Special Forces Pilot

In 1982, Royal Marine pilot Richard Hutchings flew some of the most dangerous covert missions of the Falklands War. As a Sea King captain with 846 Naval Air Squadron, he was tasked with inserting and extracting SAS and SBS teams deep behind enemy lines, often at night, in atrocious weather, skimming just feet above the sea and hostile terrain. Decorated for gallantry, Hutchings now delivers an unforgettable firsthand account of a conflict fought on the edge of possibility.

From the legendary SAS raid on Pebble Island to pioneering night-vision operations that transformed modern military flying, this gripping memoir places listeners in the cockpit as covert missions unfold in real time. Through near-disasters, air attacks, and daring Special Forces insertions, Hutchings reveals the courage, ingenuity and split-second decision-making that defined Britain's campaign in the South Atlantic.

At the heart of the story is the long-secret Operation MIKADO, the audacious and ill-fated plan to strike the Argentine mainland and destroy the Exocet threat. As captain of the Sea King chosen for the mission, Hutchings recounts the operation in extraordinary detail: a one-way flight into enemy territory, a crash landing in Chile, days evading capture, encounters with Chilean authorities, British diplomats and intelligence officers, and a remarkable return to Britain that ended in an MI6 safe house.

Part combat memoir, part Special Forces thriller, Special Forces Pilot is a rare and riveting insider account of the Falklands War, revealing one of its most secretive chapters through the eyes of the man who lived it.