A history of the Royal Air Force, tracing the development of the service all the way from 1st April 1918 to the late 1990s. It is a remarkable story of change, progression and achievement, often against all the odds, told here by a man who was for a long time an important part of many of the events he describes. He records not just the history of the service, but how that history came about, offering throughout his analysis of the wider strategy, of decisions made, the aircraft procured, and the men who flew them.