Andrew Thomas retired from the Royal Air Force in 2012 after over 40 years of service. He trained as a navigator and flew a variety of aircraft types from two-seat jets, Shackleton and E-3D AEW aircraft, Nimrod R 1 and the Islander light transport. He also served tours as a flying examiner and on staff duties at Strike (later Air) Command HQ. Since retirement he has served as a reservist on defence engagement and training in the Middle East for the Ministry of Defence.

His career was almost exactly bisected by the end of the Cold War, following which he has seen operational service in the Balkans, West Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an enthusiastic researcher and writer about the history of the RAF and its sister Commonwealth services as well as being a regular contributor to the leading British aviation magazines. He has also written over a dozen titles relating to RAF history, including several for Grub Street.

Tony Holmes has worked in aviation book publishing for 30 years, and in that time he has written more than 20 titles on US Naval Aviation-five of them exclusively on the F-14 Tomcat.

He has visited US Navy aircraft carriers underway at sea on more than 20 occasions, covering flight operations in the Northern Arabian Gulf, the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean.

He was awarded the Tailhook Association's Hook Magazine Contributor of the Year award in 2004 (I am the only non-American to receive this accolade).