The thrilling, career-spanning autobiography of one of the worldâs most respected test pilots, notably on the Harrier, and a leading authority on a very wide range of piloting and aviation issues, which is full of insider knowledge, real-life flying stories and hard-won technical advice, plus exclusive introductory videos and vintage footage galore. A View From The Hover takes you from Johnâs beginnings as an engineering apprentice at Farnborough in 1950 through his lengthy career as an RAF test pilot and time as an instructor at the RAF College Cranwell to the period spent with the RAE Aerodynamics Research Flight (on the Short SC1 and Hawker P1127 prototype) and the nineteen years he served as Harrier Chief Test Pilot. After retiring in 1983, John spent another five years as a freelance test pilot, during which he added twenty types to the sixty different aircraft heâd already flown, and also performed at many major airshows around the globe. Since then heâs encouraged youngsters to enter the world of aviation and this book also features his incredibly valuable thoughts about and explanations of a range of traditionally tricky subjects, from aerodynamics to the Private Pilotâs Licence syllabus. Whether youâre just fascinated by amazing fifty-year period in British aviation history, want to know exactly how to fly a Harrier, or are earning your PPL, this is a must-read!
The thrilling, career-spanning autobiography of one of the worldâs most respected test pilots, notably on the Harrier, and a leading authority on a very wide range of piloting and aviation issues, which is full of insider knowledge, real-life flying stories and hard-won technical advice, plus exclusive introductory videos and vintage footage galore. A View From The Hover takes you from Johnâs beginnings as an engineering apprentice at Farnborough in 1950 through his lengthy career as an RAF test pilot and time as an instructor at the RAF College Cranwell to the period spent with the RAE Aerodynamics Research Flight (on the Short SC1 and Hawker P1127 prototype) and the nineteen years he served as Harrier Chief Test Pilot. After retiring in 1983, John spent another five years as a freelance test pilot, during which he added twenty types to the sixty different aircraft heâd already flown, and also performed at many major airshows around the globe. Since then heâs encouraged youngsters to enter the world of aviation and this book also features his incredibly valuable thoughts about and explanations of a range of traditionally tricky subjects, from aerodynamics to the Private Pilotâs Licence syllabus. Whether youâre just fascinated by amazing fifty-year period in British aviation history, want to know exactly how to fly a Harrier, or are earning your PPL, this is a must-read!