Chris Pocock

I am a British full-time writer, specialising in aerospace. I started working life in the airfreight business at Heathrow, and then helped to start the outsize cargo business with Heavylift Cargo Airlines. I then became a full-time writer, editing two air cargo magazines and a military aviation newsletter. I was the defence editor of AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS for 30 years until retiring in mid-2018. I am now a commentator on aerospace/defense issues, and an occasional contributor to other aerospace media.

My interest in the U-2 started in the early 1970s with a visit to Davis-Monthan AFB, which was then the home of the US Air Force U-2 wing. In 1989, My first book on the Dragon Lady was published to favorable reviews, especially from members of the US airborne reconnaissance community.

So I continued to research the history, and follow the current operations, of this remarkable aircraft. I helped to ensure that an original U-2C model and B-camera were preserved and transferred to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, UK. In 1997, I became the first foreign civilian to fly in the U-2. My largest book, 50 YEARS OF THE U-2, was published in 2005 to mark the aircraft's golden anniversary. My book DRAGON LADY TODAY, was published in 2015 to update the U-2 story, and further updated in a second edition published in late 2023.

In mid-2025, I published SHADOW FLYER, the life story of Bob Ericson, who flew U-2s for nearly 40 years for the CIA and then NASA.

I also co-authored THE BLACK BATS with Clarence Fu in 2010. This is the tremendous story of a squadron that flew hazardous low-level missions over mainland China from Taiwan for nearly 20 years.