Philip Birtles has spent a lifetime in aviation. He started as an engineering apprentice at the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School in September 1957, and from there became PA to John Cunningham, de Havilland's chief test pilot. He then moved on to various marketing posts until 1993, when Hatfield Aerodrome closed. He has been an active volunteer at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum for over fifty years. Birtles has been building an extensive aviation photo archive since 1954, and has published some fifty books on aviation-related subjects, his most recent being 'Harrier: The World's First V/STOL Jet Combat Aircraft' in 2024.
Description
Introduction; Early Cold War Jets; Hunter; Lightning; Harrier; Phantom; Buccaneer; Jaguar; Hawk; Tornado; Typhoon; F-35B Lightning.