From the Publisher: Grub Street is proud to present Meteor Boys, the latest title in its ever-popular Boys series. As Britain's first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor has had a remarkably varied and lengthy life. But whilst many books have focused on its development and service history, the time has come to hear the personal experiences of its air and ground crews. By interviewing over thirty veterans, author and Meteor veteran Steve Bond has written an incredibly detailed insight into this iconic aircraft, which is supported by anecdotes and accounts from those who knew it best. One example is Alan McDonald who described the Meteor as ‘a bit unforgiving if you got it wrong, as many pilots found out to their cost, especially on one engine, but I must admit I got to like it very much - it was a great adrenaline rush.' Alongside these entertaining anecdotes are details of the Meteor's origins and developments. Starting with the first deliveries in 1944 working through to the present day, Steve Bond documents the diverse role of the Meteor. From use in operations against the V1, photo-reconnaissance missions, as a training machine and later a display aircraft - particular attention is given to its major service period of the 1950s through to the early 1960s. The book also features photographs never seen before in print. This detailed history of this iconic and much loved jet fighter will appeal to all aviation fans.

Overview

Steve Bond takes the reader on a journey of the Meteor through the eyes of the pilots and crew that worked through the years. There are a lot of details about the aircraft, and firsthand accounts on what it was like from training, to piloting, to being a crew member and working on the plane daily. There are many outstanding pictures, including several color photos of all the variations of the Meteor aircraft through the years. You will be in awe of account after account of what it was actually like to be a part of the fabulous life of this jet aircraft. My personal favorite chapter was We Stalk By Night. I have always loved the look of the NF.11 and NF.14 variations of the Meteor that were part of the night sorties flown during the war. Some of the pilots saying it was dull flying at night and most times they would do more than one sortie at night just to make the time go away. One last neat attribute of this book is the pictures of some Meteor Boys that are alive today, with current photos.

The Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction and Acknowledgements
• The Tigers - 74 Squadron
• Day Fighter Zenith
• Weekend Flyers - The Royal Auxiliary Air Force
• We Stalk By Night - Nocturnal Meteors’
• Low and Fast - Fighter Reconnaissance
• Alone Above All - Photo Reconnaissance
• Challenging Times - Pilot Training in the 1950s
• Second Wind - Aircrew Training into the 1960s
• Targets and Taxis
• Air Displays and Earning Their Keep
• Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Operating Units

Steve Bond has done a great job with this book with many personal accounts of the people that were involved every day in the life of the Meteor. Highly Recommended. I would like to thank Casemate Publishing and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this book. I was not disappointed.