Profiles of Flight - British Aerospace Hawk

I was very pleased when I recieved a copy of this book; I've long admired the BAe Hawk as an aircraft that has proved efficient and adaptable, and one of the few foreign aircraft to be used in numbers by U.S. forces. Previous titles from this publisher have been excellent, so my expectations were high

This slim volume covers briefly the design requirements for the Hawk, and the period upto it's introduction into service. There is a fascinating section where the aircraft and it's abilities are assesed by Wing Commander Ian Dick, formerley the leader of the RAF Red Arrows, with points of comparison between it and the Folland Gnat that it superceded in that role.

There is a full description of the RAF training syllabus used with the Hawk to train Pilots for fast jets after they had graduated from BFTS (Basic Flying Training School). This is a significant part of the book, and those with an interest in that direction will find it fascinating, if a little over long.

The sucess of the Hawk has led to the development of many variants, and these are covered in the final written section; I would have liked this section of the book to be both longer and more detailed, but in fairness this is not what the book sets out to achieve.

I did enjoy the section of superb colour images of the various colour schemes used over the years, from the Hawk XX162 of 4FTS shown in it's 1980 livery, to the Hawk Mk 120 LIFT of the SAAF Combat Flying School in 2008 livery.

Those looking for a detailed reference work about the BAe Hawk will need to look elsewhere; this book will not meet their needs. Others will find value in the firsthand accounts of those who flew the Hawk, and the illustrations mentioned above.