The pilot cutters that operated around the coasts of northern Europe until the First World War were amongst the most seaworthy and beautiful craft of their size ever built, while the small number that have survived have inspired yacht designers, sailors and traditional craft enthusiasts over the last hundred years.??Even in their day they possessed a charisma unlike any other working craft; their speed and close-windedness, their strength and seaworthiness, fused together into a hull and rig of particular elegance, all to guide the mariner through the rough and tortuous waters of the European seaboard, bought them an enviable reputation.??This new book is both a tribute to and a minutely researched history of these remarkable vessels. The author, perhaps the most experienced sailor of the type, describes the ships themselves, their masters and crews, and the skills they needed for the competitive and dangerous work of pilotage. He explains the differences between the craft of disparate coasts Ð of the Scilly Isles and the Bristol Channel, of northern France, and the wild coastline of Norway Ð and weaves into the history of their development the stories of the men who sailed them.??Written to complement the recent histories of pilot schooners and open boat pilotage, edited and written by the author, this book will be an essential addition to the libraries of historians and enthusiasts of traditional boats.??As seen in the Wiltshire Times.

In 1943, Norwegians formed their third squadron flying under RAF command: No. 333 Squadron. One of the chosen few to fly 'The Wooden Wonder', the revolutionary and deadly de Havilland Mosquito, was 21-year-old Finn Eriksrud. Eriksrud had traveled all the way across the world to end up in Scotland to fly the Mosquito after a hazardous escape from Norway. He would now fly over his native country on extremely dangerous low-level reconnaissance and patrol missions from May 1943 onwards. By December 1943, all of the original Mosquito pilots were either killed from flying accidents or shot down over Norway. That same month was Eriksrud's final mission with No. 333 Squadron. He was forced to ditch his Mosquito off the coast of Norway where he was taken prisoner alongside his navigator Erling Victor Johanssen. Eriksrud had not gone down without a fight. During those dangerous months, he had shot down a Junkers Ju 88, his navigator taking a snapshot before the German bomber crashed in flames.

This open access book examines the role of pilot and demonstration projects as crucial devices for conducting innovation in the context of the energy transition. Bridging literature from sustainability transitions and Science and Technology Studies (STS), it argues that such projects play a crucial role, not only in shaping future energy and mobility systems, but in transforming societies more broadly. Pilot projects constitute socio-technical configurations where imagined future realities are materialized. With this as a backdrop, the book explores pilot projects as political entities, focusing on questions of how they gain their legitimacy, which resources are mobilized in their production, and how they can serve as sites of public participation and the production of energy citizenship. The book argues that such projects too often have a narrow technology focus, and that this is a missed opportunity. The book concludes by critically discussing the potential roles of research and innovation policy in transforming how such projects are configured and conducted.

"In 1940, Germany invaded and occupied Norway. The exiled Royal Norwegian Air Force established a training camp for its recruits in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, known as "Little Norway." The air training camp moved to Muskoka Airport near Gravenhurst, Ontario, in 1942, and remained there until near the war neared its end. Little Norway's graduates distinguished themselves in overseas battles, flying in Norwegian squadrons of Britain's Royal Air Force. Many married Canadian women and returned to Canada after the war. Canada can be proud of the assistance it provided to Norway during a dark hour. Canada enabled the Norwegians to establish the air training camp in the country and provided advanced flight training to air crews through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Moreover, Canadians offered kindness and friendship to the young recruits, so far from their homes. This book tells the inspiring story of "Little Norway" and the young Norwegians who trained there."--