Customer Reviews

Faster Than the Sun

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Were it not for the fact that Peter Twiss OBE DSC wore a pressurised suit for his record-breaking jet flights, you could almost imagine him in a leather flying jacket, goggles and a silk scarfe.

Back in the days when there was the Great in Britain, Twiss inspired a whole generation of British engineers, pilots, aviation enthusiasts and the patriotic public in general by being the first human being to outrun the rotation speed of the earth -in other words to fly so fast the sun never sets.

In his new book Faster Than The Sun, Twiss describes his time as Chief Test Pilot for Fairey Aviation Limited - a British company that still exists but now produces electronic control equipment far less glamorous than its earlier product range that included not only the Fairey Delta jet which Twiss piloted, but even a single-engined bi-plane called the Swordfish which sank the German battleship Bismark.

Twiss's book tells an accurate and exciting story of British engineering at its very best and would be an ideal trip down memory lane for those who can recall with fond memories the newspaper headlines in 1956 announcing his world speed record of 1,132 MPH. For those too young to remember, Faster Than The Sun is an informative and exciting read about a dynamic and inspiring gentleman and a world that, sadly, no longer exists.

The excitement of the story of the first man to travel at 1,000 mph is almost overshadowed by the refreshing honesty and clarity of the writing.

The detail is fascinating, and the narrative is real page-turning stuff, but the lasting impression is of a modest, decent Englishman.

No ghost-writer was involved