Not coronavirus but a book you shouldn't miss
Thread Starter
Not coronavirus but a book you shouldn't miss
A CONCORDE IN MY TOY BOX ISBN 9781861519511
Mike was my trainer on the VC10 in 78. A little bloke, quiet with a dry sense of humour who wouldn't be out of place running a village post office. A Clark Kent rather than superman one would think and many have made that mistake.
Whilst playing real tennis at base training he said he had flown several circuits in the Trident 1 handling his own throttles...I frankly thought he was spinning a line as BEA taught it was impossible for supermen let alone a little bloke. He phoned the fire brigade from a tower as an aircraft was about to crash, when they turned up they treated him with derision..it was the infamous Zlin flying around inverted after a wing had started folding upwards.
I next heard of him from an archivist at RAF Hendon museum .."do you know Mike Riley? had this little bloke whom I thought was a Walter Mitty (there are hundreds in avaition)..checked up and invited him back to record his history for the museum".
I tracked him down in 2015 living in Interlaken and flying paragliders with the world champion in his mid 70s...still a little bloke..softly spoken, modest but if you can get him talking.
World class aerobatic pilot and Judge..one of the few who trained on Concorde and unique in that he brought his instructor abilities into airline training. His criticism of the latter system will no doubt disturb many of his onetime colleagues - justifiably.
Self depreciating..how many other pilots confess their misdemeanours and crashes?
Spread the word.
Mike was my trainer on the VC10 in 78. A little bloke, quiet with a dry sense of humour who wouldn't be out of place running a village post office. A Clark Kent rather than superman one would think and many have made that mistake.
Whilst playing real tennis at base training he said he had flown several circuits in the Trident 1 handling his own throttles...I frankly thought he was spinning a line as BEA taught it was impossible for supermen let alone a little bloke. He phoned the fire brigade from a tower as an aircraft was about to crash, when they turned up they treated him with derision..it was the infamous Zlin flying around inverted after a wing had started folding upwards.
I next heard of him from an archivist at RAF Hendon museum .."do you know Mike Riley? had this little bloke whom I thought was a Walter Mitty (there are hundreds in avaition)..checked up and invited him back to record his history for the museum".
I tracked him down in 2015 living in Interlaken and flying paragliders with the world champion in his mid 70s...still a little bloke..softly spoken, modest but if you can get him talking.
World class aerobatic pilot and Judge..one of the few who trained on Concorde and unique in that he brought his instructor abilities into airline training. His criticism of the latter system will no doubt disturb many of his onetime colleagues - justifiably.
Self depreciating..how many other pilots confess their misdemeanours and crashes?
Spread the word.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
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Thumbs up from me as well, reading it at the moment - excellent read.
Two positive recommendations. 
I’m going to buy that book.
I’m going to buy that book.
Thread Starter
Hunter boy
Yup and a few others.
Started off with the shambles of UK assistant instructors followed by Hamble, Britains Excuse for an Airline, one of the ATA heroines, Mike then the Swiss. Total of twelve different countries, even more nationalities and a few national and world champions in various disciplines.
Mike Riley humbles me.
Started off with the shambles of UK assistant instructors followed by Hamble, Britains Excuse for an Airline, one of the ATA heroines, Mike then the Swiss. Total of twelve different countries, even more nationalities and a few national and world champions in various disciplines.
Mike Riley humbles me.
Thread Starter
Joan
You must have been Boac. Started mine in may 74 after BEA managers tried to stop mine as I upset them which started after Papa India and fiddling the enquiry. Joan was great but she and Angus insisted on giving me the spinning details.
After my input BEA sponsored courses as BOAC had done but selected a lot on their ability shaking hands.
My line flying improved considerably.
After my input BEA sponsored courses as BOAC had done but selected a lot on their ability shaking hands.
My line flying improved considerably.
Here's my favorite picture of Joan Hughes:
When Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines was being filmed at Booker, Joan was hired to fly the underpowered Santos Dumont Demoiselle replica, because of her light weight!
When Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines was being filmed at Booker, Joan was hired to fly the underpowered Santos Dumont Demoiselle replica, because of her light weight!
Thread Starter
She flew wearing wooden blocks on her boots.
The only snippet she mentioned in my ear shot was dismounting from some hot ship and applying lippy much to the consternation of some senior officer.
Had a little scottie dog.
Had a little scottie dog.
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Someone had to write a thriller about it.......
Looking for something else to read during quieter times?
After a career in 3 airlines and musing on the 'whatever might have happened to MH370?' I wrote this thriller about a B777 heading for Australia - 'Taken Flight'
Why, it even includes chapters where a bunch of pilots speculate in an online chat room.
Published in Oct19, sold a few hundred, and now available worldwide on Kindle and many regions in Amazone paper back.
If you like it please leave an honest review.
getbook.at/amazon_allformats
thnx
Pen name: Iain Charles
After a career in 3 airlines and musing on the 'whatever might have happened to MH370?' I wrote this thriller about a B777 heading for Australia - 'Taken Flight'
Why, it even includes chapters where a bunch of pilots speculate in an online chat room.
Published in Oct19, sold a few hundred, and now available worldwide on Kindle and many regions in Amazone paper back.
If you like it please leave an honest review.
getbook.at/amazon_allformats
thnx
Pen name: Iain Charles
Thread Starter
Discorde
Apologies didn't realise your genesis was flat earth society as well.
For the first time in my life I have been rationing a good book. Did 3/4 in three non consecutive days and have spent the last fortnight not reading more than a couple of pages at a time; today being an exception. When it's gone it's gone as the irish fm radio advertisement pipes out on a daily basis!
A few names from our booker airways time are appearing. I can also equate some of his stories with other "Hamble Characters" involved in training and poncing amongst the first class. One of whom was the infamous "boyo" new on type who attempted to disconnect the throttles with the toga button on short finals; his welsh mitt managed to stop three going to the firewall.
Only another 10 pages to go..think I will throw myself off a cliff..with paraglider attached..and save it for monday inshallah.
For the first time in my life I have been rationing a good book. Did 3/4 in three non consecutive days and have spent the last fortnight not reading more than a couple of pages at a time; today being an exception. When it's gone it's gone as the irish fm radio advertisement pipes out on a daily basis!
A few names from our booker airways time are appearing. I can also equate some of his stories with other "Hamble Characters" involved in training and poncing amongst the first class. One of whom was the infamous "boyo" new on type who attempted to disconnect the throttles with the toga button on short finals; his welsh mitt managed to stop three going to the firewall.
Only another 10 pages to go..think I will throw myself off a cliff..with paraglider attached..and save it for monday inshallah.
Thread Starter
Discorde
Was a month after I thumped a T1 in and got O2 masks out with two stuck valves. The next week Stan Romaine gave me virtually all of the sectors on a 4 day block which gave me my confidence back.
I agree with BP, Mike's book is an excellent read. Not only has Mike a very wide experience of many different types of aircraft, but he is a very analytical and perceptive writer. He knows a lot about aircraft handling qualities, as anyone who has read his other book 'The Concorde Stick and Rudder Book' will know. And he is right to emphasise the tactical issues involved when operating Concorde, that was the difficult part. Also, anyone who has inside knowledge of some of the internal politics within BA will not be surprised by the account of the Concorde training lunch. It is all absolutely true.
