Ward, Wyndham: The Life of a Cold War and Red Arrows Pilot

Wyndham Ward grew up determined to fly despite all odds. He started out as a mechanic's boy with the RAF and rose to become a Junior Joe fighter pilot in the legendary Hawker Hunter, even though he had made almost every mistake imaginable during air combat training. The Cold War threat was high, and Ward was transferred to serve with high-speed Buccaneer low-level aircrafta dangerous assignmentflying with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Ark Royal, where he eventually mastered the hair-raising catapult launches and the art of wobbly landings. After his active service, Ward received an unexpected transfer to the Red Arrows aerobatic team in a significant year 1979 when the Gnat was replaced by the Hawk. This is the story of a life in aviation, from eager youth to leader of an attack formation, with an insider's view of life in the squadron, camaraderie in the mess, mistakes made during training, and the tensions of frontline service during the Cold War. It reveals the inner workings of the Red Arrows during a year of extraordinary pressure, when the nation expected something truly groundbreaking with new jets and a redesigned air show. Throughout this time and later in his extraordinary career in civil aviation, Ward's youthful enthusiasm never faded; this book is above all a testament to the joy of flying.