{"product_id":"tales-from-a-supersonic-fighter-pilot","title":"Tales from a Supersonic Fighter Pilot","description":"Tony ‘Pax’ Paxton decided on a flying career after a holiday flight at the tender age of 7\\. At 16 he had flown his first solo in a glider and at 17 had picked up his private pilot’s licence with the RAF’s Air Cadets. He was accepted for officer training by both the navy and the RAF, but a government decision about the future of aircraft carriers made it a simple choice.   Flying Jet Provosts, Gnats and Hunters, Pax overcame potentially career-ending problems to complete his military flying training. His selection for the Lightning force came with new challenges, but these were overcome and he flew the Mach 2 fighter for 10 years at home and overseas.   In 1981 the tri-national Tornado entered service with the RAF. Strike\/attack was an entirely new discipline for Pax, requiring different skills and techniques, but he was given a place on the world’s first Tornado squadron. From there he progressed to become an instructor, examiner and eight-ship formation leader for Exercise Green Flag in Nevada.   When the Tornado ADV entered service, a return to air defence flying was inevitable. A 23-year career flying supersonic fighters culminated in Operation Desert Shield based at Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. _Tales from a Supersonic Fighter Pilot: Booming Times_ is Pax’s thrilling and entertaining story of a life in aviation.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57536450920821,"sku":"9781036182939","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781036182939.jpg?v=1788186239","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/tales-from-a-supersonic-fighter-pilot","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}