Ebook: From Fury to Phantom flying for the RAF, 1936-1970: the memoirs of Group Captain Richard 'Dickie' Haine, OBE, DFC

"Richard 'Dickie' Haine first went solo in a de Havilland Gipsy Moth during August 1935, after only one week of tuition. He joined the RAF shortly afterwards as a Direct Entry Sergeant Pilot and left the service in 1970 as a Group Captain, OBE, DFC. During his long career he flew an extraordinary variety of aircraft types, starting with small biplanes that were designed upon the philosophy gained during World War I and finishing with Britain's V Bomber force and American-designed fighters at the very edge of space.

His first posting was with No 25 Squadron flying Hawker Demons and Gloster Gladiators during 1936 until the unit was re-equipped with Bristol Blenheims and undertook a night-fighter role. These were difficult days during which the primitive radar system made it all but impossible to locate incoming enemy aircraft, but the squadron were also sent on several offensive missions over the recently invaded European countries. Haine was lucky to escape when his aircraft...