Customer Reviews

Not Much of an Engineer

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This is a great book that tells the story of a bygone era when the name Rolls Royce stood for everything excellent in engineering. Being able to produce a new jet engine during wartime in only 9 months is incredible. (no computers,cad etc then!!) A very good read.

Sir Stanley Hooker was a Lad, a Mathemetician, an Engineer, the right man in the right place at the right time. Rolls Royce was his sandpit after his Academic career. The names and "STUFF" he played with at Rolls Royce, is magic reading, not in "Engineering Speak", but as it happened. Insights into world events of the 30's through to the 70's, in the world of Engines.
Sir Stanley, earnt his Knighthood, this is his story about how it was done, but not written with the "Sir" in mind.
A great story of trying times, trying people...of lovely times and great people, by a great man.
This book should be Compulsory reading, for all Higher School people, and definite reading for all Apprentices.

Sir Stanley describes his part in the development of Rolls-Royce avionics from pre-War times through to the Concorde + the Harrier
Fascinating + well written; there are many amusing anecdotes: "Miss Shillings Orifice" being one of these + offers a unique insight into Rolls-Royce in wartime + after, as well as the once mighty UK Aviation Industry, development of the first jet engines, the first jet fighters + the Rolls-Royce turbofan, still the most thermally efficient internal combustion engine in the world...
Hookers humor is gentle + frequently self-deprecating; ( as per the title!) but it's not hard reading between the lines to see that he was a genius + earned his knighthood. Having read this I can see why Germany paid a heavy price for relying on fuel-injection in their aero-engines ( Battle of Britain )+ what constitutes a Karman Vortex Street, tho' the book has not clobbered me over the head with impenetrable math or technical descriptions
A great read!

Great book.
A nice mix of technical and anecdotal accounts during the infancy of British jet turbine development.
All I read is non-fiction, along the lines of military history/intelligence/technology, etc., with the odd sports related title tossed in.
Going in I knew nothing, but the title piqued my interest. As it turned out this one was right up my alley. Highly recommended.
I pass everything I believe is worthy to a friend of mine with similar interests. He will be getting this one the next time we meet with a big thumbs up. I've known him long enough to know he won't be disappointed.

AN EXCEPTIONAL READ, SIR STANLEY HOOKER MOST CERTAINLY WAS A BRILLIANT ENGINEER WHO ACHIEVED SO MUCH FOR ROLLS ROYCE & BRITAIN ITSELF. I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND "HERMAN THE GERMAN" TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE JET ENGINE.

A marvelous, compelling and inspiring read for anybody (like me) raised from the 1940's onwards on RAF stations and with a keen interest in all things aviation. Sir Stanley Hooker comes over as a giant of a man, generous and magnanimous to all, and with great talents of his own. Having read it almost non-stop the first time, I just had to read it again shortly afterwards. His accounts of the problems with getting early jet engines and turboprops to perform is fascinating, right through to the Pegasus (for Harrier), Olympus (for Concorde) and RB-211 for the big wide-bodied airliners. It's also a story of meddling and incompetent politicians (nothing changes!), who know nothing of technology, yet make the major decisions, many of which affect us negatively to this day. This was the "golden age" for Britain's aviation and I am left wondering whether there are still such great men in existence - somehow I doubt it. The only missing element in the book is some sort of coverage of his family life. He never even mentions the existence of any parents. Thoroughly recommended!