A Cold War Fighter Pilot in Peacetime and War by D. Sharp (English) Hardcover Bo

Description: A Cold War Fighter Pilot in Peacetime and War by D. Sharp A remarkable true story of an RAF fighter pilot and his incredible adventures. Nothing perhaps was more astonishing than his survival after hitting a duck at 500 mph and his subsequent fight back to become not only pilot in command once again, but to fly Heads of State and The Queen. A miracle that he is still alive, but amazingly he still flies. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description This is the quite remarkable and true story of Squadron Leader Derek J. Sharp AFC BSc Dip Comp JP RAF and his incredible adventures. Nothing perhaps was more astonishing than his survival after meeting a Mallard duck at 500 mph and his subsequent fight back to become a pilot in command once again. That he survived to age 30 was amazing, that he continued unashamedly on to a ripe old age was nothing short of a miracle. Conceivably he followed the advice written on a fridge magnet in his kitchen `Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly. Those who knew him would say not a chance! This fascinating book follows the adventures of Sharp from spotty schoolboy to highly respect aviator. He flew everything from fighters to heavy transport, wise old navigators and Her Majesty The Queen. He joined a flying club called the Royal Air Force and unexpectedly found himself at war. That mirrored his namesake, Pilot Officer Derek Sharp who lost his life in a Lancaster in WW2.He lived in a time long before Political Correctness, the Breathalyser and motorcar safety checks. He achieved all that he set out to do, and more. That would undoubtedly be his epitaph. Author Biography Squadron Leader Sharp was born after the end of WW2 and following a grammar school education joined the RAF as a pilot. Following postings as a Strike/Attack pilot, he became a flying instructor, then spent 10 years flying Jaguar fighter bombers. Having took over command of 151(F) Squadron, he suffered a catastrophic duck strike which left him totally blind. Despite being told he would never fly again, he defied all odds and ended his career as a senior instructor and VIP pilot on VC10 aircraft. Following retirement, Sharp totally restored an ex RAF Bulldog aircraft and still regularly flies. Table of Contents Preface; Acknowledgements; 1 In the Beginning; 2 Early Days; 3 In the Service of Her Majesty; 4 Basic Flying Training; 5 Advanced Flying Training: The Pocket Rocket; 6 500 Hours: A Dangerous Time; 7 Another Petter Masterpiece; 8 Operational at Last; 9 Mercy Mission; 10 I Learnt About Navigators from That; 11 The North German Plain; 12 Survival Courses and Canberra Twilight; 13 Learning to Fly-Again; 14 Night Landings; 15 Engine Failures; 16 Widow Maker; 17 Top Gun; 18 Pastures New & Past Over; 19 My Appointment with Donald Duck; 20 Aftermath; 21 The Last of the Combat Buffalos: Beirut 1983; 22 Truck Driving; 23 Air Force One: British Style; 24 Balkan Adventures; 25 Fighter Pilot or Truck Driver?; 26 Far Eastern Suarez; 27 Easy Life Being a Captain; 28 Winter Adventures; 29 Rules and Regulations; 30 Saddam Hussein: My Part in his Downfall; 31 New Tricks: Air Tanker Blues; 32 The Last Forty Years Have Flown By-Literally; 33 Time to Go; 34 Solo Again; 35 Air Racing; 36 Full Circle: Chalk and Cheese; 37 My Other Love: Motorcars; 38 How a Bulldog Devoured My Bank Account; 39 Return to 10 Squadron; 40 Dont Rely on Modern Gismos; 41 The Final Odyssey; 42 Twilight; Appendix I: List of Photographs; Appendix II: Aircraft Qualified to Fly; Appendix III: Record of Service; Appendix IV: Record of Jaguar Crashes. Long Description This is the quite remarkable and true story of Squadron Leader Derek J. Sharp AFC BSc Dip Comp JP RAF and his incredible adventures. Nothing perhaps was more astonishing than his survival after meeting a Mallard duck at 500 mph and his subsequent fight back to become a pilot in command once again. That he survived to age 30 was amazing, that he continued unashamedly on to a ripe old age was nothing short of a miracle. Conceivably he followed the advice written on a fridge magnet in his kitchen Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly. Those who knew him would say not a chance! This fascinating book follows the adventures of Sharp from spotty schoolboy to highly respect aviator. He flew everything from fighters to heavy transport, wise old navigators and Her Majesty The Queen. He joined a flying club called the Royal Air Force and unexpectedly found himself at war. That mirrored his namesake, Pilot Officer Derek Sharp who lost his life in a Lancaster in WW2. He lived in a time long before Political Correctness, the Breathalyser and motorcar safety checks. He achieved all that he set out to do, and more. That would undoubtedly be his epitaph. Details ISBN1781557241 Author D. Sharp Pages 224 ISBN-10 1781557241 ISBN-13 9781781557242 Format Hardcover Place of Publication Toadsmoor Road Country of Publication United Kingdom Illustrations 25 colour and 40 black and white photographs Year 2019 DEWEY 358.40092 Language English Publication Date 2019-03-21 UK Release Date 2019-03-21 NZ Release Date 2019-03-21 Imprint Fonthill Media Ltd Publisher Fonthill Media Ltd Audience General AU Release Date 2019-03-06 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:133522166;

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