From Vulcan to Spitfire and Back – A Life in Aviation by Bill Perrins, 187 pages HB, 47 black and white, 16 colour photographs, Fonthill £25, ISBN 987-1-03615-271-0
First of all I must declare an interest. Bill is a friend of long-standing and has helped with research into the story of No 13 AEF, of which his father, Ken, was a prominent member. When Bill sent me an early copy of his draft, I urged him to find a publisher. So I was predisposed to write a favourable review and have not disappointed myself!
It is written in a highly engaging and light-hearted style, which in no way detracts from the interest and authority of the views expressed of a ‘total aviation person’ with in excess 20,000 flying hours on the meter.
Bill is pretty much the same age as your reviewer, so his account of growing up in Belfast in the 1960s struck many a chord. He progressed from the Air Training Corps to a sponsored PPL at Woodgate and thence to the Jet Provost 3A, JP5A and Hawk, ‘bigger, faster, more fun and more difficult to get right.’
During a hold period in the training pipeline, he spent some time flying a Chipmunk for No 6 AEF, and so fell in love with the Chippie in particular and taildraggers in general. His descriptions of flying the Tiger Moth, Stampe, Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann, Yak 50, Harvard, Spitfire, P.51 Mustang and Extra 300 are clear, evocative and easily comprehensible to the layman/woman.
After fast jet training at Valley and Brawdy in the Hawk, it didn’t quite work out for Bill as a Phantom driver, he was restreamed to multi-engine types and really did not like the Jetstream. However, he did not suffer too much, as several years flying the mighty Vulcan were adequate compensation, including several very interesting weeks spent on Ascension Island in 1982, flying three back-up Black Buck trips (landing a fully bombed-up and fuelled Vulcan back at Ascension). His account of Red Flag exercises at Nellis is also fascinating.
Bill still had fast jet ambitions, became a QFI, and succeeded with conversion to the Tornado F.3, bringing time in the post-war Falklands and the Middle East during the First Gulf War. He was also very lucky to survive a mid-air collision with another Tornado.
His last F.3 sortie, which was also his last flight in the RAF, is covered in detail, giving the reader a real feel for the entire process ‘from soup to nuts’.
Moving to civil aviation, Bill was employed in turn by Monarch, Airtours and Virgin, flying the 757, 767, 747-200, 747-400 and finally, 787. Virgin would seem to have been Bill’s natural spiritual home.
He also found time to be an airshow display pilot, including of course, the magnificent Vulcan XH558. I have the video of his flyby of MLK. It is well worth a look. He also laid on a Society visit to Aldergrove for members to have a closer look.
The book is packed with stories and anecdotes, many of which are ‘laugh out loud’, look for: Mr Gullible, Mr Hoppity, Sir Henry in Trump Tower, muesli, bouquet garni, Happy Eater, cabin surfing, Tuk-tuking and unicycling.
In summary, great fun but with plenty of insight into flying as a career, a life well-lived. And finally, what lovely cover illustrations, front and back.
