Airborne  [9781906559212]

One of the more fun aviation books to read is one of those 'there I was' type, and this is just such a book. Airborne is a collection of stories and recollections of Neil Williams, who flew for the Royal Air Force, was a test pilot, flew in various films, was the British Aerobatic Champion thirteen times, and has in his career as a pilot amassed an incredible diversity of aircraft types. This book, first published in the 1970s, is new reprinted in a new Second Edition that features lots of unpublished photos and three new chapters.

The book is divided into chapters that detail specific aircraft or instances in Williams' aviation career. The famous (and expected) aircraft are all present, such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Avro Lancaster, and de Havilland Tiger Moth. As an aerobatic pilot, Williams' story would not be complete without chapters on those types of planes, and one chapter covers his rather dramatic crash in a Stampe biplane. Jets are also documented and include the Canberra, Hunter, and Scimitar. The text is easy to read and quite enjoyable, and the photos offer a nice counterpoint to the written word.

This is a very enjoyable read and it is great to see this venerable classic reprinted and updated.

Chris Banyai-Riepl – Internet Modeller.com