Fifty Years of Flying Fun covers, in a roughly chronological order, over fifty continuous years of flying. This ranges from joining the RAF in 1962, through his intriguing first operational tour on Hunters in Aden, the early days of the Jaguar in Germany and, finally in the RAF, an almost outrageous two years flying the Jaguar and Hunter with the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force. His subsequent civil flying has been exclusively in the General Aviation and flying display fields as a flying instructor and well known display pilot, including being involved in many varied and interesting display-related episodes. With in excess of 7,000 flying hours on 59 different types – and only one aircraft (Spencer Flack’s Mustang) with a working autopilot – Rod gives a clear, and largely humorous, insight into the operation of a cross section of piston and jet engine vintage aircraft and his undoubted fifty years of fun since the first solo on 19 March 1963.
Fifty Years of Flying Fun is not just a book for the aviation enthusiast, but for anyone wanting to learn about any aspect of flying history through the memoir of a man who lived through it all.
Rod Dean joined the RAF in 1962 at eighteen years old, and spent his career flying on operational squadrons and training units. He principally flew the Hunter and Jaguar in tours of the Middle East and Germany but also spent time flying the Jet Provost, Meteor, Gnat and Chipmunk. He retired from the RAF in 1984 as a squadron leader, qualified flying instructor and qualified weapons instructor.
After leaving the RAF, Rod turned to display flying but also spent ten years as the business manager for a flight simulator training company followed by fifteen years with the Civil Aviation Authority. He has flown a wide variety of aircraft including World War II and post—war piston—fighters such as the Spitfire and Mustang, and a number of vintage jet aircraft including Meteors, Vampires and not surprisingly, the Hunter. Rod has been privileged to lead a number of formations especially at Duxford in September 2000 when he led the 'Big Wing' formation of nineteen Spitfires and Hurricanes. He also won the King Hussain Memorial Sword in 2001 for best overall flying demonstration with his team of five Hunters at RAF Cottesmore's Royal International Air Tattoo.
Rod is a CAA display authorisation evaluator and has recently been appointed as the flying display director for the annual Shoreham Airshow. Rod and his wife have three children and live in Surrey.
