Synopses & Reviews
A memoir of a life in aviation, from a wartime boyhood to a career in the U.S., UK, and South African industriesRecalling a wartime boyhood in which aircraft flying constantly overhead played a large part, this memoir explains how that experience led to a lifetime career in the aviation industry, in the UK, U.S., and South Africa. Mixed with events of a more personal nature and often told with whimsical humor, the author has evocatively captured the rise and demise of Britain's aircraft industry in the post-war period. It's non-technical style will appeal to those whose memories embrace the sound barrier-breaking years and the leap of faith and technology that saw Concorde defeat the Americans in the race to produce a practical supersonic airliner. The author highlights differences between the different countries' design environments, and includes excellent photographs from his private collection and unique sources.
About the Author
Colin Cruddas worked for the Blackburn Aircraft Company as a senior systems engineer on the Buccaneer flight test program, next worked in the United States for Boeing and McDonnell Douglas as a design engineer, and then returned to the UK as deputy head of Concorde Powerplant Technical Group. He is now a consultant historian/archivist at Cobham PLC and the author of 100 Years of Advertising in British Aviation.