Synopses & Reviews
The day-to-day insights of a brilliantly daring World War I ace that only ends with his death at the age of 23 . . .James McCudden was an outstanding British fighter ace of World War I, whose daring exploits earned him a tremendous reputation and, ultimately, an untimely end. Here, in this unique and gripping firsthand account, he brings to life some of aviation history's most dramatic episodes in a memoir completed at the age of twenty-three, just days before his tragic death. During his time in France with the Royal Flying Corps from 1914 to 1918, McCudden rose from mechanic to pilot and flight commander. Following his first kill in September 1916, McCudden shot down a total of fifty-seven enemy planes, including a remarkable three in a single minute in January 1918. A dashing patrol leader, he combined courage, loyalty, and judgment, studying the habits and psychology of enemy pilots and stalking them with patience and tenacity.Written with modesty and frankness, yet acutely perceptive, Flying Fury is both a valuable insight into the world of early aviation and a powerful account of courage and survival above the mud and trenches of Flanders. Fighter ace James McCudden died in July 1918, after engine failure caused his plane to crash just four months before the end of World War I. His success as one of Britain's deadliest pilots earned him the Victoria Cross.returncharacterreturncharacter returncharacterreturncharacter REVIEWS returncharacterreturncharacter...a welcome reissue...a thrilling account of the air war and a percipient insight into daily life of a pilot.Cross and Cockade, 05/2010 ...Fans of World War I British Ace James McCudden who seek a good account of his life will find it in this autobiography....a good collection of photos of McCudden and some of the airplanes he flew, as well as photos of some of the aircraft types he fought against. Over the Front, 11/01/2010