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No Parachute
- A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
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No Parachute
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Summary
This account of the Great War puts you right in the action - from one of the fighter pilots of the Royal Flying Corps.
From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat, there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces - among them Ball, Bishop, McCudden, Collishaw, and Mannock - whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, there were many hundreds of airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame.
Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers - a story based on letters written in the day, telling of a young pilot's progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richthofen Circus, of breathless dogfights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I.
Arthur Gould Lee, who rose to the rank of air vice-marshal and also authored the classic Open Cockpit, brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless account.
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What listeners say about No Parachute
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-12-22
Absolutely brilliant
If your interested in First account pilot recollections, then this is the best book for you. A thrilling insight to one man’s experience in the air during the Great War.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason Lee
- 04-02-21
Fantastic, you felt you were there in the cockpit.
This has got to be the best WW1 book I have read or listened to. I must admit that I struggled initially with the narrator, as he appeared wooden, but that’s probably because he was mainly reading letters the author had written, but I soon got used to him.
I like this book so much that I purchased it for a friend in paper back, and he too is loving it.
It is so descriptive, it’s like your there with the author, it’s simply day to day survival flying in what can only be described as death traps.
They were so brave, and it was unforgivable that the top brass wouldn’t issue them parachutes.
I’ve already downloaded the author’s second book ‘Open Cockpit’
If you have the slightest interest in aviation and WW1, you will love this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael M.
- 09-12-22
A fascinating and candid account
A fascinating and candid account of what life was life as a pilot during the Great War. How honest and harrowing these letters are must have made his wife reading them at home incredibly anxious, however as a historical record, these are invaluable. A must listen for anyone interested in Great War aviation
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- a mcmeekin
- 23-05-22
fascinating insight
A fascinating insight to the daily life of a new and latterly experienced WW1 pilot.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jason thorpe
- 01-05-23
very nicely described
an excellent account of squadron life in world war 1 ,, glad I wasn't there, but if I was I'd be a pilot , three meals a day and my own personal butler 😀
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Utrinque Paratus
- 27-12-23
NO PARACHUTE
As an ex Paratrooper l was appalled by the negative and naive objections by higher command within the RFC to obstruct even a basic trial of a freefall chute which would have suited many a pilot, pulling his handle to inflate the chute away from his downed airframe and often in flames. It would have allowed the pilot to make his own mind up in the realms of life and death and provided a life saving alternative rather than certain death crashing with his machine. What was never brought out in this book was a pilots only option of using his service revolver on himself rather than being burnt to death in his cockpit!
Shame on high command for not granting the inevitable!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Sjb H
- 28-02-24
Great account of the personal experience of a WW1 pilot
Fascinating account of a ww1 pilot in France from his letters and recollections.
Narration was not great and never really gave the feel to the words.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 28-09-22
Bluebottle in battle dress
enjoyed this and some of the descriptions were very good but the voice characterisations were very stereo typical at times. The ground crew were basically simpleton morons (and reminded me of characters from The Goons. expected the phrase 'shut up Eccles' to make a showing), and the pilots very 'plum in mouth' types. However in some sadistic way, this added to the listening experience.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-06-23
Amazing Storey
I loved this…an incredible storey or tragedy, bravery and good luck. We should all learn about what young man went through in the senseless war.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- FionaMcLauchlan
- 05-06-23
Great find
Very interesting book from a flyers point of few in WW1. Lots of personal bits that you you don’t normally get in your usual history book. Towards the end the diary changes and you can almost feel the pressure building and the cracks appearing. Very enjoyable listen.
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