The Gold Bird : Pakistan and Its Air Force--Observations of a Pilot/Mansoor
Shah. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2002, vii, 318 p., plates, maps, ISBN 0 19
579772 8.
The Gold Bird : Pakistan and Its Air Force--Observations of a Pilot/Mansoor
Shah. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2002, vii, 318 p., plates, maps, ISBN 0 19
579772 8.
Contents: Introduction. 1. Protecting the crown jewels. 2. God help us. 3. Aftermath.
"From an account of the trials and tribulations of the young recruit to the observations of a mature aviator, Air Commodore Mansoor Shah has much to offer in these reminiscences of life in the nascent Royal Indian and Pakistan Air Forces. He is able to shed light on the development of the PAF as well as on the Pakistan Army and Navy from a favourable vantage point, thanks to the wide range of his assignments. The value of this book is enhanced by the fact that there are not many other accounts of the RIAF and the early PAF, by South Asians who served in both organizations; and the number of individuals who were capable of creating such a record has been pruned by time. The wealth of detail the author offers in this book promises to keep both airmen and general readers enthralled."