Product Description
It takes a mild form of insanity to expose oneself to the rigours of helicopter flight in the midst of flying bullets -- at one point the author even had his toe shot off! -- but Mike Tuson's rich and varied experiences as a helicopter pilot constitute a very full, if somewhat precarious existence! This is not a manual on how to fly a helicopter, yet, in a very readable and exciting narrative form, it will introduce the reader to all the theory and essentials of flight regarding fixed wing aircraft as well as, and especially, helicopters. Apart from involving the reader in the escapades, narrow escapes and accidents in his flying life, the author examines the advantages of helicopters over fixed wing aircraft. Which, for example, is safer if the engine fails, or if the aircraft has to be ditched in the sea? This is a book for the layman as well as the experienced pilot. In either case it is an entertainining and enriching experience.
About the Author
Mike Tuson joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1947 and specialised in aviation from 1956, first as a fixed wing and later as a helicopter pilot. Retiring from the navy in 1970 he continued flying helicopters, this time in the Middle East as a mercenary in the Sultan of Oman's Airforce. He served there during the little known war against the communists in the province of Dhofar, during which time he was wounded twice.Leaving Oman in 1973, he spent three years working as personal pilot to a wealthy businessman. Returning to the Middle East in 1976, for the next eighteen years he flew in many countries in that area. The book covers his experiences in almost all forms of helicopter operations, including military, oil field support, mountain and desert, and flying for a TV company during the IranIraq "Tanker War" in 1987, up to his retirement from aviation in 1993.
