num_pages: 170
description:  William Avery Bishop more commonly known as Billy Bishop was one of the greatest fighter pilots of the First World War. After months as an observer with the British Royal Flying Corps he eventually earned his wings in November 1916. By March of the next year he was posted in France with No. 60 Squadron RFC near Arras along with his Niewport 17 fighter. Prospects for a newly fledged pilot were not promising at this point of the war as the average life expectancy was eleven days and German pilots were shooting down British planes at a rate of five to one. Bishops initial flying days did not begin in glory as during his first flight he became separated from his group and was nearly shot down by anti-aircraft fire and two days after this he was forced to crash land during a practice flight. Shortly after these events he was ordered to return to flight school. Yet his poor luck quickly changed and less than a month later he had shot down his fifth enemy plane and had become an ace. By the end of the war he had claimed a total of seventy-two air victories making him one of the most successful pilots of the entire war. Bishops fascinating book Winged Warfare takes the reader to the heart of what it would have been like to have been a World War One fighter pilot. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in learning about the development of aviation warfare and the story of one remarkable man. William Avery Bishop was a First World War flying ace who received a Victoria Cross for his actions. After the war he recorded his experiences in his memoir Winged Warfare which was first published in 1918. During the Second World War Bishop was a key part of developing the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. He passed away in 1956. 
language: None
title: Winged Warfare
publisher: Maneuver Books