Harrier How To Be a Fighter Pilot, Paul Tremelling
Harrier How To Be a Fighter Pilot, Paul Tremelling
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Harrier: How To Be a Fighter Pilot

Author: Paul Tremelling

Narrator: Finlay Robertson

Unabridged: 9 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 04/28/2022


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

Paul Tremelling was just seven years old when he watched the Royal Navy's Sea Harriers leave their home base in Somerset to do battle against the Argentine Air Force in the Falklands War. Two decades later he would join this exclusive club, one of an elite band of Fleet Air Arm fighter pilots, charged with standing in the way of Her Majesty's enemies.

This is the story of what it takes to make it in the dog-eat-dog arena of fighter combat. In the cockpit or crew room, the pressure is relentless, the humour merciless. It's no place for the faint-hearted.

Whether landing on a pitching aircraft carrier deck in the middle of the night or screaming in to save the lives of heroes under fire in Afghanistan, there was no room for self-doubt; only honesty, confidence and do-or-die hard truth. Big Boys Rules.

In return Tremelling and his fellow airborne warriors enjoyed levels of exhilaration and job-satisfaction that would almost unimaginable in any other walk of life.

Either Winston Churchill or George Orwell (or maybe neither of them ...) is reputed to have said 'we sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm'.

For nearly twenty years, Tremelling was one of those men. And never happier than when he was in the cockpit of the legendary British jump jet.

Combining visceral action with sharp intelligence, laced with acerbic humour, Harrier pulls no punches in bringing to life the hi-octane, unforgiving world of the fighter pilot, in the air and on the ground.

Strap-in ...

© Paul Tremelling 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark on January 22, 2023

It's difficult for pilots - especially fighter pilots - not to come across as a bit smarmy and arrogant. The author does a good job of being self-deprecating, whilst explaining just how elite his cadre is. It's interesting that the Royal Navy pilots and their crews are close in a way that the RAF on......more

Goodreads review by Tom on November 09, 2023

In summary, I've enjoyed reading this book, which is quite good overall, but I recommend the hardcover or the paperback edition over an electronic version. The author describes multiple aspects of a pilot career, from the training to the end of flying and all the other steps in between, like changing......more

Goodreads review by Tom on May 22, 2024

It's okay. It opens the argument as to whether memoirs by people whom readers aren't familiar with are a good idea or not. What Mr Tremelling does well in that regard is keep things strictly to his professional career and leaving personal details to one side. Very little information about him outsid......more

Goodreads review by Mark on December 01, 2023

I listened, I think the paper version would have been useful, assuming there is a glossary for all the acronyms. There are introductions to most acronyms but it did get tedious during the listen to try to comprehend some of them. That said, some great dits and the author tried hard to convey the dif......more

Goodreads review by Martin on May 15, 2022

I have no military background but was a teenager when the harrier featured so well in the Falklands war, so was interested in a bit more information about it. This book is written as a collection of stories and is all the better for it. There are plenty of acronyms, as you might expect, but a full e......more


Quotes

This is a searingly honest, keenly observed, well written and extremely funny military memoir and a must read for anyone interested in the tight brother and sisterhood of fast jet jockeys. It's a rare insight into a world hidden from view by operational security and corporate PR and all too often only revealed years too late . . . It's insightful, unapologetic and, at times hilarious RAF News

This isn't a book for the faint-hearted. It is a book for anyone who appreciates insight into how a fighter pilot trains, trains more, thinks (fast), handles the aircraft and onboard tech . . . then fights Flyer Magazine

The storytelling wouldn't be out of place in a thriller. If you are going to take one book on holiday it has to be Harrier . . . it's a superb read. You won't be able to put it down Aerospace

A wild ride. This is the literary equivalent of injecting pure adrenaline into your brain via your eyeball. Taut and lean. It’s a blast from start to finish Aviation Historian