Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record
From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record
From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record
Ebook406 pages5 hours

From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A Royal Air Force pilot chronicles his career flying during the Cold War in this memoir featuring previously unseen photographs.

It was supposed to be just a training flight. The two Soviet-manufactured MiG 21s, each with two practice bombs and four air-to-ground rockets, were lined up on the runway in Bangladesh at the height of the Cold War, when air traffic control suddenly reported an incursion by Indian Air Force Jaguars. Though ill-equipped for combat, the two MiGs were scrambled.

One of the MiGs’ pilots was an RAF officer—Squadron Leader Russell Peart. On a seven-month loan to the Bangladeshi Air Force, Peart suddenly found himself at the centre of the simmering hostility between two neighbouring nations. By the time they reached the area that had been threatened by the Indian pilots, the Jaguars had gone. Later, when Squadron Leader Russell Peart spoke of the incident to the British High Commissioner, he was told not to shoot down any Jaguars as the Indians had still not paid for them!

Russell Peart flew many other aircraft in his varied career, including the MiG 19, and while a test pilot at Boscombe Down trialled such designs as the Tornado GR1. But it was whilst he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force, particularly during the so-called “Secret War” in Dhofar, that he saw the most action. In that theatre the author flew some 200 operational sorties, 180 of which involved live fire, during which he was hit many times. He was also hit and wounded by a 75mm shell.

Russ Peart has written in detail of his exciting RAF career, from flying Lightnings in the Far East to winning the top prize in the International Tactical Bombing Competition against a handpicked team of United States Air Force fighter pilots and being awarded the Sultan of Oman’s Distinguished Service Medal. Supplemented by a selection of previously unseen photographs, this uniquely original memoir throws new light on the operational flying undertaken by some RAF pilots during the tense years of the Cold War.

Praise for From Lightnings to MiGs

“Absorbing and highly entertaining. . . . I have no hesitation in recommending From Lightnings to MiGs as an engrossing and enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in military aviation.” —RAF Historical Society

“There’s some pretty jaw-dropping stuff in here.” —Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 13, 2021
ISBN9781399007481
From Lightnings to MiGs: A Cold War Pilot's Operations, Test Flying & an Airspeed Record

Related to From Lightnings to MiGs

Related ebooks

Related articles

Reviews for From Lightnings to MiGs

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    From Lightnings to MiGs - Russ Peart

    \dbook_preview_excerpt.html}ێFpl l}`(rKtaf0ddfHJey!SKZ{rO]IeǾ} px㋃FZ_|_|'Wס/^ǾᇯS_Ǜbm1|14Pn+~u㇂O8zT{V};8 x{*v#Ͼ-{׏bLvt}_>49Aun,\Q\=;BO?hIf]F_N_ HTȤ0n~*؎Q־QH_c` vA:+:`8aCOx|x/jK\X=my^⌷8َn3V:MѸ%Wk`ėM[ 2UzWPŝmSq[in>3x'N2V}S(CGLwxpf%d =`1S E'؇%9 tw ^U{]=qF09v1#hq~q {y;#"֕0$N{#y.Q3I$b_4$ 񄑾 ku[AF~z>pox1 Jpԏ1@PLum:F-x<_ I?m@{6HqwrthBa~G׎[BnÃK#ڨ]_7+1gQ58CףHkhRI)8a)/{,ycEf R_~j[p_t-7&PGMG@/g=;/ 9Pe]ŲE=myP連`6L|޼>6T,\=D*e~/txr726;%K4P#8FqM7ƕ؞ M6 q0G@o"~| =duKZ9;uR {һFe,'%8^8Z$Ƈn@=@X1giqd'=;iHSy8OvZ5fdd3lc]ǣ# 6:)/d\]=Gw/:dms`z;1(ܖb4.>`C8dsuM[|?k03|K;3|>tȵ`n!\O>/6ʦz==-.PqX*aXxd (= U[OBS R> P?츨5hCə"o,^.~ ,(Qq.yƬ?}ΏlUu񵜻AI-)}+ãn7LUpÁRmfXBAR؅#SgŜB~Zؗ*r:wxBFi?MCǑf_F0'(xZ2oԁ ]3zWcTGIbi ,WŭՔ=&=A+0(쳚 c\Rу;@ ] jLTpUZT'&$},,XY+=;.'z~gʙ̗iXN_(H+q; 3k{QcX t]123I OD1mD,vOK8Dw5k6E€ذp޵go&9M@ulh:NMw|ӵG*XI5S-_By9ض<<#;u" L)PP;GSn& 0 c0Wr9C -uďZWv&QFDoqdmˉud?a]BLTQ,"2/CGaKQ<} SK ی˝.!.=ƌ},0 Q OKrG?eĘSU V>?=狸}S*X+ ~K~_ ?A]-,~dߢv8O}$ (TS0PĐ64Fls,ju=z#&oa Dq9lN4\~Wū{ߙdfU~ibZOǍm LZUx' yc;5njoJazUX%N.qW~7~s%NO,+7-[1+OE+ $: gdF5hßzW I+-h+쨧K?$|KzHE):7h@ZwKD@sX-bT|qL䵩: $AwLu6&[l Gi{=/Rvױdu(Tw݌nG$'\ֺ+wmTahgI%.QBQ‘2r8#E8^̍ HZ6ŵ&qvbJ&5e*oRNqwx54 b(j ² 䋗J@=,}0tP|گyz^-`d˯P:ݰp41&/G %$^c %y+&9t@ ]BNx5rVk4_V j.@c:j+z\F%]B'eᾥtƀ~ԅJD$@E}/ŤE{!{C)ۨVLtv& 1H ?Vا;x11-˺e>:xC%up(G0.ypWfZ4!n%z?g]r (jqK5vNyyz5@f&3l;Yd7}0B7؈Fw|< =VCUhNJә}4TV|oErnh:M5]˜, `*j;:<GNbY]<$G81͊1aB(cU=#z¦ɹh-2v+DZj,}@R.esU^ǜyγ&}R)lv -皑ؚXFq~GbZ94ׁv/X7ĩlW:q7M*hġB }@9_}CM}yIz宗BnR0T΀߇QFZdO&_=8mTf5.wY\}$qF֓ATǽ]u6DS3%ͷ6BV x} Q#Vkh n)FfjpBw=[i?ي,s9 AfW`1@r>\pvatϔ*5JZ蛜z2R԰&?q@[OSO##}ZԆ?uq}w Df\ +C0Ƣyr {@L{R/D{_\WVI3摟e/R/h@<1KINQ3 1{PfGRxqslAL@ W72}j̓@:XP|W#G2^<&Jb`Jik}-tX2RC˧Uv|}122I'1s 0a#8DthNbV<23 rţ= f.ds|`w@i7}eaJQZXmTA"e;@Sz\9nVOۆ) "mPFMFho]DWu.C2YZKFnH dL$N?>i`Su(i/ /^~T~T#.}kH;ѻ97'\$w}<1fX${3VG 1Yτ$$ns:B:a/ռW.ˆ tl p*,I}KjA꓿>ٲM@%Z+o){r9l%0nS/ANd<ךYrDKJ!;VK.pSӟwvfh4J"_W~1t9=־٤l"DJs7Ux' >X"SQ9VucjA*\ӨEۥ(Iꦸƿ9U0 zj5?!Tr9ndI<\` QLBID6%sʌ{TgB'y0~Rd+0JRaގŎ,uXΏR!@[eQYŸ! z8$oC8E<H A 1Im'gjQ/&tqM(X nڔ'vY\:崈wt9nQf}rQ?')B%B$ϔ!n_=kYqI Bas!j7u8(`2κicEM - qYd&ł<,,ŸxJ4VIשʄ!XpQ!SwJH/5BHҨ}d^'4U$q 쫒F^m7I6 $^yKvMz(dOKA+giH4NhҔ"&9b3~)?ȸ&0qLoE;QHMyR'e>GA}khҖh[hUгdYcq%K s9/pDȍXd}GY;Q t8/*-5`/+#acĶEƗ)mPlrR{iRJ6z.w2Hw%-~z5b1,KGV=\8f.Zea!⺋YOhSF,=nǹ1:>v~YSʡ_sܲM;RR@G#aVi.9/2%-,M2V|ܢ9n8ry;LYJ->&zOSzS> :tF~>\CB:uuxD'+tχ 'Ըf h9=d'"A*KS=O]R-&gJ\\=y5UfH%>=\2muk)YP E.,&Ro1P^Z@E+Tb)Ʒ(UO OÚ1B[a3Dz%Sdi+yʥ,;j.9:-~)I<5 N-h?Q ԢQ 2uubH:(ޥ ۄv>v&]Ʉd4(RO5 {*WKjcJhFVgсMG dǿ,jj-EW?Q)e ,c3bVUI=Ca ;Eu^pXzqZ݆9$Q>+ѝ'#naTm;N5B]k4 qʘK: ~LJ36]Ye$Y2xR&R^k2S el}ICIŽ+qq;=[yVAfh!9x- +UR.  s]Q~hR,fsDl'vҦj:{jkBҚ}RC<>3٭?xPeq28";#mC\M?ޱx(6^7a[39EO )skf"f' @ent[ձuBssJ@$P$[Pi9h \=&"-lznO3 27\mR iJpRBbh6&9mxNdDjko[~V8Hv@CFJ*`;ɱwŹPs<滠*.$(_ݔ@>2atZ?<3ھr!'3NsWZ ӼǙ !{ꚅٷekxFDWJ\eS@8eb㥰4eT|:Mvw;)'}ɑ@.(&Wۋ' ;ֆk)/ejq_b%bX PK|G'sjHfDkW5G6&J7%·$@M{ H+@7 XcLw?_ Z !%i ͭG Ju"Te*>6%[c,R 'U&/cLZ04}5=0,pe $[DXns N;=Im; sWֳ  6%"V&.KEe=4UXmnnsziKR9Aq7Ѱdv9Mvp;z|(}wL 'đUȋuysG34&>\Dx[K麾%,$5HzQXZ8 :$Ldg8@s1{3b iK3#XYX쎼Ժ:I2KPt9+CzJS#DfHGҳQ|>oFXT-%+e`m)sYώgқ`fvZ8n*̵")pv+%%e>Ƿ^ݷhρti Gi[U?UrF[wuvnr]?XWY|E9ʧNWLUԥ"]'K/i [a Cks2fP9"L% /CHv߻-UcXL "3Lhrg%].-L]\5RRpjtIUD%j&wR&,ri}T0I~;aXMz]I6!\ [|ժb R칙\_OU]ZQ+hL7F]Jk`5vsM/Z c[[Q qE?*;~F7tlEXS$M7+F-*YԶ>7mm ą9rCsQޤs9XIzT"-C;g 2&߲`7,XPVQ'Ij udMۻ{)shEIݛn5k&zy!7r!ۻEߕ&j[ukf{M0@(<$oqY*w@;U8n|̥rD_S;Od7H.tǨeZ#_gMԔR:wZ.7}%1bY:Z+P={}zʑˀjvE$(VYGrou{8Ⱦro˫5H(׊ȭPPIo/(XQ)FjIjMMR#.ٝ5'OuzE0Q9F":IJuDa
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1