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Carrier Pilot

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Carrier Pilot

By: Norman Hanson
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
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About this listen

In 1942, Norman Hanson learned to fly the Royal Navy's newest fighter: the US-built Chance Vought Corsair. Fast, rugged, and demanding to fly, it was an intimidating machine. But in the hands of its young Fleet Air Arm pilots, it also proved to be a lethal weapon.

Posted to the South Pacific aboard HMS Illustrious, Hanson and his squadron took the fight to the Japanese. Facing a desperate and determined enemy, Kamikaze attacks, and the ever-present dangers of flying off a pitching carrier deck, death was never far away.

Brought to life in vivid, visceral detail, Carrier Pilot is one of the finest aviators' memoirs of the war; an awe-inspiring, thrilling, sometimes terrifying, account of war in the air.

©2016 Norman Hanson (P)2017 Tantor Air Forces Armed Forces Military Aviation War

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All stars
Most relevant  
There are many stories of the experience of war but this one is exceptional. The performance perfectly captures the author’s intent and delivers an understated but moving reading. Audible at its best.

One of the best of the genre

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Exciting and full of grim humour. Amazing account of life flying at sea. Highly recommended.

Fantastically well written

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Even without a war, flying from carriers has always been a dangerous business. With a war as well, and WW2 against the Imperial Japanese at that , this book brings home the sustained courage,and high level of skill required to fly Corsairs in the Pacific against a cruel and ferocious enemy.Norman Hanson was so lucky to survive. The descriptions of flying the Corsair,a complex,unforgiving but remarkable aircraft are gems of authorship.It would give a lot of today's snowflakes something to ponder, especially when it covers the loss of friends. A wonderful book

Flying from Carriers... a dangerous business.

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This book is a telling of the appalling losses of men and machine even before actual combat. The bravery of these men deserves far more recognition than they get. Very interesting book on the life of a man becoming a carrier pilot and the loss of most of his friends and for a change we get the British under a kamikaze attack.

A new perspective on a rarely mentioned group of men

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A truly terrific account, by an extremely brave pilot. Norman Hanson is a natural raconteur and that , together with the narrator’s accent brings a kind of Alan Bennett style this book. This in no way detracts, it only adds to the way in which it was written, by an air pioneer, largely making drills and routines up as he goes, with no Health and Safety Executive to stop him. A fantastic read, which leaves one feeling humbled and grateful for the services and sacrifices that Hanson and his colleagues made.

Fantastic, tragic, brave and, in parts, humorous

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A trully remarkable, first person account of volunteer Naval Aviators from the British Commonwealth. Their war appears to have been forgotten by the British Aviation historian establshment where RAF Fighter and Bomber Command activiins are the mainstream. This account describes the bloody Naval Air war that the Royal Navy fought in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. We will remember and honor the Ratings and Officers of the Royal Navy, mostly RN Reserve and RN Volunteer Reserve, who gave it their all, until they were, dead, wrecked or spent.. May their countrymen also remember and honor them.

Royal Navy CarrierNaval Aviation, Indian, Pacific

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An excellent dit on the Fleet Air Arm in WW2. Especially in telling the story of the Royal Navy in Far East including Java, Sumatra and the final push to Japan. Graphic description on Carrier operations

Well narrated tragic yet very humourous at the same time.

A very enlightening book on the Fleet Air Arm

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For those of us who have never fought in war it is almost inconceivable to understand how people experienced death, humour, dislocation, comradeship, without any of the "safe space" nonsense that afflicts the West today. These were brave men, and listening to Hanson's story is uplifting. Chris Macdonnell reads it well with clarity and empathy.

One man's war

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Do not get this expecting action packed dogfights and bombing runs - there isn't any. This is a book about adventure and flying at a time before computers and strict rules. it's fun, where the real enemy facing these guys is their ability to master their plane, before it kills them - and so many to my suprise it did. Having thoroughly enjoyed this story, one thing I barely noticed until the final chapters, was the complete lack of action from the enemy, and only 1 flight with any action Vs enemy targets were performed by the author in over 3 years of flying. Said like that, it's almost sounds a criticism, but it's not. His adventures around the world, every continent except Antarctica are very interesting, and varied. It's not just a case of finding women at every stop, like so many military memoirs tell. Here's where the bulk of the story lay. The amount of his friends that were killed in training or later in routine missions, through mistakes, accidents or engine trouble was horrific - at least 10-15 I recall, until a Japanese flak finally got into range to shoot at just 1, who thankfully aided by the wind as he parachuted down, was back aboard his ship for tea. The description of the action at the end of the book is very vague and 3rd person like, and it's unclear to me if his foot injury prevented him from taking part, and he didn't want to admit this, or if his emotions detached somehow, to try and deal with the pressures of war. Either way, my grandad was an aircraft mechanic over there, and like this author, were in a group who were lucky to be away from the front line for 99% of the time, and really enjoyed the war years, with the planes, places and comradely found in the services at that time. This joy and excitement shines through, and it makes a night and day Vs stories from soldiers who fought on the line, or even fighter pilots operating from UK or Germany.

A great adventure from a different era

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So much technical detail also day-to-day life of Navy pilots
Storyteller fantastic great

One of the best Second World War books ever

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