Rescue Pilot JerryG

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To ExFAAWAFU - Thanks for the book purchase. Love to know what you think of it when you've had time to read it. I never served on 819 but your guys were of course the last to pick up anybody alive on the day of Fastnet '79 after the long transit down to Cornwall from Prestwick. I was heavily reminded of this by Nick Ward last month (Author of "Left for dead") when we met up for the BBC radio 4 programme "Reunion" http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05q5ynq He couldn't have been more grateful. To Jessica - Yes, you've highlighted a conundrum. The official word is that, despite being published in the UK in March and in Australia in April, the book version won't appear in the USA and Canada until September, I have no idea why that is. You can certainly buy the Kindle version here ... http://www.amazon.ca/Rescue-Pilot-Cheating-Jerry-Grayson/dp/1472917936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431097337&sr=8-1&keywords=rescue+pilot On the other hand, Random House Canada seem to have it available here http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/445062/rescue-pilot#9781472918840 and I'd be interested to know whether they can supply as there's been a good deal of interest from Canada. Thanks for the interest guys!

Hey WAFU Your mention of engineers has made me feel guilty that I didn't say a bit more about that in my own book. However I was very pleased to note that a recent magazine review did notice that I had actually dedicated the book to a very fine air engineer, sadly now gone, called John Carpenter. It used to be that they gave a full page to the dedication but that habit seems to have gone. I just re-read Rick Jolly's book about his time in the Falklands . It first came out as “The Red and Green Life Machine” but I recently bought an updated copy which is now called “Doctor for Friend or Foe”. I highly recommend it. Cheers JerryG

Heloman1 - I much look forward to the single type group build, you could have chosen no finer airframe. Conor 1939 - Although most "cabs" were temporarily in olive and day-glow the overall olive drab that they were delivered in (from their junglie squadrons) was generally replaced by the SAR day-glow plus BLUE over time. Either scheme would be accurate. XT471 is recorded as having perished at Dishforth in 1998, probably as a fire training airframe. I flew her on two scrambles in 1979. If somebody could help me with how to attach files and photos here I have some that might be interesting to you. The other task I flew in that airframe was the casualty evacuation from the 1980 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch (described in the book) which resulted directly in all Grands Prix having to have a helicopter present before they could start. She did indeed have the side number 524.

Hi Guys, fascinated to find this thread. I was first SAR pilot airborne on the Fastnet '79 rescue in a 771 Wessex Mk5 and have just published my book Rescue Pilot. (see www.rescuepilot.net where you can read the first chapter for free if you scroll to the bottom of the home page). We mainly used Mk5s that were still in drab olive green that day as they were only just coming to the squadron to replace the Mk1s, starting a few weeks earlier. The airframe that you usually see in any news pictures from that day was XT482 in drab olive. Lt Albie Fox flew it in the morning and I lifted 10 people from Golden Apple in the afternoon using the same airframe. The starboard side of it is now the aircraft from which you exit onto the flight deck exhibition at the FAA museum in Yeovilton. But when you enter it you're actually entering the port side of XT769, in which I also did 11 rescues, first when she was in green and then from the end of 1979 in the proper blue and dayglo SAR colours of 771 NAS. The best preserved example of the Mk5 is at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum in Doncaster (XS 481), although that one is also in olive colours. It's the airframe I was flying during the air day incident described and illustrated in the book. There are no Wessex Mk5s still flying today but I've been excited to learn that XT761 has recently been acquired by the FAA Historic Flight and moved back to Culdrose. She was the machine I flew during the Skopelos Sky rescue described in the free first chapter. I suspect that it may be the intention of the Historic Flight to one day get her airborne again. What a day that would be! Happy to supply any detail photos that anybody needs. Best way to get my attention is on the book Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rescue-Pilot/882280861803740?ref=hl Great to know that you guys are keeping the memory of these wonderful aircraft alive through your modelling. I was alerted to your site by a lovely review of the book by one of your members at http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981496-rescue-pilot-by-jerry-grayson/ Please post pictures of the end results, I'd love to share them. Cheers JerryG

Hey Latinbear Thanks so much for posting such kind words about my book, I really appreciate it. I was alerted to it during a Google search for articles on "Rescue Pilot" I'm thinking of starting a competition on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rescue-Pilot/882280861803740?ref=hl ) about where people spot the book on the shelves as there have been some weird ones! I totally agree with your criticism about photos, I supplied about 50 but apparently there is a limit to how many pages you can use in the middle of the book. Happy to post more here if anybody is after details for modelling ... except can you tell me how to post images, I seem to be having a senior moment on that? And to Antoine ... I know that it's definitely available at WH Smiths and Waterston's in the UK. Also definitely on all the national Amazon sites. Cheers JerryG