Overview

"Reginald Collis joined the newly formed Royal Flying Corps in June 1912. Trained initially as an Air Mechanic, he was quickly selected for flying training and took his first flight in January 1913, becoming only the third Air Mechanic and the 14th NCO in the RFC to receive Royal Aero Club certification. Collis knew and flew with a virtual Who's Who of aviation greats, including Trenchard, McCudden and Lanoe Hawker. He became an instructor, training many future aviation personalities, before being sent to France as a newly-commissioned second lieutenant with 6 Squadron in June 1915. Collis experienced aerial combat in the earliest days of the war, and recorded every ""dogfight"", ""Archie"" encounter and mechanical failure in great detail in his log book. One of the earliest known examples to have survived, Collis's unique flying log book is presented here in full, along with many historical photos, accompanied by extensive historical notes and meticulous research by well-known aviation author Mark Hillier."

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9781943492862

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"MARK HILLIER is a Chartered Surveyor who has a deep knowledge of the history of the RAF, with a particular focus on WW2. He is also a qualified pilot, having flown for more than thirty years. Mark co-authored two successful books on RAF Westhampnett related topics before heading out on his own with the biography of Joe Roddis who served as ground-crew for Wing Commander Bob Doe during the Battle of Britain. His next project was the biography of Wing Commander Thomas Murray DSO, DFC*. Mark has also written numerous articles for ""Britain at War"" magazine and is a regular speaker on RAF Westhampnett and other aviation history. After completing his first book with Frontline called ""A Fighter Command Station at War"" he then went on to undertake a revised edition of ""Warbirds"", a WW1 classic. He helped with the re-print of ""Best Foot Forwards"", the story of Colin 'Hoppy' Hodgkinson which was featured in the ""Daily Mail"", the ""Daily Express"", ""The Sun"" and the ""Daily Mirror"". Mark's next two books were on kit worn by fighter pilots on both sides in the Battle of Britain. The RAF one released in March 2018 and the Luftwaffe one in early 2019. Having completed the first two in the series he went on to write ""Royal Flying Corps Kit Bag"" which was released in 2020 as well as ""Thunderbolts over Burma"". He also carries out research for a number of militaria dealers on aviation-related memorabilia to add provenance or background to items of historical importance including research on aircrew log books and medal groups. Mark has been an avid collector of aviation militaria for the past 20 years and has worked with a number of aviation museums giving guidance on uniforms and equipment. Recently he has been assisting in identifying and valuing flying clothing, uniforms, medals and log books for Tangmere Military Aviation Museum. Mark has also appeared on the ""Dig Britain"" series of programmes and given numerous radio interviews. Goodwood has enlisted his help with production for their ""80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain"" film. Michael J. (Mick) Prodger was born in North Wales and grew up in Sussex, in England, where he developed a keen interest in the rich history of his surroundings. After completing Art College he worked as a graphic designer and syndicated cartoonist before moving to the USA.Well-known for the scholarly approach and research in his writing, his acclaimed reference books on vintage military aviation equipment are considered definitive works."

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