Author Description

This imaginary training flight takes place at the height of the Cold War. The book describes the rationale, the pre-flight preparations and the flight itself. The sortie takes place mainly in UK airspace as well as over the Atlantic. It includes a simulated high level bomb run, celestial navigation legs totalling some 1000 nautical miles, fighter/bomber affiliation including the use of radar jammers and evasive manoeuvres, low level simulated attacks including the relase of a practice bomb then return to base. The trip lasts over 5 hours. The writers of this book are all ex-Vulcan aircrew. John LeBrun, Pilot, flew Vulcans for some 20 years as a co-pilot, a captain, a flying instructor and finally an examiner. Anthony Wright, Navigator-Radar flew four tours on Vulcans including, as a talented and experienced operator, an instructor on the Vulcan Operational Conversion Unit. Jim Vinales, Navigator-Plotter had four Vulcan tours. His skills were much in demand and when on number 101 Squadron, won the USAF Strategic Air Command Navigation and Bombing competition in 1974. He was also involved in one of the series of Black Buck operations attacking the Stanley runway in the Falklands. Julian Grenfell, Air Electronics Officer, managed to accumulate thousands of hours in the Vulcan. Other than being most proficient in his job he specialised in Vulcan radar jamming, defensive equipment and evasive tactics. He is also one of only five people in the world who has gone supersonic in a Vulcan.