. World War Two provided the opportunity to fulfill his ambition and at eighteen he volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. Training in Canada began a Naval flying career that spanned thirty-years. Front line squadron service, embarked on aircraft carriers was followed by qualification as a flying instructor. Selection for the Empire Test Pilots School at Farnborough and qualification as an experimental Test Pilot changed the direction of his naval career. In all he flew nearly one hundred types of aircraft and carried out close to a thousand deck landings. Initial flight testing of a number of new naval aircraft, as well as research flying in support of the development of aircraft such as the English Electric Lightning and Concorde added to a unique career.

Such a long and varied period of flying was not without the inevitable mishaps. A near catastrophic catapult launch of a new naval aircraft, the jamming of the power control system in a research aircraft and hazardous flying through tropical storms at supersonic speeds to determine safety factors for Concorde’s intended Far East route were some of the dangers of flying at the cutting edge. As pilot, he flew the first Royal Naval aircraft to cross the Atlantic nonstop without in-flight refueling or navigational aids. He describes the fascinating ten day flight from Croydon to Rangoon across Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan and India to deliver a Percival Provost trainer to the Burmese Air Force.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book Swansea Pals by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Aircrew by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book The Dambuster Who Cracked the Dam by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Scotland Yard's Gangbuster by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book War of the White Death by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Lord Esher by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Great Western, County Classes by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Battles of the Scottish Lowlands by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Ali Pasha, Lion of Ioannina by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Napoleonic Lives by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book The F.A.N.Y in Peace & War by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Kent VCs by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Mozambican Civil War by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book Clacton-on-Sea and the Surrounding Coastline in the Great War by Geoffrey Higgs
Cover of the book From Hitler's U-Boats to Kruschev's Spyflights by Geoffrey Higgs
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy