The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior
Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an airplane, nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the front line during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet. Unique pictures, many captured from the cockpit, show the Phantom in its true environment and show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days, how the aircraft developed, or was neglected, and reveals events which shaped the aircraft's history and contributed to its demise. Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary and included the 'Rhino', 'The Spook', 'Double Ugly', the 'Flying Brick' and the 'Lead Sled'. Whichever way you looked at it, you could love or hate the Phantom, but you could never ignore it for its sheer power and lethal payload. The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior is unique in that the author flew in the legendary Phantom in the front line and captured beautiful and amazing unpublished photographs that will appeal to historians, military specialists and modelers alike.
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The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior
Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an airplane, nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the front line during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet. Unique pictures, many captured from the cockpit, show the Phantom in its true environment and show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days, how the aircraft developed, or was neglected, and reveals events which shaped the aircraft's history and contributed to its demise. Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary and included the 'Rhino', 'The Spook', 'Double Ugly', the 'Flying Brick' and the 'Lead Sled'. Whichever way you looked at it, you could love or hate the Phantom, but you could never ignore it for its sheer power and lethal payload. The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior is unique in that the author flew in the legendary Phantom in the front line and captured beautiful and amazing unpublished photographs that will appeal to historians, military specialists and modelers alike.
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The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior

The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior

by David Gledhill
The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior

The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior

by David Gledhill

Paperback(Reprint)

$29.95 
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Overview

Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an airplane, nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the front line during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet. Unique pictures, many captured from the cockpit, show the Phantom in its true environment and show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days, how the aircraft developed, or was neglected, and reveals events which shaped the aircraft's history and contributed to its demise. Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary and included the 'Rhino', 'The Spook', 'Double Ugly', the 'Flying Brick' and the 'Lead Sled'. Whichever way you looked at it, you could love or hate the Phantom, but you could never ignore it for its sheer power and lethal payload. The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior is unique in that the author flew in the legendary Phantom in the front line and captured beautiful and amazing unpublished photographs that will appeal to historians, military specialists and modelers alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781781554210
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Publication date: 12/03/2014
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Gledhill joined the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in 1973. After training, he flew the F4 Phantom on squadrons in the UK and West Germany. He was one of the first aircrew members to fly the F2 and F3 Air Defence Variant of the Tornado on its acceptance into service and served for many years as an instructor on the Operational Conversion Units of both the Phantom and the Tornado. He commanded the Tornado Fighter Flight in the Falkland Islands and has worked extensively with the Armed Forces of most NATO nations. He has published a number of factual books on aviation topics and novels in the Phantom Air Combat series set during the Cold War.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The RAF Phantom 13

Chapter 2 Operating the Phantom 22

Chapter 3 Operational Conversion 59

Chapter 4 Squadron Combat Ready Training 73

Chapter 5 Air Defence of the UK During the Cold War 92

Chapter 6 Quick Reaction Alert 107

Chapter 7 The Phantom in Royal Air Force Germany 123

Chapter 8 The Falkland Islands 147

Chapter 9 Life as an Instructor 173

Chapter 10 Squadron Deployments 187

Chapter 11 Air-to-Air Refuelling 201

Chapter 12 Weapons 217

Chapter 13 Opponents 247

Chapter 14 Other Events 267

Epilogue The Demise of the Phantom 279

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