Meteor from the Cockpit - Britains first Jet fighter

I have usually enjoyed titles published by Pen and Sword books, as the quality of teir production is first class, and they usually have an interesting story to tell. After being somewhat underwhelmed by the last title of theirs that I reviewed, &qout;Meteor from the Cockpit" by Peter Caygill represents a welcome return to form. It was a book that I couldn't put down until it was finished, and revealed much I didn't know about the Meteor, particularly the high accident rate in early service.

Peter Caygill has done a fine job researching the history of the Meteor; I particularly liked the number of first-hand accounts from the pilots that flew it, which contained fascinating anecdotes that revealed as much about the RAF as they did about the plane itself.

The initial chapters cover the development of the Meteor, and the development of the various marks of the aircraft. It's clear from these chapters that the Meteor F.8 of 1950 was a significantly better aircraft on most respects then the Marks that went before. But despite this, it became clear during the Korean war that other aircraft had progressed further, and that at least in speed it was outclassed by the Mig 15. Nonetheless it flew a total of 15,000 sorties with some sucess, although 32 aircraft were lost during that period.

It was not only the Korean war that caused a number of aircraft losses. During the early postwar years RAF pilots displayed a "gung-ho" attitude, in which safety was much less of a concern then it would be today. One Pilot, Gus Napier, performed an aerobatic display in the early 1950's, which finished with a "square loop" which involved very high "g" at the corners. After landing safely, huge wrinkles could be seen around the centre section and along the wing, and after inspection the aircraft was scrapped!

Usually when I review books, it's easy to find negative points about the book in question, and I'm sure that there are reasons to criticise this one. But I've enjoyed it so much that it would seem churlish to do so!

If you have any interest in the Meteor, and it's service with the RAF, then this is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend!