On the Edge of Flight : A Lifetime in the Development and Engineering of Aircraft

This is the story of Eric William Absolon, a relentlessly enthusiastic aviation champion, whose lifelong love of aircraft has never wavered throughout his long and varied career. From boyhood fascination to the adult realization of his ambitions, this first-hand account takes in some of the key events of the dynamic period of twentieth century history which the author lived and worked through. Working his way up the ranks of the Gloster Aircraft Company, Absolon was able to see all the component processes of Aircraft production. The insight he provides into the inner workings of this bustling center of Twentieth Century Aircraft production is unparalleled in modern accounts. Anyone with a fascination for the secret life of aircraft is in for a treat here as the author relays his working experiences at the creative hub of the industry.

His experiences include involvement with the post-war drop testing of Meteor aircraft, working closely with these infamous vehicles of war in his role as Chief of Engineering Research, as well as an involvement with the more commercial side of aviation production, a division within Gloster for which he served as Manager.

This narrative charts his career with Gloster as well as a series of other companies who invited Absolon to offer his services. It also relays the story of the implementation and development of his own aviation production business, Aljac Engineering Ltd. His expertise was highly prized then, and is now applied in the translation of experience into engaging prose, set to appeal to all genre enthusiasts.

Eric Absolon was born in 1924 in Norfolk. His childhood saw the budding of his enthusiasm for all kinds of Aircraft, as well as a series of ailments, including polio, which saw him bed bound for considerable chunks of time. His childhood period of stasis is relayed in this account; commanded bed rest, its little wonder that his dreams involved flight. His ambitions were realized in 1945, when his career with the Gloster Aircraft Company. This was a career which saw swift progression, post-war Aviation production took advantage of the technological upswing experienced in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. This is his first book, outlining the peaks and troughs of life behind the scenes of aircraft production.