Vulcan Test Pilot

Description

Tony Blackman describes in layman's terms and with statistical back-up what it was like to tame the first prototypes and to master the unusual characteristics neccessitated by the Vulcan's shape. Tony puts the developments, demonstrations at Farnborough, incidents and accidents in their political and historical context, but as his story is a higly personal one, we also get true sense of the way he felt whilst he was flying the aircraft. His words, descriptions and hitherto largely unpublished photographs will make people feel as he did the excitement of handling such an incredibly powerful monster always in the knowledge that he had to be in complete charge at all time as the monster could and did bite back.

Tony Blackman was educated at Oundle School and Trinity College Cambridge, where he obtained an honours degree in Physics. He learnt to fly in the RAF, trained as a test pilot, and then joined A V Roe where he became chief test pilot. As an expert in aviation electronics he was subsequently invited by Smiths Industries to join their Aerospace Board, initially as technical operations director, helping to develop the new large electronic displays and flight management systems. On leaving Smiths he joined the board of the UK Civil Aviation Authority.