FIGHTER TEST PILOT — From Hurricane to Tornado

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Description

From flying Hawker Hurricanes during the Battles of France and Britain to leading a ground-attack Hawker Typhoon squadron and later a Hawker Tempest Wing into action, Roland Beamont became one of the world’s foremost test pilots. His experience spans forty years of flying to test embryonic or developing aircraft, including Britain’s first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor; Britain’s first jet bomber, the English Electric Canberra; Britain’s first supersonic fighter, the English Electric P.1; the fabulous BAC TSR2; and the SEPECAT Jaguar, among many others. In this immensely readable book, Roland Beamont shares many of the highlights of a unique flying career which will enthral everyone with an enthusiasm for aeroplanes and the exhilaration of flight itself.

Roland Beamont is not just the first British pilot to exceed the sound barrier; he has broken many other world flying records, and his handling of prototype aircraft at air displays has produced many disbelieving gasps. In this book, he recounts many of his varied experiences, from wartime incidents like those above to such occasions as demonstrating the Canberra at Farnborough, when a horrified control tower told him the aircraft was “dropping pieces,” or on a TSR2 flight when the undercarriage failed to open properly, necessitating a very careful “tip-toe” landing.

Throughout this book, two things become especially apparent: one is the author’s sheer delight in flying; the other is his cool, emotionless approach to test flying, which can only be summed up in one word — professionalism. Illustrated with many unpublished photographs, this is a book that will enthral anyone learning to fly, qualified pilots, or those interested in the last forty years of aviation in general.