WW2 ace Capt Eric Winkle Brown DSO DFC signed hardback Book Duels in the Sky. WW2 Capt Eric Winkle Brown DFC AFC ...

WW2 ace Capt Eric Winkle Brown DSO DFC signed hardback Book Duels in the Sky. WW2 Capt Eric Winkle Brown DFC AFC signed scarce loose De Havilland Sea Hornet. Biography Card. 7 x 5 inch special edition Printed card with border. Captain Eric Melrose "Winkle" Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS (21 January 1920 - 21 February 2016) was a British Royal Navy officer and test pilot who flew 487 types of aircraft, more than anyone else in history. Brown held the world record for the most aircraft carrier deck take-offs and landings performed (2,407 and 2,271 respectively) and achieved several "firsts" in naval aviation, including the first landings on an aircraft carrier of a twin-engined aircraft, an aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage, a jet aircraft, and a rotary-wing aircraft. Brown flew almost every category of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force aircraft: glider, fighter, bomber, airliner, amphibian, flying boat and helicopter. During the Second World War, he flew many types of captured German, Italian, and Japanese aircraft, including new jet and rocket aircraft. He was a pioneer of jet technology into the postwar era. This is a classic book by Britain's best test pilot and the man who has flown more types of aircraft than any other. The book briefly tells the story of naval aviation in WWII- there is not much new in this part, but the information holds the narrative together nicely. There are black and white illustrations which are satisfactory, but this is clearly not a modern book. The book is worth buying for two reasons- one is that aircraft are compared in a combat scenario in its historical setting rather than a simplistic "top trumps" approach. The other is that Captain Brown often flew the planes and when he says that a Corsair is no match for a FW190 (you would not think so from the performance statistics) he can add "I have flown both aircraft many times". The book is brief, and I read it in a couple of hours. Some readers will not agree with Captain Brown's views (and he has not much to say about the mighty P-47 Thunderbolt) but readers with sufficient expertise to argue will still find much to educate and enjoy. There are some minor technical errors in the book and Captain Brown seems more impressed by an eight-machine gun armament than modern authors. The book (first published in 1988) is now dated- modern texts often have better presented data and this book is thin on graphs and performance envelopes etc. The book also predates the high-fidelity combat flight simulations that are available for the enthusiast. Brown's review of these would a have been a revelation! A reader needs at least some familiarity with aircraft to get the most out of the book otherwise they will find some terms used baffling. Apart from these quibbles, the book was just a joy. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99