Fly for Their Lives by John Chartres lands on the |> SALE <| shelves in my shop.
Airlife, 1988, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs;
From the cover: Men from all three British Armed Services (and a number of civilian aircrews) have, since the first recorded Air Sea Rescue in 1917, been instrumental in saving the lives of countless airmen who have baled out or ditched, the crews of ships, yachts and oil rigs, people stuck on cliffs or mountains or marooned in snowdrifts and many others in peril. They have also contributed mightily to famine and disaster relief operations around the globe.
In this dramatic and enthralling book the author tells the remarkable story of British rescue operations involving aircraft over the last seventy years, from the days of biplane flying boats and seaplanes to those of modern highly sophisticated helicopters. He relates, through first hand accounts from both rescue crews and survivors, many stories to illustrate the gallantry, skill and determination of both Service and civilian aircrews, often flying in extremely hostile weather conditions and in the early days at least with primitive navigation and communications equipment. He also tells of the ingenuity of the men who conceived and implemented survival equipment such as Lindholme Gear and the Airborne Lifeboat which could be dropped to survivors before a rescue could be completed. Until just after the Second World War flying boats and amphibians such as the Walrus, Sunderland and Catalina were the main lifesavers either acting alone or in concert with RAF rescue launches and naval surface craft, but subsequently of course the helicopter has come into its-own, and brightly painted Wessex and Sea Kings are a common sight around the coasts all year long. Nor does the author neglect the vital Coastguard Service, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the voluntary Mountain Rescue teams with whom the rescue aviators work closely at all levels. This absorbing and well illustrated account highlights specific people, aircraft and events. The author, John Chartres, tells the story of the Search and Rescue services in an exciting and vivid fashion.
Introduction by: Lord Levin
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the head of the spine and the top corners of the boards with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper. Text complete, clean and tight.
Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 144 pages. Index. 9¾” x 7¼”.
This book will be eventually reach my delightful website…(added to my Transport Air category.) but get 60% off buying from this very blog blog… Buy it now for just £2.60 + P&P! Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!
BookLovers of Bath 