Blip on the radar

When you mix one dreamy Irish Helicopter Pilot-Mechanic with a crew of Taiwanese, Chinese, Philippinos and Indonesians, you get everything - from confusion, to fireworks, to hilarity. In these true stories, Francis 'Moggy' Meyrick describes a wide range of personal experiences. Some are hilarious, some are hair-raising. When you go flying in those remote Pacific areas, it is inevitable that you also witness tragedy. In his previous book, Moggy's Tuna Manual, the emphasis was on Safe Operating Procedures. In Blip on the Radar he describes some actual occurrences that could have been fatal. But in his Introduction he also writes, "I count myself a fortunate man indeed to have seen, tasted, and flown the vast Pacific Tuna Fields. Roaming up to 50 miles away from my ship, long since disappeared over the horizon, I so often saw no sign of human existence. No ships, no islands, no people, no manmade structures. Only solitude, endless marching waves, and 'Mother Nature' in all her essence. With my blades slapping time, wind rushing by, and unseen gears steadily meshing. And the Eternal Sky, looking down - kindly, I believe - on a puny, mortal Man. In a sense, it was and is a paradise for any storyteller."