Originally Posted by
sikeano
Wings on my sleeve is a fantastic book, Eric Brown holds the world record for the number of aircrafts that he tested, fluent in German too. it is an autobiographical in nature but a very good read
My recommendation is 'Sigh for a Merlin' by Alex Henshaw. I found this book quite interesting.
Winkle Brown flew so many different types, that that alone makes him stand out. His work on the DH 108 following the death of Geoffrey de Havilland was exemplary and also very brave.
Starting at high level and testing pitch phugoid departure tendencies at ever higher speeds and lower levels, he finally encountered de Havilland’s pitch problem to the full extent - with the difference, that he had a hopefully successful solution ready. Closing throttle and pulling pitch got the tailless craft under control again.
In an other, less spectacular action, he helped a fellow test pilot recognise and sort out a bad aileron flutter problem on a piston transport.
He also carried out deck landing trials on marginal jets...
All this well written and without bravado.