Flying with a Shark: And Other Tales from the Fleet Air Arm

Flying with a Shark is a short collection of true stories from Neil Hawkesford’s time as a young sailor in the Royal Navy during the 1970s. It’s honest, funny, occasionally chaotic – and often a bit daft.From the infamous training regime at HMS Ganges to flying with the Navy’s aerobatic helicopter team, these six tales offer a glimpse into a vanished world of Cold War military service. It wasn’t always pretty, and it definitely wasn’t politically correct – but it was never boring. Inside you’ll Death-defying flights with the legendary Sharks display teamJet-powered bicycles (yes, really)Life rafts that exploded – and not in the way they were meant toHelicopter launches in North Sea stormsTraining that pushed boys to their limits – and sometimes beyondThis isn’t a grand memoir. It’s a handful of stories told by someone who was there, doing a very small job in a very big machine – packing parachutes, servicing life rafts, keeping pilots alive, and trying not to make too much of a fool of himself along the way. If you’re curious What life was really like for the lads below decksNaval aviation in the pre-digital, pre-health-and-safety eraThe humour and humanity that kept people goingThen this little book might be for you. "It was a different Navy and a different world back then… This book tells it like it was." Neil Hawkesford served in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1975 to 1978. These are his stories – told simply, and as honestly as memory allows. Flying with a Shark is a tribute to the men who served, and a reminder that even in the middle of a Cold War, it was still possible to laugh out loud.