Books by Tony Blackman

An in-depth look at these Cold Warera bombers, in the words of those who flew themincludes photos. The Vulcan, the second of the three V bombers built to guard the United Kingdom during the Cold War, has become an aviation icon like the Spitfire, its delta shape as instantly recognizable as the howling noise it makes when the engines are opened for takeoff. Vulcan Boys is the first book about this bomber recounted completely firsthand by the operators themselves. It tells the story of the aircraft from its design conception through the Cold War, when it played out its most important job as Britain's nuclear deterrent; it also reveals the significant role its bombs and missiles played in liberating the Falkland Islands, for which it gained much celebrity. These individual accounts detail how hours at a time were spent waiting to be scrambled to defend the country in the event of a third world war, and how pilots' aggressive skills were honed by carrying out Lone Ranger sorties flying to the United States and westward around the world, and taking part in Giant Voice and Red Flag, competitive exercises against the US Strategic Air Command. The attacks in the Falklands using Shrike missiles are described accurately and in great detail for the first time, including the landing at Rio de Janeiro alongside a vivid account of Black Buck 2. Vulcan Boys is a fascinating and completely authentic read reminding us of the Cold War, how it was fought, and the considerable effort required to prevent all-out nuclear war.

Following on from the success of Victor Boys and Vulcan Boys, Tony Blackman, in collaboration with Anthony Wright, brings you Valiant Boys to complete the V Force set. This is a fascinating collection of personal accounts of operating Britain's first V bomber by aircrew and ground crew.

The Handley Page Victor was the third of the three V Bombers and the most long lasting, serving in the RAF until 1993, and doing invaluable service in the first Iraq war. True stories from forty memorable years of the last V bomber.

Blind Landing is a detective mystery aviation thriller about the latest super jumbo aircraft that crashes at London Airport after a non-stop flight from Sydney. The story is woven around an aviation expert, Peter Talbert, his lawyer girl friend and the beautiful girl on the beach in Sydney who gives Peter the information he needs. The technology of the book is right up to date but the story is told in a way that makes it very readable to the non-aviation aficianado. A must read for any mytery lover.

This book is the fifth in an aviation mystery series featuring Peter Talbert insurance investigator. Two aircraft crash in fog on opposite sides of the World, in New York and Hong Kong. Talbert discovers that things are lot more complicated and dangerous than they seem. Meanwhile he applies to be Chairman of the new UK Transport Safety Board but again deceit is in evidence. The reader accompanies Talbert as he travels to Australia three times in tragedy and renewal, as he flies across Greenland and Iceland, and as he tries to sort his own life out as well as the aircraft. A must read book for all lovers of aviation, mysteries, crime and thrillers.

Flight to St Antony is a modern accurate aviation mystery/thriller where the detective Peter Talbert, an aviation insurance expert, is instrumental in solving the reason why an airliner with over two hundred people on board is forced to ditch at night in the Caribbean near the island of St Antony. There are only a few survivors, all from the rear of the aircraft and they were saved through the efforts of two stewardesses. Talbert is helped in his investigation by one of the stewardesses but the situation is complicated by the disappearance of one of the two crash recorders and the incorrect operation of the other. In addition a well know criminal and drug runner was travelling in the aircraft. By travelling to San Francisco, Seattle and back to the UK Talbert starts to gather valuable clues as to what might have happened. The stewardess is kidnapped and Peter not only manages to find and rescue her but also discovers the missing recorder. However the vital memory module with the conversation between the pilots is missing. Modern airliners are incredibly safe and it takes all Peter's expertise and understanding of human nature finally to establish what really happened. This is the fourth book in a series and Peter shows all his usual skills and aptitudes. A must read book for all lovers of crime, thrillers, mystery and aviation.

This book is a Bermuda Triangle Mystery. A modern airliner flying from the Caribbean to Bermuda carrying 10 priceless impressionist paintings disappears near Bermuda. Peter Talbert, aviation expert and working for the airline, investigates the loss of the aircraft. He meets an art insurance specialist who has no time for all the aviation experts making technical guesses of the problem but she finally realises that she must work with Peter if she has any chance of discovering what has happened. Together they watch the progress of the search, consider the circumstances and finally all is revealed. This book is the second of an ongoing series of aviation mysteries featuring Peter Talbert and Mandy, his solicitor partner , and will appeal to all who fly, not just aviation enthusiasts.

The Right Choice describes a competition between two manufacturers trying to sell their latest aircraft to an airline in the Philippines, both firms desperate to win. In the real world many tales are told about how such competitions are won and lost using every trick available. The contest in this book describes such a competition and the enormous pressures on the sales teams and demonstration pilots to win. The competing aircraft have to fly into small airfields in monsoon weather conditions, the critical airfield being on the side of a volcano surrounded by hills. Peter Talbert, aviation expert, is asked by the airine's insurance company to evaluate not only the airline but also the aircraft and finds himself a key player in the middle of the fight. Underhand methods are used in an attempt to win an advantage and the resulting deceit ends in disaster. This book is the third of an ongoing series of aviation mysteries featuring Peter Talbert and Mandy, his solicitor partner , and will appeal to all who fly, not just aviation enthusiasts.

No aircraft is absolutely safe. This book is about Aviation, from learning to fly, becoming a test pilot, flight testing, demonstrating on some of the third world's worst airfields, then specializing in Avionics and finally joining the Board of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, helping to formulate the regulations that the author had spent so many years living by. Many stories are told, including flying with the legendary Howard Hughes when the world thought him a mad recluse, and testing many aircraft including all three V Bombers, an almost unique experience. The book, well illustrated, makes the point that flying is inherently risky, that regulations always try to quantify acceptable risk, that safety is a cost, and that test pilots have to sell their aircraft and should not try to make an aircraft safer than the rules require. It emphasizes the almost unbelievable changes in aviation in one working lifetime, whilst painting a picture of a much simpler world, now gone beyond recall.