Wings on My Sleeve

Eric Brown had an amazing life, full of daring adventures and a lot of flying hundreds of different aircraft. You can see the survivor bias at work: dozens of narrow escapes from death, while many a friend is killed in the line of duty. It makes for good stories.

The book, however, sometimes feels like a mere list of what happened, with little context or interpretation. I didn't really get an impression of Eric Brown as a person at all, or what it must have been like to live his life.

This is a completely revised edition (1st, 1961). The first edition was subject to 'security concerns' and much was omitted. Most of that material, plus later updating, has been restored to this edition. A superb book by one of Britain's foremost naval pilot and test pilot.

An exquisite classic, required reading for anyone with an interest in aviation.

softback

See my review dated 5 Nov 2012 on the Amazon website.