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VULCAN TEST PILOT: My Experiences in the Cockpit of a Cold War Icon

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The A. V. Roe & Company, Ltd. (AVRO) "Vulcan" was one of three famous "V-bombers" that filled the nuclear deterrent role for England's Royal Air Force (RAF) from the 1950s through the 1980s. The government of England decided in the late 1940s that it needed a fleet of long-range, nuclear-capable jet bombers in order to have credibility during the Cold War. AVRO's delta-winged "Vulcan" seemed to offer the most promise, but at the time no one in the country had much design or operational experience with such a wing. So the Ministry of Defence ordered three different bombers to fill the need. Two of them--the Vickers "Valiant" and the Handley Page "Victor"--were primarily "insurance" against the failure of AVRO's more-advanced design. But the "Vulcan" was a resounding success, despite some initial teething troubles, and it became one of the most distinctive, recognizable and highly regarded aircraft ever built.

Tony Blackman's "Vulcan Test Pilot--My Experiences in the Cockpit of a Cold War Icon" is sure to appeal to anyone interested in learning new details about the design, development and operational use of one of England's most famous aircraft. As AVRO's Chief Test Pilot for much of the Vulcan's service testing and deployment, Mr. Blackman flew 105 of the 136 aircraft built, and he personally flight-tested most of the modifications that transformed the original Mk 1 into the far-more-capable Mk 2. Opening with an excellent thumbnail history of England's V-bomber force, "Vulcan Test Pilot" goes on to describe the sub-scale prototypes that AVRO built to investigate the handling characteristics of the delta wing. Then, in long chapters entitled "Developing the Vulcan Mk 1" and "Developing the Vulcan Mk 2," Mr. Blackman covers these subjects in great depth and with enough fascinating details to satisfy any armchair aeronautical engineer. Another chapter, "Incidents and Accidents," catalogues and describes the misfortunes that befell Vulcans. With many useful and interesting photographs, many never before published (although some of them, unfortunately, are quite small), and several relevant appendices, "Vulcan Test Pilot" is filled with information and anecdotes that you are not likely to find elsewhere.

2007 was a banner year for Vulcan enthusiasts with the successful return to flight of Vulcan Mk 2 XH558 after an eight-year restoration effort. The final chapter of "Vulcan Test Pilot" covers, albeit briefly, the story of that aircraft and the tremendous outpouring of support from around the world that helped to get it flying again. Mr. Blackman admits to a "personal interest" in this project, since he was the first person to fly XH558 when AVRO delivered it to the RAF in June 1960. Today the skies over England once again rumble with the thunder of the four Bristol Siddeley turbojets that power the distinctive delta-winged shape of the only flying Vulcan in the world. "Vulcan Test Pilot" will make you feel like you're in the cockpit. I recommend it most highly.

Although there have been many books written about the Vulcan bomber program, this is the first to be authored by one of the project's test pilots. The book details much of the mundane test flying (and occasional excitements) required to establish the Vulcan's safe performance and handling limits so that the average RAF crew could operate the aircraft competently. One significant aspect of this book is a most interesting section devoted to incidents and accidents, including an analysis of the cause. Blackman has provided an excellent glimpse into the world of test flying and he offers many interesting comments and facts about one of the UK's most successful military aircraft.

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One of the best test pilots storys.Details of all flights really interesting fasects of test flying. thanks Amazon books