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Review
An exhilarating book. Empire of the Clouds is by turns, thrilling, joyful, wistful and provocative. Bravery and beauty somehow escape the incompetence and capriciousness of officialdom in what is a very British version of The Right Stuff. I loved it. --Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607 and Phoenix Squadron
This is a fascinating account of what is likely to be Britain's final foray into military aviation. Mr Hamilton-Paterson is a knowledgeable and accomplished writer and his enthusiasm and his anger are infectious. --Len Deighton
A book of aerial wonder, sonic booms, exquisite aircraft and British heroes, beautifully told. --Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire
'The golden post-war age of British flying innovation and derring-do is beautifully evoked in a superbly written history.' --Sunday Times
A book of aerial wonder, sonic booms, exquisite aircraft and British heroes, beautifully told. --Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire
This is a fascinating account of what is likely to be Britain's final foray into military aviation. Mr Hamilton-Paterson is a knowledgeable and accomplished writer and his enthusiasm and his anger are infectious. --Len Deighton
A book of aerial wonder, sonic booms, exquisite aircraft and British heroes, beautifully told. --Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire
'The golden post-war age of British flying innovation and derring-do is beautifully evoked in a superbly written history.' --Sunday Times
A book of aerial wonder, sonic booms, exquisite aircraft and British heroes, beautifully told. --Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire
Book Description
A brilliant, nostalgic and provocative look at the golden age of British aircraft, from the post-war jet age to the recent sad decline.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
76 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book: the writer feels, at times, that this is a biography of Bill Waterton, top test pilot (and critic of cant and sloppy practices). It is more than that, though; it is an overview of the British military and civil aviation of the late 1940s and 1950s. Of the aero industry, the many designs coming from the many independent aircraft companies, the test pilots who flew the prototypes; and of the failure of management to follow up success, the ineptitude and capriciousness of government, civil servants, and airlines. It describes the tragedy of great promise, shot down by loss of nerve, vacillation and incompetence: "the casual draining of a painfully acquired reservoir of national know-how that amounts to a form of treason." It also describes the heady enthousiasm of this particular period of flying, and goes into detail of the 'plane models involved.
The author: James Hamilton-Patterson has written on President Marcos of the Philippines, the World's Oceans, Elgar; has published poetry, children's books and the brilliant trilogy (so far, but we can hope) on Gerald Samper, Tuscan sybarite and cook extraordinaire.
My opinion: if you're not particularly keen on airplanes, don't bother. If you are, however, you're in for a treat - this is great stuff. A very appealing writing style: knowledgeable, well-researched, witty, informative - and enthousiastic, even poetic in places ("brooding anhedral"). The 'planes such as the Meteor, the Vulcan and the Lightning (and many more) are treated like the personalities they are. The test pilots who flew them, the companies that built them, the politicians and civil servants who scrapped them, or vacillated until they became obsolete... there is both enthousiasm and fury here, but both very well written and argued. Well, maybe the enthousiasm isn't argued, but it comes through brilliantly, from the moment the author saw the Vulcan being stunted (!) at Farnborough in 1954.
Fascinating stuff, but I detract half a star - not from the author, but from the production of the book - it comes with 12 pages of photos in the middle. This is a missed opportunity; the book cries out for lots of images scattered through the text, not a single block. Give us pictures of the Miles M-52 (an artists' impression would do!), the Avro CF-105 Arrow, the Fairey Gyrodyne, and all the other wonderful or just plain weird machines mentioned.
Nevertheless, if you're keen to read about cockpits as ergonomic slums, a paean to the Lightning or the way a Javelin flew - this is the book for you.
The author: James Hamilton-Patterson has written on President Marcos of the Philippines, the World's Oceans, Elgar; has published poetry, children's books and the brilliant trilogy (so far, but we can hope) on Gerald Samper, Tuscan sybarite and cook extraordinaire.
My opinion: if you're not particularly keen on airplanes, don't bother. If you are, however, you're in for a treat - this is great stuff. A very appealing writing style: knowledgeable, well-researched, witty, informative - and enthousiastic, even poetic in places ("brooding anhedral"). The 'planes such as the Meteor, the Vulcan and the Lightning (and many more) are treated like the personalities they are. The test pilots who flew them, the companies that built them, the politicians and civil servants who scrapped them, or vacillated until they became obsolete... there is both enthousiasm and fury here, but both very well written and argued. Well, maybe the enthousiasm isn't argued, but it comes through brilliantly, from the moment the author saw the Vulcan being stunted (!) at Farnborough in 1954.
Fascinating stuff, but I detract half a star - not from the author, but from the production of the book - it comes with 12 pages of photos in the middle. This is a missed opportunity; the book cries out for lots of images scattered through the text, not a single block. Give us pictures of the Miles M-52 (an artists' impression would do!), the Avro CF-105 Arrow, the Fairey Gyrodyne, and all the other wonderful or just plain weird machines mentioned.
Nevertheless, if you're keen to read about cockpits as ergonomic slums, a paean to the Lightning or the way a Javelin flew - this is the book for you.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great book and for those of with early memories of Vulcans & Lightnings in the early 60's its one not to be missed. Well written and the saga of the demise of the British jet hopes is both illuminating and comprehensive as is the 'lot' of the test pilots. Overall the book gives an excellent understanding of why Great Britain lost the lead in civilian and military manufacture, but stresses the genius of invention that existed in the UK.. e.g.jump jet technology. My only wish was for more photos to illustrate the text... but a very worthy book not to be missed.. particularly at the Amazon price
58 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I grew up in the 1950s/60s and was an avid plane spotter - always looking up to see the amazing (weird and wonderful) products of the UK aviation industry.
This book brought it all back, and highlighted the astonishing bravery of the test pilots - flying in ordinary clothes, in planes that were of dubious design, and working for a pittance, for the autocratic peers of the industry.
Rightly or wrongly a variety of governments meddled with and, in effect, destroyed the UK aviation industry - we are left with BAe who make the wings for the European Airbus. During the glory days of this book, we were building (badly in many cases!) a huge variety of military and civilian aircraft - Meteors, Canberras, Lightnings, Vulcans, Vampires, Comets, VC10s etc etc - beautiful creatures of the sky - and the things that made us look up.
I remember a particular Latin lesson at school in the 60s, when a rather delicious sound was droning past the window and the whole class turned to watch. "And now a pause to marvel at the modern piston engine in flight" entoned the Beak.
The book details the extraordinary companies (De Havilland, Hawker Siddley, Gloster etc.) many and various businesses who had made the wonderful aircraft that helped us win World War 2, and who were still expecting to continue with their designs and be funded by the tax payer... perhaps the government was right after all?
Fun times! My first job was working for Hawker Siddeley at Hatfield - on Tridents and what was to become the BA146. As a new graduate trainee I was given the opportunity to be "ballast" on a Trident test flight - so I jumped at the chance. The plane was empty of seats - just some lumps of lead as weight, so I sat up near the cockpit. Bliss! We flew out over the North Sea and saw the gas rigs, and then flew back to Hatfield... As we came in to land the co-pilot's head-set fell off, and both pilots bent down to try and pick it up. Sitting in the seat just behind, I could see the runway coming up, and the pilots were still scrabbling around on the floor. I was, I admit, getting a little nervous... and still they couldn't disentangle the cable - both of them fiddling around...
Being young and innocent, I was unaware that the main reason for the test flight was to test the automatic landing system... I guess this was a standard stunt for all the "wet behind the ears" graduates... What fun!
Loved the book, loved the aircraft... what more could one want?
This book brought it all back, and highlighted the astonishing bravery of the test pilots - flying in ordinary clothes, in planes that were of dubious design, and working for a pittance, for the autocratic peers of the industry.
Rightly or wrongly a variety of governments meddled with and, in effect, destroyed the UK aviation industry - we are left with BAe who make the wings for the European Airbus. During the glory days of this book, we were building (badly in many cases!) a huge variety of military and civilian aircraft - Meteors, Canberras, Lightnings, Vulcans, Vampires, Comets, VC10s etc etc - beautiful creatures of the sky - and the things that made us look up.
I remember a particular Latin lesson at school in the 60s, when a rather delicious sound was droning past the window and the whole class turned to watch. "And now a pause to marvel at the modern piston engine in flight" entoned the Beak.
The book details the extraordinary companies (De Havilland, Hawker Siddley, Gloster etc.) many and various businesses who had made the wonderful aircraft that helped us win World War 2, and who were still expecting to continue with their designs and be funded by the tax payer... perhaps the government was right after all?
Fun times! My first job was working for Hawker Siddeley at Hatfield - on Tridents and what was to become the BA146. As a new graduate trainee I was given the opportunity to be "ballast" on a Trident test flight - so I jumped at the chance. The plane was empty of seats - just some lumps of lead as weight, so I sat up near the cockpit. Bliss! We flew out over the North Sea and saw the gas rigs, and then flew back to Hatfield... As we came in to land the co-pilot's head-set fell off, and both pilots bent down to try and pick it up. Sitting in the seat just behind, I could see the runway coming up, and the pilots were still scrabbling around on the floor. I was, I admit, getting a little nervous... and still they couldn't disentangle the cable - both of them fiddling around...
Being young and innocent, I was unaware that the main reason for the test flight was to test the automatic landing system... I guess this was a standard stunt for all the "wet behind the ears" graduates... What fun!
Loved the book, loved the aircraft... what more could one want?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
a well written book
For a person like me intheir 90's with agreat love of the british aircraft history ,this book brought back some great memories of all the different prototypes completed or... Read more
Published 1 month ago by northolt
A reminder of so much Britain has lost.
This is beautifully illustrated edition of what was already an outstanding book. It is a little shorter in text, and still does not, in my opinion, adequately cover the triumphs... Read more
Published 2 months ago by H. Bennett
A memory jogger
This book details the post war testing and introduction of the jet fighter and bomber in the fifties and sixties. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Budcus
Empire of the Clouds: When Britains Aircraft ruled the World
An excellent book starting from just after the second World War telling how we led the World in aircraft technology with military aircraft to the fore.
Published 3 months ago by Mr. B. A. Clutterbuck
Wonderful reminder of a bygone era
Beautifully presented and well researched this is a timely reminder of when Britain was Great. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the development of post War British... Read more
Published 4 months ago by ST
Elegy to a bygone age: what happened to our "belief in the future"?
James Hamilton-Paterson is a successful author whose other works cover themes as diverse as classical music, undersea exploration, politics in The Philippines and cookery-themed... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dr. Trang
Even better as a Special Illustrated Edition
Loved the paperback, but it's even better in this hardback with plenty of great pictures. The author notes that the text of the original edition has been abridged by about 25%. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ian
A Must for air enthusiasts
This is a really excellent book and a must for anyone interested in the development of British aircraft from 1945 to the present day. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. R. S. Young
Empire of the Clouds
The author was an outsider in the aviation world but he has collected a lot of information on the decline from WW2 eminence of the British aviation industry and why it declined and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Brian Jones
Great illustrated version of the original
I loved the original book so the illustrated version was always going to be good - there are photographs in it that I have never seen before. Well worth adding to a collection.
Published 4 months ago by nigel@greenaway.freeserve.co.uk
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