Yes! A great story!! The Earth Beneath Me it was.
Raised by Grandad with a huge library of aviation books this was always one of my favorites. The pictures were stunning, the story enthralling and the courage inspiring.
I still remember one anecdote in the story when Dick had landed near the Royals and was being pressured to see the Queen immediately so as to not keep her waiting - but he refused to budge till he had let her warm down (the 'ranger that is - not the Queen).
Even now I still use the story when people ask me why I always so slowly let my engine warm down. "Well you see, there once was a man in a little helicopter who . . . and so if its good enough in the interests of prudence to keep the Queen waiting, then its probably ok for me to keep you waiting a few minutes yes
