Test Pilot (Aviation Classics)

Please bear in mind that this book was written in 1953 as the author refers to the Hawker Hunter F2 as being on the "secret" list and therefore can't say much about it!Neville Duke was a WW2 fighter ace who shot down over 20 enemy aircraft (confirmed). The fist half of the book deals largely with his childhood and early years in the RAF as a fighter pilot. He was assigned a test pilot role after 3 tours as a front line combatant and was involved in the development of several significant aircraft. Duke was also involved in several high speed record breaking flights including the setting of a world record in the Gloster Meteor. He then works for Hawker as a test pilot after leaving the RAF.Generally the early years and WW2 are covered in better detail than the later test pilot years and I found myself wanting more detail on the aircraft and flying. This is typical of books written in the 1950s & 60s.Nonetheless, a very good and interesting read if you are interested in aircraft of the 1940s & 50s.

One of the most remarkable and modest RAF aviatiors. I speak of someone who once knew the man but from this book I learnt so much more than he ever revealed to me about his amazing career.

Long gone now a great pilot in War and Peace

A great book with a lot of interest for the war generation and younger, I can't find fault in this book.

Very interesting book, especially as I used to see Neville Duke at the SBAC show at Farnborough & also saw his last landing before he died.

Great book. Prompt service. Thank you.

A good value copy of an unused second hand book.

Brilliant

I found this to be a dull read. It shouldn't be, because it has a lot of exciting events from WW2 and post-war test flying, but somehow the delivery makes it unexciting. This book was originally published in 1952, and the original prose has not been altered (he talks about the Hawker Hunter F.2 still being on the Secret list), although there is some reflective stuff written later, and some post-1952 photos. I think this is the problem; the writing style is casual stiff-upper lip stuff without being very informative. There's not a lot of emotion in this writing, and precious little technical detail to compensate for it. Eric Brown managed to get both into his books, but Duke misses the mark here. Reading between the lines, it's a very interesting story. It just doesn't come across that way.

I was very pleased. I received it earlier than I expected!!