{"product_id":"9781775541431_many-a-close-run-thing","title":"Many a Close Run Thing","description":"A New Zealand squadron leader, flying-boat captain and airliner pilot on a life of aerial adventure\u003cbr\u003e Planes were rarely seen above the small Central Otago sheep-farming town of Ranfurly in the 1940s. Yet as a young boy, Tom Enright had a fascination with the skies that quickly developed into a longing to become a pilot. He joined the RNZAF as an engineer in 1951, and was sent to England at just 16 to attend the revered Royal Air Force college in Cranwell.\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReturning to New Zealand to join the Vampire fighter squadron in Ohakea, Tom became a famed member of the RNZAF aerobatic team. Later he became a flying commander at Wigram air base, before captaining a Sunderland flying boat to isolated communities in the vast South Pacific, often to the upper limits of the plane's endurance. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the near-catastrophic opening of Wellington airport to flying Boeing 747s into the world's biggest airports, this is Tom Enright's story of the mishaps, misadventures and high-altitude drama of a 45-year flying career.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tom Enright","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46897281597589,"sku":"9781775541431","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9781775541431_cd0ae8dc-3635-4e27-bc88-07781d686894.jpg?v=1776888267","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9781775541431_many-a-close-run-thing","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}