David Gledhill
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Dave Gledhill joined the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in 1973. After training, he flew the F4 Phantom on squadrons in the UK and West Germany. He was one of the first aircrew to fly the F2 and F3 Air Defence Variant of the Tornado on its acceptance into service and served for many years as an instructor on the Operational Conversion Units of both the Phantom and the Tornado. He commanded the Tornado Fighter Squadron in the Falkland Islands and has worked extensively with the Armed Forces of most NATO nations. He has published factual books on aviation topics and a series of novels in the Phantom Air Combat series set during the Cold War.
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The Phantom in Focus: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior
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Aviation History
Have you ever wondered what it was like to fly the Phantom? This is not a potted history of an aeroplane, nor is it Hollywood glamour as captured in Top Gun. This is the story of life on the frontline during the Cold War told in the words of a navigator who flew the iconic jet. Unique pictures, many captured from the cockpit, show the Phantom in its true environment and show why for many years the Phantom was the envy of NATO. It also tells the inside story of some of the problems which plagued the Phantom in its early days, how the aircraft developed, or was neglected, and reveals events which shaped the aircraft’s history and contributed to its demise. Anecdotes capture the deep affection felt by the crews who were fortunate enough to cross paths with the Phantom during their flying careers. The nicknames the aircraft earned were not complimentary and included the ‘Rhino’, ‘The Spook’, ‘Double Ugly’, the ‘Flying Brick’ and the ‘Lead Sled’. Whichever way you looked at it, you could love or hate the Phantom, but you could never ignore it. 
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Fighters Over the Falklands: Defending the Islanders' Way of Life
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Aviation History
"Fighters Over The Falklands" captures daily life using pictures taken during the author's tours of duty on the Islands. From the first detachments of Phantoms and Rapiers operating from a rapidly upgraded RAF Stanley airfield to life at RAF Mount Pleasant, see life from the author's perspective as the Commander of the Tornado F3 Flight defending the islands' airspace. Font-line fighter crews provided Quick Reaction Alert during day to day flying operations working with the Royal Navy, Army and other Air Force units to defend a remote, and sometimes forgotten, theatre of operations. It will also look at how the islanders interact with the forces based at Mount Pleasant and contrast high technology military operations with the lives of the original inhabitants; namely the wildlife. 
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Tornado F3: A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Last Interceptor
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Aviation History
The Tornado F2 had a troubled introduction to service. Unloved by its crews and procured as a political imperative, it was blighted by failures and was developed to counter a threat that disappeared. Modified rapidly before it could be sent to war, the Tornado F3 eventually matured into a capable weapons system, but despite datalinks and new air-to-air weapons, its poor reputation sealed its fate. The author, a former Tornado F3 navigator, tells the story from an insider's perspective from the early days as one of the first instructors on the Operational Conversion Unit, through its development and operational testing, to its demise. David Gledhill reflects on its capabilities and deficiencies and analyses why the aircraft was mostly underestimated by opponents. Although many books have already described the Tornado F3, the author's involvement in its development will provide a unique insight into this complex and misunderstood aircraft programme and dispel some of the myths surrounding it. 
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Provocation
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Fiction Military
With tensions rising in post-war Europe, the Soviet Union closed the air corridors to Berlin, the former German capital, in a bid to starve the population into submission. The western allies responded by mounting the largest air supply operation the world had ever seen which would become known as the “Berlin Airlift”. Step forward into the 1980s with the Cold War at its height. A NATO reinforcement exercise held at a British airbase in West Germany, brings British, American and French fighter crews together to practice the air corridor policing mission. When a Pembroke transport aircraft engaged in a covert reconnaissance mission is intercepted by a Mig fighter and forced to land in East Germany, events escalate. Will the crew become a pawn in the relentless confrontation as the Soviets increase the rhetoric? Have western military plans been compromised by the unexpected aggression? Provocation is a fast moving thriller that replays the tensions of the Cold War and its dark undertones. As with his other novels, David Gledhill takes you into the cockpit of the Phantom fighter jet to experience the action first hand. Look Inside sample 
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Defector
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Action and Adventure/War and Military
Colonel Yuri Andrenev, a respected test pilot is trusted to evaluate the latest Soviet fighter, the Sukhoi Su27 “Flanker”, from a secret test facility near Moscow. Surely he is above suspicion? With thoughts of defection in his mind, and flying close to the Inner German Border, could he be tempted to make a daring escape across the most heavily defended airspace in the world? A flight test against a Mig fighter begins a sequence of events that forces his hand and after an unexpected air-to-air encounter he crosses the border with the help of British Phantom crews. How will Western Intelligence use this unexpected windfall? Are Soviet efforts to recover the advanced fighter as devious as they seem or could more sinister motives be in play? Defector is a pacy thriller which reflects the intrigue of The Cold War. It takes you into the cockpit of the Phantom fighter jet with the realism that can only come from an author who has flown operationally in the NATO Central Region. 
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Maverick
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Action and Adventure/War and Military
Combat veteran Major Pablo Carmendez holds a grudge against his former adversaries. Diverting his armed Skyhawk fighter-bomber from a firepower demonstration he flies eastwards towards the Falkland Islands intent on revenge. What is his target and will he survive the defences alerted of his intentions? Crucially, will his plan wreck delicate negotiations between Britain and Argentina designed to mend strained relations? Are Government officials charged with protecting the islanders' interests worthy of that trust or are more sinister motives in play? Maverick is an aviation thriller set in the remote outpost in the South Atlantic Ocean that takes you into the cockpits of the Phantom fighters based on the Islands where you will experience the thrills of air combat as the conspiracy unfolds. 
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Deception
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Action and Adventure/War and Military
When a hostage is snatched from the streets of Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists it sets in train a series of events from the UK to the Middle East that end in the corridors of power. A combined air operation is mounted from a base in Cyprus to release the agent from his enforced captivity. Phantom and Buccaneer crews help a special forces team to mount a daring raid, the like of which has not been attempted since Operation Jericho during World War 2. With Syrian forces ranged against them and Israeli and American friends seemingly bent on thwarting them, the outcome is by no means certain. As in his other novels David Gledhill takes you into the cockpit in this fast paced Cold War tale of intrigue and deception. 
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Tornado in Pictures: The Multi-Role Legend
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Aviation
The Panavia Tornado was designed as a multi-role combat aircraft to meet the needs of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Since the prototype flew in 1974, nearly 1000 Tornados have been produced in a number of variants serving as a fighter-bomber, a fighter and in the reconnaissance and electronic suppression roles. Deployed operationally in numerous theatres throughout the world, the Tornado has proved to be exceptionally capable and flexible. From its early Cold War roles it adapted to the rigours of expeditionary warfare from The Gulf to Kosovo to Afghanistan. The early "dumb" bombs were replaced by laser-guided weapons and cruise missiles and in the air-to-air arena fitted with the AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles.In this book David Gledhill explores the range of capabilities and, having flown the Tornado F2 and F3 Air Defence Variant, offers an insight into life in the cockpit of the Tornado. Lavishly illustrated, Darren Willmin's superb photographs capture the essence of the machine both from the ground and in the air. This unique collection including some of David Gledhill's own air-to-air pictures of the Tornado F2 and F3 will appeal to everyone with an interest in this iconic aircraft. 
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Impact
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Fiction Military
Flying the Jaguar bomber in a Cold War West Germany, Nick Gleason is, perhaps, at the peak of his career but he is a loner struggling with his conscience and he begins to question the morality of his role. If war in Europe breaks out, he would be tasked to deliver a thermo-nuclear weapon to a target in the East. Two British fighter aircraft, one a Phantom, the second a Jaguar piloted by Gleason, converge at low level over the Osnabruck Ridge on the North German Plain. One is armed with a practice nuclear bomb, the other simply conducting a routine training exercise but their flight paths are destined to cross. Events have been far from routine as the crews are drawn towards the encounter that threatens to jeopardise their very existence. Was a mid-air collision inevitable from the outset or could the, seemingly, inexorable chain of events have been broken? Was destruction predestined? The countdown to impact is underway. 
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Operational Test - Honing the Edge
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Aviation History
The process to deliver a modern combat aircraft from concept to introduction to service is often measured in decades. Described as a weapon system, modern designs such as the Eurofighter Typhoon are intricate jigsaws with a fusion of new techniques and sometimes unproven, emerging technologies. By the time the new weapons system reaches the front line, it will have been tested by the manufacturer, evaluated by test pilots, and assessed by service pilots. There have been examples of success but also some spectacular failures, with projects cancelled late in development. This book will investigate why. It will take you from the original requirement through the complex testing and evaluation process, showing recent examples of the path to declaring a new combat aircraft operational on the front line. It will look at how today's test organisations have matured to meet the task and investigate the pressures they face, and will also look at real-life examples of systems testing. David Gledhill and David Lewis, both experienced test evaluators, will uncover the reasons why some aircraft serve on the front line for years before becoming truly effective in their role. 
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Phantom In The Cold War - RAF Wildenrath 1977-1992
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Aviation History
The McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom was a true multi-role combat aircraft. Introduced into the RAF in 1968, it was employed in ground attack, air reconnaissance and air defence roles. Later, with the arrival of the Jaguar in the early 1970s, it changed over to air defence. In its heyday, it served as Britain s principal Cold War fighter; there were seven UK-based squadrons plus the Operational Conversion Unit, two Germany-based squadrons and a further Squadron deployed to the Falkland Islands. Phantom in the Cold War focuses predominantly on the aircraft s role as an air defence fighter, exploring the ways in which it provided the British contribution to the Second Allied Tactical Air Force at RAF Wildenrath, the home of Nos. 19 and 92 Squadrons during the Cold War. As with his previous books, the author, who flew the Phantom operationally, recounts the thrills, challenges and consequences of operating this sometimes temperamental jet at extreme low-level over the West German countryside, preparing for a war which everyone hoped would never happen. 
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Infiltration
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Action/Adventure/War/Military
The year is 1986 and the Cold War threatens to turn hot. An agent is sent to join a carrier battle group in the North Atlantic, his covert mission to help the Soviet Union to track British nuclear powered submarines as they set off to patrol the oceans. To mask his bold assignment a complex diversionary operation is launched from the decks of the aircraft carrier “Kiev”, the pride of the Red Banner Northern Fleet. The target; British military radar installations on the Scottish coastline. Commanders respond by deploying Phantom fighters to a remote base in western Scotland to assist Quick Reaction Alert forces where a tense stand-off develops before unexpected events bring the two sides to the brink. Could these be the opening moves of World War 3 or will the intrepid fighter crews foil the Soviet efforts? As with all his books David Gledhill takes you into the cockpit with unparalleled realism for another high octane adventure in the skies. 
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