No Parachute cover art

No Parachute

A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI

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No Parachute

By: Arthur Gould Lee
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
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About this listen

This account of the Great War puts you right in the action - from one of the fighter pilots of the Royal Flying Corps.

From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat, there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces - among them Ball, Bishop, McCudden, Collishaw, and Mannock - whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, there were many hundreds of airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame.

Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers - a story based on letters written in the day, telling of a young pilot's progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richthofen Circus, of breathless dogfights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I.

Arthur Gould Lee, who rose to the rank of air vice-marshal and also authored the classic Open Cockpit, brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless account.

©1968 Arthur Gould Lee with the kind permission of David Reed- Felstead; copyright 2013 by Grub Street (P)2020 Tantor Air Forces Armed Forces Military Military & War World War I Transportation War Aviation Aviation History Air War

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A fascinating and candid account of what life was life as a pilot during the Great War. How honest and harrowing these letters are must have made his wife reading them at home incredibly anxious, however as a historical record, these are invaluable. A must listen for anyone interested in Great War aviation

A fascinating and candid account

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If your interested in First account pilot recollections, then this is the best book for you. A thrilling insight to one man’s experience in the air during the Great War.

Absolutely brilliant

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Unfortunately I had to turn this off after chapter two. This would have been fantastic but for me the narrator ruined it, there was no emotion in his voice. It felt like listening to an 80’s robot. I will be buying the book to read properly.

No Parachute

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A fascinating insight to the daily life of a new and latterly experienced WW1 pilot.

fascinating insight

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an excellent account of squadron life in world war 1 ,, glad I wasn't there, but if I was I'd be a pilot , three meals a day and my own personal butler 😀

very nicely described

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As an ex Paratrooper l was appalled by the negative and naive objections by higher command within the RFC to obstruct even a basic trial of a freefall chute which would have suited many a pilot, pulling his handle to inflate the chute away from his downed airframe and often in flames. It would have allowed the pilot to make his own mind up in the realms of life and death and provided a life saving alternative rather than certain death crashing with his machine. What was never brought out in this book was a pilots only option of using his service revolver on himself rather than being burnt to death in his cockpit!
Shame on high command for not granting the inevitable!!!

NO PARACHUTE

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Fascinating account of a ww1 pilot in France from his letters and recollections.
Narration was not great and never really gave the feel to the words.

Great account of the personal experience of a WW1 pilot

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An eye opening to the life of a WW1 pilot - what brave fellows these were. A thrilling read and has given me a deep respect for those young pilots of all nationalities. Both informative and thrilling. Highly recommended.

Thrilling and informative

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This has got to be the best WW1 book I have read or listened to. I must admit that I struggled initially with the narrator, as he appeared wooden, but that’s probably because he was mainly reading letters the author had written, but I soon got used to him.
I like this book so much that I purchased it for a friend in paper back, and he too is loving it.
It is so descriptive, it’s like your there with the author, it’s simply day to day survival flying in what can only be described as death traps.
They were so brave, and it was unforgivable that the top brass wouldn’t issue them parachutes.
I’ve already downloaded the author’s second book ‘Open Cockpit’
If you have the slightest interest in aviation and WW1, you will love this book.

Fantastic, you felt you were there in the cockpit.

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What an insight detailing the terrifying day to day experience of very brave pilots and support personnel fighting WW1 in the air

First hand account

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