The Handley Page Victor was the third of the three V Bombers and the longest lasting, serving in the RAF until 1993, and still doing invaluable service in the first Iraq war. Moreover, in 1982 it was only the Victor tanker fleet based on Ascension Island that made possible the Vulcan Black Buck bombing of Port Stanley airfield and the long-range reconnaissance of Argentina by Nimrods. Victor Boys tells the story of all the great things that were achieved, recounted first hand by the operators themselves, aircrew and ground crew. Starting with accounts by test pilot Johnny Allam, who undertook the major development of the aircraft, through its work as a nuclear bomber during the cold war, testing Blue Steel in Australia, to its superb performance during the Falklands war and later as a first class air-to-air refuelling tanker and vital support tool for fighters and other aircraft. The stories are collated and set in context by Tony Blackman, ex-chief test pilot of Avros who helped develop the Vulcan and initiated the development of the Victor K2 tanker. For him, initially, the Victor seemed a competitor but he now readily admits what a wonderful aircraft the Victor became.

PRAISE FOR VICTOR BOYS:

The Victor fans will enjoy this generous assemblage of first-hand accounts. The text is both authoritative and informative. The Aviation Historian

A "hard to put down" book. Highly recommended! Air Mail

 

With a physics degree from Trinity College Cambridge, Tony Blackman joined the RAF to train as a test pilot. From there he became chief test pilot at Avro testing the three V Bombers, Nimrod and Avro 748 aircraft. His next career was as an avionics specialist with Smiths Industries where he was an aerospace director. Finally he served as technical member on the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

He was a fellow of the American Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Institute of Navigation, as well as a liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. Tony Blackman spent his whole life in the aircraft industry and all his books, non-fiction and fiction, are aircraft and aerospace related.