Phantom Boys

Once again Richard Pike has brought together brilliant, hitherto unpublished accounts across eighteen chapters. And now there is coverage of the Americans. So, with both British and American perspectives, Phantom Boys 2 is packed with exhilarating action. From combat in the Vietnam War to life after the Falklands War, readers will experience a variety of wartime and peacetime tales. An array of narratives from air and ground crew cover adventures across the world; from the UK, US and Germany to the Far East. It also includes the fascinating story of one female fighter controller's chance to fly in a Phantom during the 1970s. Throughout the book Richard Pike captures the drama and emotion of life in the cockpit. With such detailed stories, readers will be gripped by this captivating book.

"A cracking read" on the twin-engined supersonic long-range fighter bomber from the bestselling author of the Hunter Boys and Lightning Boys volumes (Britain at War). Originally developed for the US Navy, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 fighter-bomber first flew in the spring of 1958. It then entered service for the US Navy in 1961, and in 1969 with the Fleet Air Arm and RAF in the UK. Regarded as one of the most versatile fighters ever built, the Phantom F-4 was the US Navy's fastest and highest-flying aircraft. It was flown by both US military demonstration teams (Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thundercats) from 1969 to 1973. It ended its service in 1991 with the RAF. But it continues to serve a variety of air forces across the world, with some still in service fifty years after its first flight. Throughout the twenty chapters of this book, thirteen contributors will take readers across the world with adventures in the Falkland Islands, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Far East and Germany. There are anecdotes of reconnaissance missions, encounters with the Russian Tupolevs, record-breaking flights and life on HMS Ark Royal. The scope, flair and pace of the writing in this book will appeal to the general reader as well as to the enthusiast.