- Paperback: 223 pages
- Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd; Reprint edition (6 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 075092733X
- ISBN-13: 978-0750927338
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,122,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
The maiden flight of the world's first supersonic passenger transport aircraft took place at RAF Fairford on 9 April 1969. At the controls was Captain Brian Trubshaw. This is the story of his life, from his early days as an RAF bomber pilot followed by service with Transport Command, the King's Flight and then as an experimental test pilot. Descriptions of stall-testing the massive VC-10 airliner or breaking the sound barrier for the first time in Concorde, are interwoven with insights into the manoevrings of politicians, industrialists and trade unions which led ultimately to the decline of the British aircraft industry in the 1970s - and very nearly spelled disaster for the Concorde programme.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The maiden flight of Concorde 002 from Filton to Fairford in April 1969 and the subsequent mach-1 test of 002 in May 1969 were - to all intents - the pinnacle of Trubshaw's career. We are taken through the life and career of the now-famous pioneer from his cricketing days at College, through his heyday in the RAF, through his days testing the Britannia and ultimately on to Concorde herself.
I get the feeling that H&S legislation would never allow such pioneers to take to the skies in the 21st Century in the way Trubshaw and his colleagues did back then. Indeed the list of dead friends and colleagues grows throughout this fascinating account. These men were the unsung heroes, and surely their contribution to today's aerospace industry is such that without their input, flying - quite literally - with the seat of their pants, the skies above us would be a much less safe place.
The book is full of Trubshaw's thoughts on Concorde's 'feel' and handling traits, and in one particularly chilling report (p93) he even discovers a potential problem wherein a pilot might have the propensity to switch off the wrong engine in an emergency situation - resulting in a fatal inverted roll. This finding must have sent chills through the 2000 Paris crash investigators if they read the account, some three years after this book was first published!
It is a good read, but it is quite slow in pace at times. My copy was signed by the man himself, and is a good source of reference. I'd recommend this publication to anybody with an interest in test flying, the Bristol aircraft industry and indeed Concorde herself.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am not a pilot but I found Mr Trubshaw's book was all I wanted it to be. It gave details and many interesting stories of his early test flying career followed up by that much more fraught period with the VC10 and BAC One-Eleven. I did not find the title too technical - and since his role was a technical one it must naturally include such data. The chapters on Concorde made fascinating reading as did those parts of his career subsequent to that. British aviation often has a poor press so it is good to hear an expert expound on what it has achieved. I was however disappointed by the slipshod editing for which the publishers must bear responsibility and spoilt my enjoyment of the book to which I would otherwise have given five stars.
Format:Paperback
Disappointing overall, this book does little to convey feelings, emotions, and fails to take the reader along with teh story. It seems merely to be a list of people, place, and events. I thought I woudl get to know more of the man, the stories, the happenings, the charcters, putting a readble narrative around the life of Brian. Just doesnt deliver on these counts, and as a result is not really a very readble or engrossing book. Perhaps there is just too much to cram into one volume, but I expected more.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Fascinating Book
This is a very interesting book. There is a nice balance of the technical, the historical and the personal sides of the author's story. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by Tony Quinlan
Outstanding Technical Information
I can see why a normal member of the public would find this book a little overwhelming, but as a 747-400 Captain and a keen aviator, I thought the technical info was very useful... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 1999
Far to highly detailed with persons names and titles
This book disapointed me as I was looking for something that would tell of the experiences of a test pilot but the vast majority of this book was "name dropping". Read more
Published on 25 May 1999
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