Those of you who have been following the reviews of ADHOC's 'From the Cockpit' series realize that all these books have several things in common. One is that they are (so far) all Royal Navy aircraft, have some of the best photos of the type to be in print, and are always a real delight to read.

This one on the Fairey Firefly is no exception.

Written by 'Joe' Norman, who flew the type with 796 squadron and 728B flight, as well as flying some of the last Firefly drone aircraft, you are treated to a full history of the aircraft, as well as those great 'sea stories' about operations and events in which the Firefly was involved. Many of these great stories have to do with things a bit outside the norm of aircraft ops and that makes them all the much more interesting. It includes some of the usual near disasters that accompany aircraft as well as some interesting war stories, as the Firefly was involved in conflict during its life span. I found the story of the current FAA historical flight Firefly to be especially interesting as I just couldn't imagine such co-operation happening today.

Though not as extensively covered, there are stories and images of the aircraft as operated by other countries, most specifically the Dutch Navy during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The book is more than 'I was there' stories. In its 136 pages are 211 superb photographs, and 16 outstanding pieces of artwork (profiles and four views). In line with others in this series, there is a listing of squadrons and other units that operated the aircraft. It is actually quite extensive as the Firefly was a long-serving type. I was quite surprised at the sheer number of units and was wishing that the book was a few more pages long so there would be representative photos of all the different units.For a fan of the Firefly, those are enough to justify the cover price. I found the entire volume to be an exceptional read and the layout provides for large quality images. It is a book that I can most highly recommend to you.

October 2007

My thanks to AdHoc for the review book. You can find these at your local hobby shop and if not, ask them to order them for you. You can also order direct by e-mailing them at www.adhocpublications.com

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.