The Shepherd By Frederick Forsyth First Published: 1975 For my darling wife Carole On Christmas Eve 1957, alone in the cockpit of his Vampire, an RAF pilot is returning from Germany to Lakenheath on leave - 66 minutes of trouble-free, routine flying. Then, out over the North Sea, the fog begins to close in, radio contact ceases, and the compass goes haywire. This, Forsyth's own flying story, is also featured in his compilation of flying stories, Great Flying Stories.