‘Two Up’ is a collection of aviation anecdotes and photographs covering five decades and going back to the brothers’ early fascination with aircraft in the sixties. It includes a wealth of insider information from two brothers who spent their working lives in the aviation industry.. From the sixties both Smith brothers have spent their life, leisure and working time in and around an industry that has seen phenomenal changes over the last fifty years.

Ron Smith has had a long and varied association with aviation. He is an aerospace engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, ex-Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society Rotorcraft Committee, author of aviation books and articles, aircraft owner, private pilot and aviation photographer. After 15 years at Westland Helicopters and 22 years with British Aerospace / BAE Systems. Ron’s books include the 5 volume British Built Aircraft series (The History Press); Cessna 172: A Pocket History & Piper Cherokee: A Family History (Amberley Publishing); Classic Light Aircraft, & Twin Cessna, (Schiffer Publishing).

Jim Smith recently retired from a senior management position after 14 years at the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group. Trained as an aeronautical engineer, he has BSc and Masters degrees from the University of Southampton, UK. Before moving to Australia, Jim worked for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 28 years. His experience includes involvement with a wealth of British and Australian research and major defence projects, many of which were with international partners.