Winkle

The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot

By: Paul Beaver

Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd, Paul Beaver

Brought to you by Penguin.

The daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - Britain's greatest-ever pilot.

Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye.

The pilot who set the standard for Britain's golden age of aviation, Winkle cemented his worldwide fame with incredible skill, extraordinary daring - and nerves of steel when things went wrong. From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history.

A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Disc's 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure.

But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story. To truly understand this fascinating but secretive man is to grapple with questions that have intrigued and confounded biographers throughout his extraordinary life.

Drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive Paul Beaver records a life with more twists and turns than a Battle of Britain dogfight - which was, of course, something Winkle had taken part in himself - uncovering the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot.

A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . .

©2023 Paul Beaver (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

An excellent biography

Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place

The extraordinary story [of] a fearless pilot and decorated war hero ... epic

Eric 'Winkle' Brown may not be a household name, but he certainly should be, and this thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian deserves to put that right

Winkle Brown's astonishing adventures make for fascinating reading

Riveting ... one of those must-read books, compelling and full of incidents that leave you gasping with surprise ... an incredible story

An incredible life ... Brown took a secret to the grave that makes his story all the more remarkable

Well done

The story was good but Eric's inferiority complex was repetitive and took away from the story. The reference to aircraft nomenclature means nothing to the novice.

Terrific life story

An amazing story,well told and well narrated. Incredible that Winkle lived to a ripe old age despite all his close shaves. Thoroughly enjoyed this Audible book!