This title is part social history, part personal memoir. It is the story of the 1960s era when a small group of Italian immigrants, led by Mario and Franco and all connected to each other, introduced Britain to authentic Italian cooking and to the 'Trattoria style' which transformed our food and restaurant culture.
For every 1,000 people who applied to be airline pilots in BEA/BOAC back in the day, about four made it. The other 996, plus their wives, parents, and children, might wonder how their lives could have turned out, so here is the story of one of the four. Besides, the passengers who sit behind that locked door and trust us with their lives must wonder, "What goes on up there, and how does it affect their lives and families?" My education included the University Air Squadron, then learning to fly at the College sponsored by British Airways. There is a chapter of general information on aviation, then most of the book is an account of my experiences, whether dramatic, disappointing, exciting, or amusing, during my varied career in British Airways. Some incidents occur within the cockpit, others in social interaction outside, and a few come from pilot folklore. I also describe visits to sights around the world, an aspect that draws people to aviation as a career, and interests everyone. I have added one professional pilot's opinion on aviation topics in the news, the mysterious Malaysian disappearance, and the Alpine tragedy, and finish with my lifelong interest in designing model aircraft.
Wie können Flugzeuge fliegen? Die Antwort auf diese Frage ist nur scheinbar einfach, denn in Wirklichkeit sind es viele Mechanismen und physikalische Phänomene, die beim Fliegen eine Rolle spielen. Seit seiner Jugend ist der Autor Alasdair Sutherland Modellflieger, hat dann Luftfahrttechnik studiert und später als Pilot große Verkehrsmaschinen geflogen. Anschaulich und leicht verständlich führt er den Leser in die Grundlagen des Fliegens und der Flugleistung eines Flugzeugs ein. So erfährt man alles über Auftrieb, Abriss, Widerstand, Momente, Schwerpunkt, Stabilität und vieles andere mehr. Nach der Theorie geht es zur Praxis und zu dem, was speziell für Flugmodelle wichtig ist: Tragflügelgrundriss und Schränkung, Steuerorgane, Kurvenflug, Trimmung, Leistungsoptimierung, Aerodynamik bei Kunstflugmodellen sind dabei nur einige Beispiele aus der Fülle der behandelten Themen.