Phantom Boys Volume 2: More Thrilling Tales From UK and US Operators of the McDonnell Douglas F-4

by Richard Pike

Overview

The highly anticipated follow-up has “more scintillating stories from both the front and rear cockpits of one of the world’s most legendary jet fighters” (Air Classics).

Once again Richard Pike has brought together brilliant, hitherto unpublished accounts across eighteen chapters. And now there is coverage of the Americans. So, with both British and American perspectives, Phantom Boys 2 is packed with exhilarating action. From combat in the Vietnam War to life after the Falklands War, readers will experience a variety of wartime and peacetime tales. An array of narratives from air and ground crew cover adventures across the world; from the UK, US and Germany to the Far East. It also includes the fascinating story of one female fighter controller’s chance to fly in a Phantom during the 1970s. Throughout the book Richard Pike captures the drama and emotion of life in the cockpit. With such detailed stories, readers will be gripped by this captivating book.

“Pike has done an excellent job of drawing the reader into the cockpit and then into the skies. The shared tales are engaging and quickly read. While each tale is relatively short—typically less than fifteen pages—all are packed with the detalis, sights, and sounds of flying one of the modern age’s most iconic jet fighters.” —Air Power History

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911621539
Publisher:	Grub Street
Publication date:	02/12/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Richard Pike became a flight cadet in 1961 at the RAF College, Cranwell, where on graduation, he was awarded the Dickson Trophy and Michael Hill memorial prize for flying. In the early stages of his forty-year flying career he flew the English Electric Lightning before converting to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom. On leaving the Royal Air Force he became a civilian helicopter pilot. His duties took him to a wide variety of destinations at home and overseas including the Falkland Islands not long after the end of the Falklands War. His last assignment was in Kosovo helping to distribute emergency humanitarian aid on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme. He and his wife live in Aberdeenshire. He is the author of several Grub Street titles including: Lightning Boys, Lightning Boys 2, Hunter Boys and Phantom Boys Volume 1 and 2.

Table of Contents

Prologue 7

Chapter 1 Into Action Richard Pike 9

Chapter 2 Surprise Archie Liggat 16

Chapter 3 Naval Hazards Alan Winkles 22

Chapter 4 Fighter Controller Penny Smith 30

Chapter 5 Stars and Stripes Scott Sonnenberg 43

Chapter 6 Open Sesame Jack Hamill Peter Desmond 58

Chapter 7 Falklands Phantoms John Walmsley 65

Chapter 8 Perserverance Richard Pike 77

Chapter 9 Hydraulic Hassle Alan Winkles 84

Chapter 10 Making Waves Ronald 'Roly' Tomlin 91

Chapter 11 Close Encounters Dick Northcote 100

Chapter 12 Proxy Pilot Alan Winkles 109

Chapter 13 Mixed Messages John Megarry 115

Chapter 14 Italian Job Archie Liggat 127

Chapter 15 Four-Second Solo Jon 'Herbie' Hancock 139

Chapter 16 Golden Silence Phil Owen 152

Chapter 17 Yankee Phantom Flyer on Three Continents Rg Head 159

Chapter 18 Phantom Farewell Richard Pike 169

Appendix Select Biographies 177

Index 182

Editorial Reviews

"Pike has done an excellent job of drawing the reader into the cockpit and then into the skies. The shared tales are engaging and quickly read. While each tale is relatively short—typically less than fifteen pages—all are packed with the details, sights, and sounds of flying one the modern age’s most iconic jet fighters."

Air Power History

…a most suitable follow-up to Phantom Boys, Volume 1, with more scintillating stories from both the front and rear cockpits of one of the world’s most legendary jet fighters… an excellent treatise on flying one of the world’s greatest tactical fighters in the colors of two major world air forces.

Air Classics