Combat Aviation discussion

. . . the Sea Hawk.

But I am going nuts trying to remember the titel of a short story by Nevil Shute (?).

It is something about a a pilot in a Hawker Sea Hawk (?), a Chrismas Night over the North Sea, instrument failiure, 10/10 overcast, pilot looses his orientation, short of fuel, death is almost certain, a Spitfire meets the pilot and leads him to the nearest airfield, saves life, Spitfire turns out to be a ghost plane with a ghost pilot in it . . . ?

Is this gibberish? Or?. . . .

I found a similar story, the 1975 The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth.

Wikipedia synopsis:

"The Shepherd relates the story of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve 1957, whose aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure en route from RAF Celle in northern Germany to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Lost in fog and low on fuel, he is met and led (or shepherded) to a disused RAF dispersal field by the pilot of a De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber of World War II vintage, who has apparently been sent up to guide him in.

His attempts to find a rational explanation for his eventual rescue prove as troublesome as his experience. However, some time after he lands at the airfield—the fictional RAF Minton—he learns that his saviour was Johnny Kavanagh, a wartime RAF pilot who had been stationed at Minton and who had guided crippled bombers home. The Vampire pilot also learns that Kavanagh disappeared over the North Sea in his Mosquito on his last mission, on Christmas Eve 1943, exactly fourteen years before.

Forsyth created this original work as a Christmas gift to his wife after she requested a ghost story be written for her."

That was the one!

It is very, very long time since I read it. But I remember it as a good read. (Forsyth has always been one of my favorite authors)

My memory did not serve me that well though: A Vampire, not a Sea Hawk. And a 'ghost Mosquito' and not a Spitfire. But close enough for you, AV8R, to identify it. Thanks!

Take care.

Jesper wrote: ". . . the Sea Hawk.

But I am going nuts trying to remember the titel of a short story by Nevil Shute (?).

It is something about a a pilot in a Hawker Sea Hawk (?), a Chrismas Night over the Nort..."

Jesper wrote: ". . . the Sea Hawk.

But I am going nuts trying to remember the titel of a short story by Nevil Shute (?).

It is something about a a pilot in a Hawker Sea Hawk (?), a Chrismas Night over the Nort..."

This story, as read by "fireside Al Maitland," has become something of a Christmas classic in Canada. Here's a link to the reading if you are interested:

http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/feature...#

Very interesting, thank your for the link. I will sit down and listen, hopefully this weekend :-)