Victor Boys: True Stories from Forty Memorable Years of the Last V Bomber (Unabridged‪)‬

The Handley Page Victor was the third of the three V Bombers and the longest lasting, serving in the RAF until 1993, and still doing invaluable service in the first Iraq war. Moreover, in 1982, it was the only Victor tanker fleet based on Ascension Island that made possible the Vulcan Black Buck bombing of Port Stanley airfield and the long-range reconnaissance of Argentina by Nimrods. Victor Boys tells the story of all the great things that were achieved, recounted firsthand by the operators themselves, aircrew, and ground crew.

Starting with accounts by test pilot Johnny Allam, who undertook the major development of the aircraft, through its work as a nuclear bomber during the Cold War, testing Blue Steel in Australia, to its superb work during the Falklands war and later as a first class air-to-air refueling tanker and vital support tool for fighters and other aircraft.

Published to coincide with the Victor's 60th anniversary, the stories are collated and set in context by Tony Blackman, ex-chief test pilot of Avros who helped develop the Vulcan and initiated the development of the Victor K2 tanker. For him, initially, the Victor seemed a competitor but he now readily admits what a wonderful aircraft the Victor became.