The Boy Airman

An Absolute Stranger to Fear

Nonfiction, History, Military, Aviation, World War I, Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book The Boy Airman by Richard Petty, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Petty ISBN: 9781473849068
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: November 30, 2015
Imprint: Pen and Sword Aviation Language: English
Author: Richard Petty
ISBN: 9781473849068
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: November 30, 2015
Imprint: Pen and Sword Aviation
Language: English

The life of many combatants in The Great War was often short and brutish. But there were choices for some. Taking to the air was an attractive alternative to the slime, stench and gore of the trenches. The prospect of flying in the Royal Navy, the Senior Service, Nelson's Navy, must have been irresistible to any adventurous teenager – the best aeroplanes on the best ships with the best sailors that ever existed – or so he might have been led to believe.

The Royal Naval Air Service was sorely tested, and not necessarily by the enemy. The casualties of the sea and its perils, and of accident and mechanical failure, were catastrophic. But this critical battle between young pilots in their infant flying machines and unpredictable events forged the pathway for our modern conceits of war – missiles, drones, giant aircraft carriers, weapons of space.

A hundred years ago a young pilot took illicit photographs with his pocket camera and left a personal account of his life at sea with his 'kite'. This book tells his story illustrated by his long-lost 'snaps'.

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

The life of many combatants in The Great War was often short and brutish. But there were choices for some. Taking to the air was an attractive alternative to the slime, stench and gore of the trenches. The prospect of flying in the Royal Navy, the Senior Service, Nelson's Navy, must have been irresistible to any adventurous teenager – the best aeroplanes on the best ships with the best sailors that ever existed – or so he might have been led to believe.

The Royal Naval Air Service was sorely tested, and not necessarily by the enemy. The casualties of the sea and its perils, and of accident and mechanical failure, were catastrophic. But this critical battle between young pilots in their infant flying machines and unpredictable events forged the pathway for our modern conceits of war – missiles, drones, giant aircraft carriers, weapons of space.

A hundred years ago a young pilot took illicit photographs with his pocket camera and left a personal account of his life at sea with his 'kite'. This book tells his story illustrated by his long-lost 'snaps'.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book Military Connections by Richard Petty
Cover of the book United States Naval Aviation 1911-2014 by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Underground Warfare 1914-1918 by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Marching with the Tigers by Richard Petty
Cover of the book The First Day of the Somme by Richard Petty
Cover of the book The BEF Campaign on the Aisne 1914 by Richard Petty
Cover of the book John Talbot and the War in France 1427-1453 by Richard Petty
Cover of the book A Business of Some Heat by Richard Petty
Cover of the book TT Titans by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Steam at Work by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Verdun 1916 by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Marlborough's Wars by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Type VII U-Boats by Richard Petty
Cover of the book Operation Sealion by Richard Petty
Cover of the book The Bandits of Cisterna by Richard Petty
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