FOLLOWING THE RED ARROWS ( On a Wing and a Prayer )

Edenbridge, UK: Newton Compton Editori. Very Good/No DJ. 1989. First Edition. Hard Cover. 8vo 1872308015 Laminated Illustrated Boards. No ownership marks. viii,134 pages clean and tight. FOREWORD "Carole Turner has been a fan of the Red Arrows for over a decade, and thoroughly deserves the title of "Number One Fan". I worked with the Red Arrows for four years; one year on Second Line, before moving on to First Line for three years. In 1986 we had the Far East Tour to Indonesia, and after that, travelling around Europe did not have the same appeal! Then in 1987 I met Gill Howie - she was part of a fan club who call themselves "The Friends of the Red Arrows", and later that year, through Gill I met Carole. Between the two of them, they mangaged to change my attitude to what was then "just a job" - that of flying in the backseat of a Hawk with Red 7, Flt Lt Adrian Thurley. They made me appreciate what is a once-in-a-lifetime job. How many people can say that they have flown with the Red Arrows? ( Although we never flew backseat during displays ). Not many! Adrian would let me fly the jet on transits between airfields, and the stories I told the girls always made them green with envy! During 1987 my skills improved to such an extent that I was regularly flying alongside Charlie McIlroy (about 15 feet away) and much closer than some of the other backseaters would dare!!! In 1988 I took Carole's handwritten manuscript to Cyprus with me where I read it while sunbathing. To me it was a compelling story; once I started, I hated having to put it down again to do something else, and was always trying to get back to it. Carole has even managed to convert the Groundcrew into fans, and once you have read the book you will become a fan of the World's best Aerobatic Team (I have seen none better in my travels!) THE RED ARROWS." .