Fast Jets on the Front Line: Flying Phantoms, Javelins and Tornados in the Cold War

About the Book

In Fast Jets on the Front Line, Alan Munro reflects on his time in the RAF and the Cold War jets which he flew. Having started his career after basic training on the Gloster Javelin with No. 228 OCU, Alan went on to become a flying instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School, Linton-on-Ouse. But with the United Kingdom's withdrawal from East of Suez, he found himself with a ground posting and questioning whether he would see front-line flying again. Luckily for Alan, this wasn't the case and he was soon posted to Lightnings and Harriers before returning to 228 OCU to fly on Phantoms. It is Alan's time on the Phantoms that is the main crux of this book. He discusses how the withdrawal of Lightnings from the air force changed the Phantom's role from attack to defense and the impact this had on Phantom squadrons like 29 Squadron which he flew on. A move to RAF Germany saw Alan find the front-line action he craved during his ground posting and he joined 19 Squadron as they became operational and part of RAF Germany's Battle Flight. During his time with RAF Germany, Alan flew with a number of NATO countries and he recounts tales of squadron exchanges. This then led to a tour at the NATO Tactical Leadership Programme in Jever, north Germany before he finished his time in the RAF on the Tornado GR1 in the early 1990s.

About the Author :
Alan Munro was British ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1993. He now works as a consultant and media commentator on British foreign policy in the Middle East. Graham Mack is a multi-award-winning voice actor, producer, broadcaster, and programmer. It all started one day in 1991 when he was working as an an air-conditioning engineer in Sydney Australia. He came home from work and said to his wife, "I've had the radio on in the van today; I reckon I could do that!" Graham was born in Liverpool and grew up in Great Sankey near Warrington. His family emigrated to New Zealand when he was eighteen. His parents returned to Britain and left him in New Zealand when he was twenty-one. He worked as a pipe fitter on an oil refinery construction site, married a Kiwi (Julie), and studied heating ventilating and air-conditioning. After seven years in New Zealand, three married to Julie, Graham and Julie moved to Sydney, Australia, where he looked after air-conditioning plants in high-rise buildings. He studied commercial radio full-time at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney and graduated top of the class of '93. After graduation in August that year, he started his first paid on-air radio job at 2PK, Parkes (in the Central West of New South Wales), doing afternoon drive. Then he did breakfast at 5SE in Mount Gambier, South Australia, then nights on 2GO on the NSW Central Coast. He moved back to the UK in 1997 to present the breakfast show on 2CR FM in Bournemouth, then Century North East, BRMB, Century East Midlands, and returned to 2CR FM as program director for three years (2004-2006). Then he spent four years on breakfast at TFM, three years doing an all-speech breakfast show on BBC Wiltshire, five years as the program director and breakfast show host at BOBfm in the home counties, and two years as the PD at Fix Radio in London. He has also presented radio shows on BBC London 94.9, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Kent, and 106 Jack FM. Graham has also done a lot of TV work, presenting commercials and corporate videos in Australia and in the UK. He was the subject of a five-part documentary called Changing Places for Carlton Television, appeared on Ready Steady Cook, Monkey Business on Animal Planet, and Big Brother and Big Brother's Little Brother with Russell Brand. He has also worked as a voice-over artist for many commercial clients, including radio and television companies in the UK, USA, and Australia, and has narrated many audiobooks.