The latest Keyham Books title is 'ML Aviation Ltd - A Secret World' by Graham Carter. His claim to fame is that he ejected from a Meteor. He wrote about this experience in his autobiography, ‘Meteor Eject!’. Before he joined the RAF (National Service) he completed an apprenticeship with ML Aviation. This was one of those companies on the perimeter of the aviation industry making all sorts of equipment and ancillaries associated with aeroplanes. They were in the ejector seat business but were pushed out by Martin-Baker. They did have a go at a couple of alarming looking aeroplanes – the book makes an interesting read.

The 'Blurb' reads thus: This is a story of how two men took over a near bankrupt company in 1940 and transformed it into one of the most successful aviation research establishments in the United Kingdom - ML Aviation Ltd. Marcel Lobelle was one - a designer of repute who, during his time as Chief Designer with Fairey Aviation, produced a number of famous aircraft, including the Swordfish. The other was Eric Mobbs, whose family founded the Slough Industrial Estate. The book lists the many ‘SECRET’ projects that were developed by the Company from the beginning of World War Two until 1997, when ML was taken over by the Cobham Group. It is an interesting collection of successes and failures - the latter being part of the lot of members of the aviation industry in those developing years where an autonomous firm, of which there were many, could ‘have a go’ - a feature sadly lost in these days of the conglomerate. Perhaps, stemming from his early days with ML Aviation (Apprentice) and his subsequent ejection from a Meteor (RAF pilot), Author Graham Carter has attached particular significance to the ‘failure’ of a ML Aviation ejection seat that essentially put the Company out of the race with Martin-Baker. With access to documents at the National Archives and the East Sussex Coroner’s Office, the Author reveals the real circumstances leading up to the death of the Hawker Chief Test Pilot (Squadron Leader ‘Wimpey’ Wade) when he ejected from the P1081 using a ML ejection seat in April 1951. In this book, the dedicated research of the Author is evident, as is the interest of the ‘survivors’ of the Company. This is backed by the support of the Berkshire local community with a concern to preserve the past historical influence of the Company in the area. This has resulted in the reproduction, in this book, of photographs that have never been seen elsewhere. It is a totally genuine presentation of a slice of aviation history which oozes the atmosphere of those aviation years now gone.