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NEVER IN ANGER
By Anthony 'Bugs' Bendell |
An imprint of Orion Books Ltd, Orion House, 5 Upper St Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9EA |
'Bugs' Bendell joined the Royal Air Force in 1953 just as the service was converting to jets.
His career spanned thirty-four years and in that time he became one of the best fighter pilots
of his generation.
He racked up more than four thousand hours in aircraft as varied as the Tiger Moth, the
Harvard, the T33, the Vampire, the Hunter and the Mach-2 capable Lightning, Republic's
F-105 and the Phantom F4. His distinguished flying career encompassed the foremost
interceptors and ground attack aircraft of the day. It was a time of massive technological
advance; from subsonic, cannon armed fighters to supersonic, multi-role jets loaded with
missiles, computers and radar. NEVER IN ANGER is full of the excitements and risks of
flying some of the world's most famous fast jets.
Bendell's career took him to Canada, Germany, North Africa, Cyprus and, in a remarkable
testament to his skill as a pilot, to the USA where he instructed American pilots on the F105.
It was while serving on detachment with a Phantom squadron in Norway in 1970, that he began
to experience loss of his sense of touch and bouts of exhaustion. Some eight years later after
presenting more serious symptoms including double vision, partial paralysis and lack of
co-ordination, he was eventually diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. He was forced to
retire in 1987.
Like thousands of other men who served in Britain's armed forces over these years, Bendell's
story is one of quiet endeavour and extraordinary achievement. But it is also a story of
personal courage in the face of a debilitating disease.
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ISBN: 0 75281 796 5 |
Price £17.99 in UK only |
Published in association with The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund |
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