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On the Edge of Flight (Paperback)

A Lifetime in the Development and Engineering of Aircraft

Aviation > Aviation Biography & Memoirs

By Eric William Absolon
Imprint: Pen & Sword Aviation
Pages: 176
Illustrations: 16 pages of black and white plates
ISBN: 9781399074964
Published: 29th June 2022

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This is the story of Eric William Absolon, a relentlessly enthusiastic Aviation champion, whose lifelong love of aircraft has never wavered throughout his long and varied career. From boyhood fascination to the adult realization of his ambitions, this first-hand account takes in some of the key events of the dynamic period of twentieth century history which the author lived and worked through. Working his way up the ranks of the Gloster Aircraft Company, Absolon was able to see all the component processes of Aircraft production. The insight he provides into the inner workings of this busting center of Twentieth Century Aircraft production is unparalleled in modern accounts. Anyone with a fascination for the secret life of Aircraft is in for a treat here as the author relays his working experiences at the creative hub of the industry.

His experiences including involvement with the post-war Drop testing of Meteor aircraft, working closely with these infamous vehicles of war in his role as Chief of Engineering Research, as well as an involvement with the more commercial side of Aviation production, a division within Gloster for which he served as Manager.

This narrative charts his career with Gloster as well as a series of other companies who invited Absolon to offer his services. It also relays the story of the implementation and development of his own Aviation production business, Aljac Engineering Ltd. His expertise was highly prized then, and is now applied in the translation of experience into engaging prose, set to appeal to all genre enthusiasts.

Once in your hands, this is a very difficult book to put down. Well illustrated, with many interesting photographs, the author has drawn together in a humorous was the many facets of his life in Britain's rapidly expanding aircraft industry in the 1940s and 1950s. A remarkable book, by a remarkable engineer.

Aerospace - The Royal Aeronautical Society Journal

This is one of the most enjoyable books we’ve read in along time, with engaging prose providing a valuable first hand insight into the jets era.

Jets Magazine

About Eric William Absolon

Eric Absolon was born in 1924 in Norfolk. His childhood saw the budding of his enthusiasm for all kinds of Aircraft, as well as a series of ailments, including polio, which saw him bed bound for considerable chunks of time. His childhood period of stasis is relayed in this account; commanded bed rest, its little wonder that his dreams involved flight. His ambitions were realized in 1945, when his career with the Gloster Aircraft Company.

This was a career which saw swift progression, post-war Aviation production took advantage of the technological upswing experienced in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. This is his first book, outlining the peaks and troughs of life behind the scenes of aircraft production.

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