Biggles Learns to Fly: Number 12 of the Biggles Series Paperback – International Edition, February 25, 2014

I knew it was kinda young for me, but I thought that it might have period details. It did, though they were just normalcy to the author. Plenty to wrap an imagination around, still. I enjoyed chewing through it.

This book does a great job of sharing a little of the trials and experiences of a novice pilot learning the ways of war flying in WW1. It is well written and proves a great intro to the Biggles series. Well worth reading!

Even though the story is fictional, the insight provided by Capt. Johns of the air war in WW1 is very accurate and extremely well presented. An excellent read.

Brand new, super quality and fast shipping. Been wanting to get this for ever. Thank You!

I loved this book , it had lots of action, lots of dog fights and biggles is an awesome character.

James Bigglesworth aged seventeen joined the army in 1916 and got posted to the as-yet unnamed Royal Flying Corps. He was a Second Lieutenant and after nine hours of solo flying he was sent to the Front in France. The biplanes were extremely new to war and had been used first for observation, then machine guns and bomb racks were fitted. Triplanes (known as tripehounds) were also in use on the German side. The planes such as Sopwith Pups were made of spruce wood and piano wire, and did not have the luxury of fuel gauges or parachutes.This book was not the first written of the series but Capt. Johns is undoubtedly recalling his own youth and days in the fighter squadrons. He wrote it in 1935 and must have been amazed by how fast the aviation world had taken off and become sophisticated.Reading the book we get reminded that the trenches stretched from the French or Belgian coast to the borders of Switzerland. Artillery were often shelling a position they could not see so planes were sent up to spot for them and the basic but effective signalling in use is described. We also see that cavalry was still in use and the unpleasantness of trench warfare is experienced a few times during crash landings, when the young officer is happy to escape back to his own lines.The people and stress of those early days of aerial combat are extremely well realised, so that a young reader will be thrilled and a mature reader left gasping at the bravery involved. I had read many of the series but not this book, and was delighted to get a chance to read it as reissued for the centenary of the Great War. I'd hoped that Johns might have mentioned something of Biggles' family or home but this is not the case.To my mind the WW1 books are the best written of the series. Biggles starred in many books but later became a one-dimensional figure as Johns wrote what his publishers told him that boys wanted to read. You may also be interested in 'Biggles - the Authorised Biography' by John Pearson which treats the character as though he was a real person.

This book is good, if only for the reason that you do, in fact, read about how Biggles learnt to fly. However the lack of other normal characters (Algy, Ginger) makes it a bit less interesting-although Mark Way and Mahoney sort of make up for that.

Devoured Biggles books when I was at school. Ok read but I have certainly moved on.