I will address one niggle I read from another review stating that Hooker was in some way trying to suggest he was the be all and end all of jet turbines.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. The UK in the early 70's was trying to sell both the technology and the engineering of turbines to China and Hooker bought into the entire façade put out by the Chinese of a nation of happy people all working in harmony under a benign dictatorship. All items are checked for completeness prior to sending and are well packaged in a strong box with plenty of void fill where necessary. He made it clear that the achievements in engine development made could in no way be attributable to any single person. But he earned his keep early on, adding many horsepower and much performance to the famous Merlin engine which powered the hurricanes, Spitfires, Lancaster and Mosquito bombers amongst others.

Bristol was merged with Armstrong Siddeley to become Bristol Siddeley in 1958, while most other remaining engine companies merged with Rolls.

A very bright mathematician ends up being a world class jet engineer af the forefront of developing a number of iconic jet engines incliding the engines for the Harrier Jet, the Avro Vulcan and the Concorde. But fate intervened, and in December 1929, I suffered a broken leg in a football match against University College Hospital. Some reviewers seem to think Hooker covered himself with glory at the expense of others but I didn’t get this impression at all. Lots of historical detail on the development of the Merlin engine as well as early tubojets and turbofans that you probably will not get elsewhere. For the first four years, I had an uninspiring career, because I soon found that I could maintain an ‘invisible’ position, about mid-form, with the minimum of effort on my part.

Once the story became the developement of the jet engine I found that even more interesting, considering my life long fascination has been the piston engine. info) Not Much of an Engineer, An Autobiography by Sir Stanley Hooker Airlife Publishing, first edition 1984 (avail.