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Rescue Pilot
- Author
- Jerry Grayson
- Narrator
- David Thorpe
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 14 May 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 4 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Jerry Grayson is an ordinary man who chose an extraordinary career. At age 17 he became the youngest helicopter pilot to ever serve in the Royal Navy. By age 25 he was the most decorated peacetime naval pilot in history.
For the Navy’s Search and Rescue pilots, getting to work is both an adventure and an ordeal. Whether rescuing a wounded fighter pilot who has ditched in the sea, saving desperate survivors from a sinking ship, or picking up a grievously ill crewman from the deck of a nuclear-armed submarine that is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Soviet navy, Jerry Grayson has lived a life of unparalleled excitement and adventure.
His finest hour came during the infamous Fastnet Yacht Race of 1979 in which 25 yachts were lost. When a catastrophic storm enveloped the competitors he and his crew pushed their Wessex helicopter to its absolute limits and put their own lives at risk, flying into hurricane-force winds to winch shipwrecked sailors from heaving tempestuous seas. An investiture at Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty the Queen was the result.
Being a Rescue Pilot is a fast-paced career because there is no choice. Lives are at stake and pilots must move and think fast. Jerry Grayson’s inside view of this heroic service is as inspirational as it is celebratory. Excitingly told, frequently funny but also very poignant, Jerry’s story is not an account of just one man’s deeds, it is a salute to all the men and women he worked with who were able to turn tragedies into triumphs.
Includes a Foreword by HRH The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm.
Critics Review
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Interesting to read a different viewpoint of that tragic Fastnet Race. Grayson's recollection is moving: it reads like a roll-call of terror.
Sailing Today
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Grayson's intimate reminiscence unlocks the secrets to a rich life.
Aviation History
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His stories are riveting, astounding and sometimes hilarious... Readers can take vicarious pride in those with the skill and passion to risk their lives for strangers in trouble.
The Ensign
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Through the frequently funny accounts of each rescue, Jerry gives an understanding of how it's often the teamwork and mateship that results in another life saved while pitting a large helicopter against the power of the seas.
Polo Times
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Fascinating
Yachting Monthly
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Jerry Grayson
- Narrator
- David Thorpe
- Duration
- 8 hours 4 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 May 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399431361
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Memoirs, Autobiography: general, Naval forces and warfare, Aircraft and aviation, Aviation skills and piloting
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Rescue Pilot by Jerry Grayson, read by David ThorpeJerry Grayson is an ordinary man who chose an extraordinary career. At age 17 he became the youngest helicopter pilot to ever serve in the Royal Navy. By age 25 he was the most decorated peacetime naval pilot in history. For the Navy’s Search and Rescue pilots, getting to work is both an adventure and an ordeal. Whether rescuing a wounded fighter pilot who has ditched in the sea, saving desperate survivors from a sinking ship, or picking up a grievously ill crewman from the deck of a nuclear-armed submarine that is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Soviet navy, Jerry Grayson has lived a life of unparalleled excitement and adventure. His finest hour came during the infamous Fastnet Yacht Race of 1979 in which 25 yachts were lost. When a catastrophic storm enveloped the competitors he and his crew pushed their Wessex helicopter to its absolute limits and put their own lives at risk, flying into hurricane-force winds to winch shipwrecked sailors from heaving tempestuous seas. An investiture at Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty the Queen was the result. Being a Rescue Pilot is a fast-paced career because there is no choice. Lives are at stake and pilots must move and think fast. Jerry Grayson’s inside view of this heroic service is as inspirational as it is celebratory. Excitingly told, frequently funny but also very poignant, Jerry’s story is not an account of just one man’s deeds, it is a salute to all the men and women he worked with who were able to turn tragedies into triumphs.Includes a Foreword by HRH The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm.
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