Classic British Flight Sim

Hi Hobby,I remember reading that book very many years ago.I recall enjoying it and it was through that book that I learned about the authors involvement with radar's development. EricT

Not an aviation tome this time:-

'The Ramblings of a Railwayman' by Geoff Burch. the subtitle is 'Life as an Engine Cleaner & Fireman at Guildford Motive Power Depot (70C) from 4th April 1961 - 9th July 1967'. The book is excellent and contains lots of anecdotes from the day he started at Guildford Shed as a 15 year old cleaner, a prerequisite to becoming a driver, to the day he was a fireman on one of the last two locomotives to leave Guildford at the end of steam working on the Southern Region. How he can recall them in such detail is beyond me.

The 186 page publication is printed on high quality paper and contains many previously unpublished photo taken by the author and his railway colleagues at Guildford, Nine Elms, Waterloo and other Surrey locations. I thoroughly recommend it.

ISBN 978-0-9567967-0-7

You can order direct from the author on ebay or if you have difficulty getting hold of a copy PM me and I can give you Geoff's e-mail addy. Last time I spoke to him he had about 80 copies left

I've just finished reading 'Born To Fly' by Sqdn Leader Norman Rose (ISBN 0-9527715-8-6).He served in the RAF from 1942 to 1989 and flew over 60 different types all over the world.He had a very eventful life to say the least.
I think it's now out of print but can be obtained online.I spotted it whilst having a casual browse in the library and actually joined the library in order to withdraw the book.
To list the types which he flew would take too long but I think that one of his favourites would have been the Britannia.
He passed away in 2008 and there are mentions of him in Pprune.
A very entertaining read which you will thoroughly enjoy. EricT

On a more modern theme, this comes highly recommended.




Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an aeroplane, nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the frontline during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet.

Unique pictures, many captured from the cockpit, show the Phantom in its true environment and show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days, how the aircraft developed, or was neglected, and reveals events which shaped the aircraft's history and contributed to its demise.

Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary and included the 'Rhino', 'The Spook', 'Double Ugly', the 'Flying Brick' and the 'Lead Sled'. Whichever way you looked at it, you could love or hate the Phantom, but you could never ignore it for its sheer power and lethal payload.

The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior is unique in that the author flew in the legendary Phantom in the front line and captured beautiful and amazing unpublished photographs that will appeal to historians, military specialists and modellers alike.

I can highly recommend "The Silver Spitfire" by Tom Neil. The book is about Tom's experiences when attached to the American USAAF during 1944 and is very well written with wit and warmth. He includes superb and often quite funny accounts of flights in various aircraft - he doesn't spare his own feelings!

Regards,
Chris

I found this recently in Edinburgh's Central Library.The ISBN is 978-0-7524-9699-3 and it was originally published in 2002 but was reissued in 2013.Although I'm only part way through,it is really interesting even for a mere enthusiast so for anyone with hands on experience it would be even more so.



Sorry pics aren't very sharp. EricT

Just finished reading this and really enjoyed it.As well as time as a QFI on Chippies and Canberras,he has flown many other types.
The ISBN is 978-0-7524-9701-3(but I think you can see that in one the pics) and it was published in 20013.




EricT

Today I finished reading a rather short, but nice, book titled 'Zeppelin Over Suffolk: The Final Raid of the L48'. Amazon.com has a nice description...
"Zeppelin Over Suffolk tells the remarkable story of the destruction of a German airship over East Anglia in 1917. The drama is set against the backdrop of Germany's aerial bombing campaign on Britain in the First World War, using a terrifying new weapon, the Zeppelin.
The course of the raid on that summer night is reconstructed in vivid detail, moment by moment - the Zeppelin's take off from northern Germany, its slow journey across the North Sea, the bombing run along the East Anglian coast, the pursuit by British fighters high over Suffolk, and the airship's final moments as it fell to earth in flames near the village of Theberton in the early morning of 17 June 1917.
Mark Mower gives a gripping account of a pivotal episode in the pioneering days of the air war over England."


All in all a nice read. The amateur airship student as well as the 'dyed-in-the-wool' airship enthusiast should both enjoy this book.

Brian

Thanks to Stegs for recommending Alex Kimball's 'Think Like a Bird'. I just started reading it the other day and am enjoying it very much indeed!

Best,
Myles

I've just received a new book by Scott Henderson: 'The Pictorial History of BOAC and Associated Airlines'. As the title implies it specialises in lots of photos but while brief the text does cover almost all of the important occurrings. The photos are very well presented on gloss paper and cover the many types and liveries. There's some info on Scoval's new site here: http://scovalpublishing.com/boac.html

The site also announces the release of Scott's second VC10 book, scheduled for mid-2015. Worth saving for I'm sure