Nichol tells the story of the brave men who risked their lives testing those early devices, and interviewed the first British pilot to eject back in 1949, when ejection, from pulling the handle to being under the parachute, took thirty seconds.

Lastly, as I began the book I thought that this would make for an excellent recommendation for my friend’s son-in-law who flies off an American carrier and is due home on leave at Christmas. John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed epics, including Spitfire, Lancaster and Tornado, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.For me , the amount of technical information was just about right and it was great reading about one of our leading edge companies that develops fabulous products that are sold at home and abroad. As a final aside, I love the design of these books and how good they all look together on the shelf! I understand I can change my preference through my account settings or unsubscribe directly from any marketing communications at any time. If I had a any criticism at all, it would be that the people who maintain these seats day in day out get short shrift- this is all about the occupants. At its end I could only reflect on the nature of war and the risks we ask our pilots to take on and whether technology will advance so much that seat technology will be rendered obsolete with pilotless aircraft.

He devised and presented 2 series of Survivors, interviewing newsmakers who have been through life changing experiences. Without doubt by its very nature there must be a constant battle between aircraft/missile performance and the safe deliverance of aircrew from an aircraft that is too fast, fatally compromised, too low, spinning too much, taking cannon shells or is on fire and for this reason no doubt work will continue. John is the best-selling author of Tornado Down, five novels, and the highly acclaimed WWII history books, The Last Escape, Tail-End Charlies and Home Run.While I can see that the ejectees are the focus, there was a similar slant to 'Spitfire' and particularly, 'Lancaster'- these are books that are clearly written by a flyer, about other flyers, and the people on the ground could do with a little more mention.

If you don’t recognise the name, you will certainly remember the face: John Nichol was the navigator on the RAF Tornado shot down over Iraqi territory on the first day of the First Gulf War in January 1991. Nichol is perhaps at his best in his account of the early work of the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, the pioneering British manufacturer of ejection seats, whose products – as of the date of publication – have saved 7,681 lives. It was partly due to the death of Squadron Leader William Davie, a 25-year-old test pilot who died after attempting to bail out of his Gloster Meteor in August 1943 – plummeting through the roof of a hangar at Farnborough – that prompted the Air Ministry finally to commission Martin to come up with a workable British system.A few days later, having been beaten and tortured, images of Nichol and his pilot John Peters were broadcast around the world. The story is chronological from the early days of the seats being developed- a ripping yarn in itself, with some fantastic characters testing them- and then moves forward through several aerial conflicts, and other incidents in between. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you.

John is a member of The Royal British Legion's Gulf War Group helping veterans with Gulf War Syndrome and a patron of the British Ex-service Wheelchair Sports Association. I'm not sure that we need all of the graphic detail of Vietnamese attrocities against US fliers, that was really the makings of another book altogether. We see how the technology was adapted when the prospect of crashing in North Vietnam was sometimes preferable to ejecting and risking capture; what happens to the body when it is catapulted from an aircraft under great force; how an ejectee can be rescued from enemy territory.

He apparently kept them in the fridge at his factory, “causing those looking for milk during tea breaks no little distress”. The tales they told about, of course, being lucky to be alive were accompanied by lifelong disability and regrets like the poor young woman who would have loved to have been able to wear a skirt and a nice blouse - an option forever lost to her. is fuelled by dramatic, deeply moving and previously unheard first-hand accounts by ejectees and their families. This rather begged the question of whether the human body could in fact withstand the force of the explosion. During 15 years service in the Royal Air Force John Nichol served as a technician and, after being commissioned from the ranks, as a Tornado Navigator in both the Air Defence and Ground Attack roles.