Tony Blackman

All Tony Blackman's books are about aviation --- non-fiction and fiction. His fiction books are a series featuring aviation insurance investigator Peter Talbert; they are all mystery/thrilers and Talbert is representing insurance companies, pilots or airlines. The books are all up to date and techhnically accurate drawing on his great experience of aviation as regulated and regulator.

His non-fiction books are almost unique being written so that the non-technical reader can read them and enjoy them. There are many Vulcan books but Tony's is the only one written by by someone whom actually tested them, 105 of the 135 built.

He also tested the Nimrod and the Victor Tanker while he was a test pilot and his Nimrod book is beautifully produced in colour and tells of the aircraft's outstanding contribution to the defence of the UK and its unnecessary cancellation by the Government.

The Victor book is a collection of personal aocounts of the aircraft's history including its vital contribution to the Falkland Campiagn and Middle East warss

Tony was educated at Oundle School and Trinity College Cambridge, where he obtained an honours degree in Physics. After joining the Royal Air Force as a Maths and Physics Instructor, he learnt to fly, flew Vampires and Venoms in Germany, trained as a test pilot and then joined A.V.Roe and Co. Ltd. where he became Chief Test Pilot.

Tony was an expert in aviation electronics and was invited by Smiths Industries to join their Aerospace Board, initially as Technical Operations Director. He helped develop the then new large electronic displays and Flight Management Systems.

After leaving Smiths Industries, he was invited to join the Board of the UK Civil Aviation Authority as Technical Member.

Tony was awarded an OBE for his test flying and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Fellow of the American Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and a Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.

By a strange coincidence he now lives in Hamble where A.V.Roe did his development flying, see Tony's web site www.blackmanbooks.co.uk