The authors family boasts an extraordinary lineage of nine Royal Air Force pilots, spanning from the First World War to the present day. Beginning with the Royal Flying Corps, the family has produced high-ranking officers and notable figures in aviation history. The author's great uncle, an Air Marshal, conceived the idea of sending the 'Little Ships' to Dunkirk and later became Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He also had an interest in the paranormal, inspiring the film The Night My Number Came Up.
The authors grandparents were both of flag rank: Air Commodore Ernest Howard-Williams briefly served as deputy to Fighter Commands Hugh Dowding, while Air Vice-Marshal Frank Inglis, head of RAF intelligence, was instrumental in convincing President Roosevelt of the Germany First policy.
Other family members include a night fighter pilot during the Second World War, a Battle of Britain fighter pilot, and Group Captain Peter Helmore, a pathfinder with numerous operations. The authors uncle, Air Commodore William Helmore, was an engineer who invented the Helmover Torpedo and broadcasted live from a Liberator over D-Day beaches. The family legacy continues with the author's son, a Chinook helicopter captain in the modern RAF.
