Author:   Larry Milberry Pages:   320 Year of  Publication:   2007 ISBN:   0-921022-18-2

Canada's Air Forces on Exchange is the first book covering an important but long-overlooked aspect of air force life — personnel abroad on "peace-time" exchanges with Allied services.

The sweep of this exciting CANAV title is vast. Canadians are seen on exchange postings flying everything from WWI bombers to pre-WWII fighters; jet-age fighters like the Javelin, F-106, F-16 and Tornado; Shackleton, Neptune and Nimrod anti-submarine aircraft; Canberra and Lincoln bombers; transports from the RAF Hastings to the USAF C-17 and the US Army Chinook helicopter; trainers from the vintage Meteor to the supersonic T-38. Every command is covered. Variations on the theme are also covered, such as Canadian "ex-pats" serving in the RAF on everything from the F-4 to the Chinook.

There's never a dull moment with CAFE, as Canadians adjust to new surroundings and new aircraft. Sometimes the excitement is a bit too much, as when an RAF Hastings ditches in the Mediterranean, a Shackleton crashes in the Scottish Highlands, an RCAF pilot is inadvertently ejected from his Canberra, or an F-105 Thunderchief goes down in the southwest desert.

Along with its mammoth text, CAFE is packed with rare black-and-white and colour photos showing all the aircraft involved and nearly everyone who is profiled. There's almost no end to the depth and breadth of coverage so, if there ever was one, here's the book for anyone with a yen for RCAF/Canadian Forces history at its best, for the hard-core aviation bibliophile, or for the devoted Canadiana fan.