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Rescue Pilot
- Cheating the Sea
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
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Rescue Pilot
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Summary
Jerry Grayson is an ordinary man who chose an extraordinary career. At age 17 he became the youngest helicopter pilot ever to serve in the Royal Navy. By age 25 he was the most decorated peacetime naval pilot in history.
For the navy's search-and-rescue pilots, getting to work is both an adventure and an ordeal. Whether rescuing a wounded fighter pilot who has ditched in the sea, saving desperate survivors from a sinking ship, or picking up a grievously ill crewman from the deck of a nuclear-armed submarine that is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Soviet navy, Jerry Grayson has lived a life of unparalleled excitement and adventure.
His finest hour came during the infamous Fastnet Yacht Race of 1979, in which 25 yachts were lost. When a catastrophic storm enveloped the competitors he and his crew pushed their Wessex helicopter to its absolute limits and put their own lives at risk, flying into hurricane-force winds to winch shipwrecked sailors from heaving, tempestuous seas. An investiture at Buckingham Palace with her majesty the queen was the result.
Being a rescue pilot is fast paced because there is no choice. Lives are at stake, and pilots must move and think fast. Jerry Grayson's inside view of this heroic service is as inspirational as it is celebratory. Excitingly told, frequently funny, but also very poignant, Jerry's story is not an account of just one man's deeds - it is a salute to all the men and women he worked with who were able to turn tragedies into triumphs.
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What listeners say about Rescue Pilot
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Karl
- 11-08-23
Interesting accounts & good narration
I found the accounts of the authors various adventures and experience very helpful btw testing and the narrator made you feel like it was the author himself recounting it. Couldn’t put it down.
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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
- Di
- 24-02-23
Brilliant
What a life Jerry Grayson has had. I loved the humour in the book. But my word it was an eye opener to how a search and rescue team works. I remember the Fastnet race rescue when it happened. Hearing what the crews responded to at that event was incredible.
The description of how they train for possible accidents and what the author experienced in his working life was riveting. An absorbing listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alex
- 03-03-23
Brilliant book
Brilliantly written, well read. Really enjoyed this book about his working life from search and rescue pilot to post RN.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 20-12-19
great story
loved this but the narration suffered from some mispronunciation. I do wish narrators would do their homework
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1 person 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
- DI
- 23-07-15
Interesting and entertaining
Would you listen to Rescue Pilot again? Why?
I expect I will after a few years.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The hilarious Admiral scene... if you've listened, you'll know what I mean. If not, I won't spoil it!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes - I listened to the whole thing in a couple of days.
Any additional comments?
I found it fascinating, inspirational and energising. At different moments I was laughing out loud, tensing up in anxiety, and sighing in relief. It's particularly good for people interested in the Fastnet race, operations of aircraft carriers, or good rescue stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Freddie
- 14-01-21
BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN AND TOLD
This is possibly the best book I have ever listen to, it’s informative but not to slow, it is all about flying and nothing else.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Raf
- 19-05-23
A very good listen
Enjoyed this book - I fly helicopters and that gave an added dimension . Some of the pronunciation seemed odd but didn’t detract .
Worth the listen !
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- J. A. Hill
- 07-07-15
A very enjoyable but too brief account of SAR life
Would you consider the audio edition of Rescue Pilot to be better than the print version?
Not seen the print version
What other book might you compare Rescue Pilot to, and why?
I've read many books on combat flying but this is rather different with the aim to save lives rather then take them, so i can make no comparison to other books i've read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 16-06-23
Enjoyed this book
Easy listening and quiet funny at times. Brings home the true reality of the job.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-08-23
A thoroughly entertaining book
Thank you Jerry Grayson AFC for recording the incredibly interesting varied and sometimes very funny accounts through your career as a helicopter pilot. As a fellow pilot myself I can very much appreciate some of the finer aspects you convey with regards to the aviating part, but non flyers too would find this a very entertaining read.
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