Danger and excitement; courage and selflessness and gripping stories of life and death in the air: Lady Luck took these heady ingredients and mixed them into the lethal cocktail that is military flying in peace and war. From First World War biplanes to twenty-first-century fast jets, mid-air collisions and many other crashes, hundreds of airmen from all corners of the world left their mark - quite literally - on the landscape and collective memory of the east of England.

Featuring a wealth of previously unpublished photographs and with original research and crew correspondence, Dying to Fly ensures these airmen cease simply to be names carved in cold memorial stone or entries in some dusty, long-forgotten documents, and pays tribute to their passing by bringing their courage and human-interest stories into light of day to be remembered with respect.

ALASTAIR GOODRUM has had a passion for aviation ever since attending the Farnborough Air Show in 1954 as a young boy. He held a commission in the RAFVR from 1968 to 1975 and presents illustrated public talks on aviation history in the east of England. He has previously written Balloons, Bleriots and Barnstomers: 200 Years of Flying for Fun for The History Press.