Air travel is an almost essential part of everyday life. A significant proportion of travelers are curious about what is actually happening on the flight deck. This book, based on forty years of personal experiences, takes the reader into the cockpit. Written in a humorous style, it relates incidents, accidents and some romantic attachments. The narrative includes the transport of a complete circus, a period spent flying for an African mining company, a brush with Nigerian authorities and a glimpse of the beginnings of the Package Holiday business.

ÿ After a harsh initial training as a Boy Entrant at RAF Cosford in the 1950s, Gerry Davis went on to serve 15 years in the RAF, mainly on Air Movements, before joining ?Civvy Street? and spending the rest of his working life in a demanding civilian post at Bristol Airport, when he also joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and served as Training Officer. His account of the adventures of a career spanning more than 44 years covers a wide range of experiences, from the amusing to the astonishing. A fascinating glimpse of the flying business from the inside.

Erich von Daniken claims to have never seen a UFO. But in the fall of 1987, on a desert ride, he experienced a close encounter of a very different kind. A being materialized before his eyes, and since the "thing" had no name, von Däniken called it "Tomy." This book is the story of Tomy. Some say that Tomy is a scientific impossibility. Yet Tomy was there, science or not. After all, Tomy had for a few weeks lived among us, and that was enough for plenty of interpersonal relationships. God knows that von Däniken was not the only one who had known Tomy; others could see him, as well. Now, after nineteen years of silence, von Däniken has decided to make public the incredible story of Tomy. Here, the bestselling author of Chariots of the Gods makes his foray into the world of fiction. Tomy and the Planet of Lies is a thrilling adventure novel that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

A suspenseful, multihued novel of Saudi Arabia as it¿s seen through the eyes of expatriates of various origins and social standings who have one thing in common: they are all leaving it forever, on the same plane hurtling toward its destiny.

'Lucid, poetic and fascinating' ALICE ROBERTS 'Engaging, authoritative and full of fascinating stories of the past' RAY MEARS 'A gentle, personal and very readable book' JULIA BLACKBURN AUTHOR OF TIME SONG ' A triumph!' JAMES CANTON, AUTHOR OF THE OAK PAPERS 'I loved this book' FRANCIS PRYOR On paths, roads, seas, in the air, and in space - there has never been so much human movement. In contrast we think of the past as static, 'frozen in time'. But archaeologists have in fact always found evidence for humanity's irrepressible restlessness. Now, latest developments in science and archaeology are transforming this evidence and overturning how we understand the past movement of humankind. In this book, archaeologist Jim Leary traces the past 3.5 million years to reveal how people have always been moving, how travel has historically been enforced (or prohibited) by people with power, and how our forebears showed incredible bravery and ingenuity to journey across continents and oceans. With Leary to show the way, you'll follow the footsteps of early hunter-gatherers preserved in mud, and tread ancient trackways hollowed by feet over time. Passing drovers, wayfarers and pilgrims, you'll see who got to move, and how people moved. And you'll go on long-distance journeys and migrations to see how movement has shaped our world.

The true story of the top-secret mission to capture the Russian billionaire arms dealer, the Merchant of Death: “This is James Bond meets Jason Bourne” (Bear Grylls, star of Man vs. Wild). Viktor Bout was the world’s foremost arms dealer. From his hideout in Moscow, he masterminded the sale of weapons to dictators, rebels, despots, and terror groups worldwide—supplying anything from AK-47s to state-of-the-art helicopter gunships and anti-aircraft missiles. Known as the Merchant of Death, he was hunted by MI6, INTERPOL, the CIA, the NSA, and more. But the former KGB officer was shielded by a Russian state that partnered in his dark dealings. Evading capture for years, Bout appeared utterly invulnerable. Then elite forces veteran Mike Snow, AKA The Bear, stepped forward. Snow had gotten to know Bout while working as a bush pilot in war-torn Africa. When the Drug Enforcement Agency approached Snow through a secretive, shadow network, they had one question for him: could he ensnare the Merchant of Death? This is the real-life tale of Operation Relentless, the classified mission masterminded by Snow and a team of DEA operatives. Based on first-hand testimonies, it is the thrilling tale of a manhunt that ranges from the jungles of Colombia to the streets of Moscow, from horrific bloodshed and tyranny in Afghanistan to a snatch operation like no other.

Vengeance of the oppressed... Pawl Paxwax was now Master of the eleven human families who rule the galaxy, and free to marry his loved one, the remarkable Laurel Beltane. But Pawl's happiness was to be short-lived. The many oppressed alien species who paid dearly for humanity's triumph were about to rise up in bloody retribution - with Pawl as their unwitting instrument. The Fall Families is the epic sequel to Master of Paxwax, an extraordinary interstellar revenge tragedy played out against an immense and powerfully imagined canvas of the far future.

Harris’ classic war novel of espionage in an extreme situation. Four men cling to a dinghy, praying for rescue before dying, or the enemy finding them. One man is injured; another is carrying a briefcase stuffed with vital secrets. This story charts the daring and courage of these men, their rescuers and a mission with awesome of consequences.

The Adjustable Spanner is the product of thirty years' collecting and original research, fired by Ron Geesin's acquisition of the SLIK adjustable spanner that hung in his father's garage. At the core of this book is a concise history of this much-maligned tool. Serious and comical observations parallel its chequered life, from its bent beginnings in the blacksmith's shop to over-designed and lovingly engineered treasures from the small Birmingham machinist. Around this core are discussions and findings about components and construction on the practical side, and patents, registered designs and trade marks on the design protection side. Emerging from history, we take a closer look at uses and especially abuses, immerse ourselves in an analysis of types and styles, and dive deeply into the histories of the inventors and makers. You will be amazed at the engineering diversity required to produce these most fanciful but essential supports to the Industrial Revolution. This entertaining account is the result of the author's findings, stemming from his collecting over 3,000 examples and will be of particular interest to engineers, those concerned with industrial history and collectors of hand tools. Superbly illustrated with around 300 colour photographs.