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Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 26 Jun 2010, 10:54
by forthbridge
Not a lot of flying memoirs in this, but it is about the wartime RAF. If you don't get a wee bit emotional at the last sentence, I don't know what will get you going!
AN absolute stonker of a read. Maybe a little hard to track down now, but if you can get it from a library, do so.

'Boat in the Blue' (the story of a wartime RAF ASR Launch) - W D Pereira, Line one publishing

http://libraries.wiltshire.gov.uk/02_Ca ... 907036228]

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 26 Jun 2010, 11:57
by petermcleland
Here is that URL in clickable form:-

http://libraries.wiltshire.gov.uk/02_Ca ... 0907036228

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 19 Jul 2010, 13:22
by AllanL
As we are in the 70th Anniversary period of the Battle of Britain I've just finished reading Alan Deere's Nine Lives, ISBN: 0907579825, which covers his experiences from initial training through the Battle of Britain to station commander at the time of D-Day. Another book covering the same period is Johnny Kent's One of the Few, ISBN: 0752446037, which I read a couple of years ago.

I suppose the obvious follow-on read to Nine Lives is Ten Fighter Boys, which seems to be available in two different printings but the one I have is ISBN: 0752446037.

On another tack, a different approach to looking at the early history of flight in the UK is Alexander Frater's Balloon Factory, ISBN: 0330433113. He even refers to a couple of the earliest expositions on the theory of flight which can be found on the net in pdf form. I won't spoil the hunt. :)

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 19 Jul 2010, 20:22
by Jon.M
Thanks Allan, I'll look out for Balloon Factory as I really enjoyed:

'Beyond the Blue Horizon' by Alexander Frater.

ISBN: 978-0330433129

The author is a journalist and aviation nut. His first flight was on a Qantas empire flying boat from Sydney to Fiji. In this book written in 1984 he flies from London to Brisbane trying to follow the Imperial Airways route as closely as possible using commercial flights.

He describes the Imperial route with lots of anecdotes together with his modern trip. He also meets a number of people who remembered the Imperial days and also the KLM and Australian pioneers.

Jon

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 21 Jul 2010, 20:38
by AllanL
For a complete bargain it would be tough to beat Paul Richey's Fighter Pilot in Tesco stores for £2.

Almost worth dragging the HouseDragon round for her weekly shop! :worried:

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 29 Aug 2010, 10:34
by J0hn
I've just bought Phoenix Squadron from Tesco (their two-for-one deal has kept me in reading material for months now) and hope it'll live up to the hype.

However, the reason for my post is to ask if any of you use an ebook reader.

I'm seriously considering buying the Kindle reader from Amazon (£109), but not just for regular books - mainly for aircraft manuals in FSX.

Up to now I have printed my manuals, checklists, ref data and tutorials out - but I have a very packed bookcase now and still have many left on the PC.

So I would like to get one of these devices and use it for reference whilst flying.

However, I'm concerned that it may be too small - the print in some of these manuals is very small - at least for reference whilst flying (thinking Vrefs and suchlike).

So if anyone has one, could they please let me know what it's like for this kind of use?

Thanks
JD

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 11 Sep 2010, 22:23
by Vulcan_to_the_Sky!
Its been said before but "First Light" by Geoff Wellum is a must for anyone interested in aviation.

Other good ones are

"Vulcan 607" and "Phoenix Sqn" by Roland White. I've just finished reading the second one, fascinating book and a brilliant read. I wont spoil the storyline for J0hn but the latter is a brilliant read, I dont think you'll be dissapointed.

Another one of my favourites, although not aircraft related is "Motor Gunboat 658" by L.C Reynolds which gives an interesting insight into Short Boat and coastal command operations in WW2.

And for Non Fiction anything by Tom Clancy, but Specifically Rainbow Six.

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 13 Sep 2010, 07:50
by stegs
There's a dramadocumentary based on the Geoffrey Wellum book starting on TV this week.Tuesday I think.

Steve

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 13 Sep 2010, 12:55
by NigelC
Pauk Richies book, think it was called "Fighter Pilot" was an excellent read as was Pierre Clostermanns' "The Big Show".

N

Re: Book Recommendation

Posted: 13 Sep 2010, 13:09
by DaveB
JD..

One of the regular guests at my pub has one of those Kindle readers and as impressed as he is with the unit itself, the selection of titles available for it are not as extensive as you'd imagine.. unless you want to read one of the 'Classics'. New titles are a bit thin on the ground from what he's said. *-)

ATB

DaveB B)smk