Born

Friday 6th April 1951 (73 years-old)

Nationality

British

Home town

Luton

Resident of

United Kingdom (Ampthill)

Howard Martin was born in Luton in 1951 and attended Luton Grammar School. He grew up loving TV comedy from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and was sad at the slow disappearance of funny shows due to the advance of political correctness.

He learnt to fly in 1979 and continued his training up to being a PPL/IR on both single-engine and twin-engined aircraft. He remembers the fun and frolics that went on in various flying clubs and pubs pre-millennium, and thought the stories should be chronicled for posterity.

He is the author of the book 'Learning To Fly', which was originally written as a six-part TV comedy series but failed to attract any interest from the mainly 'woke' producers out there, so he rewrote it into a book. The sequel, 'Going Solo' was published in September 2020, and the final book 'Final Approach' of the Linton Flying Club Trilogy was published in August 2021.

There ain't much to laugh at right now in the middle of this Covid-19 scare. Turn on the wireless and most so-called comedians are about as funny as haemorrhoids. Instead of telling us rib-tickling jokes, they just mutter "Bloody Boris Johnson" or "Daft Donald Trump?" While studio audiences fall about laughing. Makes me want to cry.

But amid all this gloom, new author Howard Martin has written the funniest book set in sleepy Beds since H E Bates penned "Uncle Silas" 80 years ago. His "Learning to Fly; Fun and frolics at the Linton Flying Club" had me chuckling all the way through the far-too-few 50 chapters.

Politically-correct, it certainly ain't. And some of the humour is a bit near the knuckle. So if you're a "snowflake", prepare to blow a gasket. But if you used to giggle at the Carry On movies, snigger over Brian Rix bedroom farces and guffaw at the antics of Benny Hill, then you'll love it.

The action starts when married Roger Moore (a man who believes his name entitles him to do exactly that) signs up for flying lessons and falls for randy Mandy the receptionist, who obviously has a soft spot for pilots and their joy sticks.

Swirling round them in the club's laid-back bar are the sort of crazy characters we all recognise from our local boozers - there's Prince Charles impressionist Guy, who can't string more than two sentences together without telling a bawdy joke, Kyle, the gay flight attendant with a taste for false bottoms, and Steve, who always disappears to the loo when its his round.

Things soon start to go wrong. First the club's brash new owner upsets regulars by installing a rather coarse fat lass called Chantelle behind the bar, doubling the price of drinks and starting to play loud music which drowns out conversation and attracts "the wrong sort of customer". Then Roger and Mandy's spouses start to cotton on what's happening. After that ... well, flaps away, it's bound to end in disaster.

Amazon (Charlie Garth), Friday 3rd April 2020

I started reading the book, began laughing out loud from the first few pages and didn't stop giggling until the very end. Totally hilarious from start to finish. Wholly believable everyday eccentric characters you could meet in your local pub. Written in a fast flowing, easy style. Endless double entendres that I loved. Extremely witty. Slapstick at times. Refreshingly non-PC. What more can I say? Amongst all the doom and gloom of the coronavirus lockdown this book was just what the doctor ordered. A fantastic first book from a new author. Can't wait to read the follow up book.

Amazon (Tony Byrne), Friday 1st May 2020

"Learning to fly" by Howard Martin is a unique book and a definite contender for the 'must read' book list. With the winter evenings drawing in this book has the power to lift the spirits.
The story is set within a Flying Club and is a balanced mixture between Roger, the main character's passion for learning how to fly and the wonderful interactions between him and the other characters of the story.
One finds a little compassion for Alison, Roger's rather domineering wife as she struggles to come to terms with Roger's passion for flying. But it is easy to see why, once a member of the flying club, Roger's attention turn to the feisty Mandy and the companionship of fellow club members. Just the ingredients which ensues there will be trouble ahead.
The story moves forward at a fast pace through realistic, often comical and sometimes risqué dialogue but don't be misled. The comedy writing associated with this story is pure genius and a remake of the innuendo, the much missed comedy writing of yesterday for there are no crude words. It's up to the reader to make interpretation as they so wish. Go on give it a read especially you out there with a whacky sense of humour. ©

The Fuddler (BOOK REVIEW, with Prudence.), Friday 25th September 2020

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