An in-depth account of the 1968 London air tragedy that claimed five lives—includes interviews with cabin crew, passengers, and air traffic controllers. One and a half minutes after takeoff on the clear and sunny afternoon of April 8, 1968, the Number 2 engine of BOAC Boeing 707 G-ARWE broke away from its mounting pylon and fell, tumbling in flames. Captain Cliff Taylor managed an extremely smooth touchdown about 400 yards beyond the Heathrow runway threshold and the aircraft came to a stop 1,400 yards further along the runway. The cabin crew had the doors open and passengers began escaping from the starboard over-wing exit and then via chutes at the forward and rear galley doors. Several explosions occurred and the port wing fell off, the resulting blast hurling flaming debris over the side of the aircraft. The rear escape chute was damaged by the fire and burst but, of the 126 people aboard, most of the 121 survivors had escaped before the arrival of the main fire and rescue services. Thirty-eight people received treatment for injuries and five, including stewardess Barbara Jane Harrison, were overcome by heat and fumes and died aboard G-ARWE. For her bravery in trying to rescue the remaining passengers on that day, Harrison was awarded the George Cross. “An amazing story . . . a fitting tribute to Jane and the other unfortunate people who lost their lives. It is extremely well written and I would highly recommend it.” —Jonathan Wright
This book reveals the inside track on the making of Terminal 5: the courage, the ground-breaking management thinking and the many lessons learnt from the leaders, the client and integrated supply chain teams, - involving over 50,000 people from 20,000 companies - which led to the successful delivery of this mega project on time, on budget, and safely. Love or hate Heathrow we can’t ignore it! An economic power house for the UK, 155,000 earn their living from it and 68 million of us pass through it each year. Two decades of the planning, design, construction and opening of Terminal 5 has resulted in a gateway that Heathrow can be proud of. Faced with the risk of opening a year late, being a billion overspent, since Sir John Egan in the early 1990s, BAA, stakeholders and supplier partners have been grappling with Terminal 5`s challenges. The result? £4.3 billion of design and construction delivered on time, to budget and safely is to be commended given the industry statistics but the acid test will now be the quality of the 30 million passengers experience and the operating costs that have been left to stand the test of time. Sharon Doherty is HR and organisational effectiveness director for Heathrow airport and Terminal 5. Sharon has previously worked in consultancy, financial services and retail. Her specialism is people and change. 2002 to the end 2007 she was accountable for the approach to people management and organisational change on Terminal 5.
An eloquent portrayal of the UK's primary hub of air travel, Kevan James delves into the story of Heathrow Airport and reveals the truth and the legends behind it. Seen not only from the eyes of the author himself, and including his own use of Heathrow, the book also details the lives of some of those who work there. This is an intriguing look at the London air transport hub.
"Ingenious... Builds to one of the most memorable final scenes I've read in a novel this century." --The New York Times WINNER OF THE 2018 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE The suspenseful and heartbreaking story of an immigrant family driven to pit love against loyalty, with devastating consequences Isma is free. After years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their mother's death, she's accepted an invitation from a mentor in America that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can't stop worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London, or their brother, Parvaiz, who's disappeared in pursuit of his own dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma's worst fears are confirmed. Then Eamonn enters the sisters' lives. Son of a powerful political figure, he has his own birthright to live up to--or defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz's salvation? Suddenly, two families' fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined, in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?
When Peter took charge of the flight deck of the 777 and took off from Beijing airport, there was nothing to suggest that this trip would be anything other than a routine flight of the sort he had made so many times before. It was not until moments before landing that anything went wrong. Coming in to Heathrow Airport, the plane suffered inexplicable loss of power to both engines, and it was suddenly likely that the plane would plough into a built-up area outside the airport, with the loss of all lives on board. Peter tells us in graphic detail his thoughts and actions when he managed to help save the plane at the last moment thanks to a flash of inspiration that led him to change the position of the wing flaps, which appeared to gain the vehicle enough precious time to make it over the perimeter fence and land on the grass, short of the runway. For both Maria and Peter, their lives following the crash have resulted in experiences that they never would have expected to have happened. There isn't a handbook with rules to follow after a crash so the subsequent aftermath was laced with events that could have been handled better from all sides, which lead to Maria and Peter having to find strength inside them that they had never needed before. A little more than a year later, they have used these strengths to begin a new chapter in their lives; starting with leaving British Airways and celebrating a second chance to enjoy life. But there are still nights when they find themselves awake, crying about what could have happened on that fateful day.
The fire was visible from seventy miles away and the heat generated was so intense that a helicopter could only circle the rig at a perimeter of one mile. On the surface of the sea, a converted fishing trawler inched as close as possible, but the paint on the vessel’s hull blistered and burnt. In the water surrounding the inferno, men’s heads could be seen bobbing like apples as their yellow hard hats melted with the heat. On 6 July 1988 a series of explosions ripped through the Piper Alpha oil platform, 110 miles north-east of Aberdeen in the North Sea. Ablaze with 226 men on board, the searing temperatures caused the platform to collapse in just two hours. Only sixty-one would survive by leaping over 100 feet into the water below. Newly updated for the thirtieth year since the tragedy, Fire in the Night by journalist Stephen McGinty tells in gripping detail the devastating story of that summer evening. Combining interviews with survivors, witness statements and transcripts from the official inquiry into the disaster, this is the moving and vivid tale of what remains the worst offshore oil-rig disaster to date.
THE UNSUITABLE SUITOR is a clean, sweet, traditional Regency romance set in Regency London. The devastatingly handsome Lord Peterbloom is rumored to have kept as many as eight mistresses at once! But having grown weary of his dissolute ways, he now leads an exemplary life. His one regret is that despite his winning way with the ladies, he never once fell in love. Now, after meeting the lively Miss Miranda Frasier, Peterbloom is smitten. But, how to convince her that he is a new man? Miss Miranda Fraser and her sisters travel up to London to save their family home, only to discover that it is now owned by the devilish rakehell who once stole a kiss from a naïve Miranda! Although she was outraged then, and still is, the memory of Lord Peterbloom's lips on hers still makes her blush. The reprobate claims to have mended his wicked ways. Miranda fervently hopes so when she realizes the handsome scoundrel holds not only the deed to her house, but the key to her heart. “Well-conceived and beautifully written with wonderful details and terrific characters!” – Emily Hendrickson. “The Unsuitable Suitor is very well done and laugh out loud amusing! Not to be missed.”–Red River Reviews. “Regency romance fans will appreciate Ms. Clay’s fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.” –Romantic Times. If you enjoy the traditional Regency romances of Bree Wolf, Jenni James, Georgette Heyer, and Candice Hern, you'll enjoy Marilyn Clay's clean, sweet, and always clever Regencies. All of Ms. Clay's novels are suitable for teen readers with no strong language, or graphic scenes. Watch for THE WRONG MISS FAIRFAX, Marilyn Clay's most recent Regency romance that debuted on Amazon's Top 100 Best-Selling Ebooks list! “A delightfully amusing romp featuring eccentric Jane Austen-like characters. Two willful young ladies, Emma and Jemma Fairfax, lead the unsuspecting Lord Townsend on a merry chase! Not to be missed!” – Regency Romance Reviews. You will also enjoy all nine titles in Marilyn Clay's new Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series, MURDER AT MORLAND MANOR, MURDER IN MAYFAIR, MURDER IN MARGATE, MURDER AT MEDLEY PARK, MURDER IN MIDDLEWYCH, MURDER IN MAIDSTONE, MURDER AT MONTFORD HALL, MURDER ON MARSH LANE, and MURDER IN MARTINDALE, now available in print and ebook from all major online ebook retailers. Be sure to look for Marilyn Clay’s historical suspense novels: BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY featuring American icon Betsy Ross as the intrepid heroine. Set in 1776 Philadelphia, Betsy determines to expose the killer of her beloved husband John Ross but is quickly drawn into the dangerous underworld of spies and double spies. Can Betsy bring down the notorious spy before he kills her or her beloved sisters? DECEPTIONS: A Jamestown Novel (also in Ebook as DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS and THE LETTER), originally released in hardcover. Catherine travels to the New World colony of Jamestown in search of her betrothed, but what she finds there nearly destroys her. Who can she trust when the entire colony is in on the deception? SECRETS AND LIES, also originally released in hard cover. An inspirational story about four young English girls who travel to the New World on a Bride Ship in search of love, and a new life. Instead they find someone in the colony wants them all dead! (In Ebook as DANGEROUS SECRETS and A PETTICOAT AND LAMBSKIN GLOVES.) A respected historian of the Regency period in English history, for sixteen years MARILYN CLAY published The Regency Plume, an international newsletter containing well-researched articles useful to writers, historians and those interested in the English Regency. All back issues of The Regency Plume Newsletter are still available from The Regency Plume website. For more information on Marilyn Clay's novels, visit Marilyn Clay Author.
Rookie lawyer Ranjeev C. Dubey slogs his way through the corridors of Delhi’s trial courts and realizes that the legal system is anything but fair. He stumbles upon a strange world of corruption, sleaze, adultery, eloping couples and clients willing to pay for legal services ‘in kind’. He survives the ‘killing field’ of litigation for twelve long years, biding his time. When he gets an offer to join a law firm, Dubey believes he has finally arrived. But has he? The world of Indian corporate law is one of intense power-play and the merciless pursuit of revenue. In this sinister world of destructive politicking, Ranjeev becomes enemies with the big sharks who own the law firm. What follows is an explosive showdown. In this dark, racy memoir, the now-well-known corporate lawyer exposes the world of the black robes with his trademark wit and leaves you wanting more. If you had to read only one book about the world of lawyers and the Indian legal system, Legal Confidential would have to be it!
For two thousand years London has been at the heart of Britain’s development as a nation, providing a focus for its political life. The military element is now usually visible only through the pageantry which attends royal occasions, but this masks a more serious underlying intent. Frequently the target for both foreign invaders and domestic factions, it has been required to defend itself against everything from seaborne raiders to aerial bombardment and the threat of nuclear war. At the same time, the direction of military affairs has been centred on London, along with the military infrastructure of barracks, depots, magazines, dockyards and munitions factories. The evidence for much of this can be seen in the landscape, from the mediaeval Tower of London and the underground nuclear citadels in the urban centre, to the royal palaces, moated sites, airfields and anti-invasion defences in the suburbs and the green belt. This book describes the various elements of London’s military heritage, and places them in their historical and social context. From the castles and strong-houses of the mediaeval and Tudor monarchs and statesmen, to the pseudo-fortresses of the Victorian militia and rifle volunteers; the airfields of the anti-Zeppelin fighters of the Royal Flying Corps, and the Battle of Britain bases of the RAF, to the pillboxes of the defences against invasion in 1940, and the anti-nuclear defences of the Cold War and beyond.
