Archive for Items Categorized 'Military', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

Training the Right Stuff: The Aircraft That Produced America’s Jet Pilots

by Mark A. Frankel & Tommy H. Thomason

Jets behaved like nothing before them; accident rates soared. It wasn’t until 1948 that the military had a proper jet trainer—developed with private funds! This splendid book takes us from biplane to high-tech simulator.

“Sam” – Marshal of the Royal Air Force the Lord Elworthy

by Richard Mead

KG, GCB, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC, AFC, MA—this letter salad bespeaks a highly decorated life. It is only fitting that a biography of this distinguished officer should appear during the RAF’s Centenary year.

Horten Ho 229

by Andrei I. Shepelev & Huib Ottens

The work of the Horten brothers is very remarkable, especially given their young age and the circumstances under which they worked. The Ho 229 was their last and most ambitious project—yielding lessons that are puzzling engineers still.

Soviet Naval Aviation 1946–1991

by Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov

A subject shrouded in mystery and suffering from spotty information. No more. Both history and machinery are covered.

Wave-Off! A History of LSOs and Ship-Board Landings

by Robert R. “Boom” Powell

If you have even the remotest interest in flying—of any sort—or teamwork—of any sort—don’t miss this book because it’ll offer food for thought about many things!

Tupolev TU-22/TU-22M

by Yefim Gordon & Sergey Komissarov

Similar names, different aircraft. One was the first Soviet supersonic nuclear-capable bomber but failed to live up to expectations, the other a completely reconfigured improvement. This book needs no improvement.

Vought F-8 Crusader: Development of the Navy’s First Supersonic Jet Fighter

by William D. Spidle

The Navy’s first fully operational supersonic aircraft would become the most successful military aircraft ever built. This book covers its design and development as well as the early stages of its operational history.

Ladies of Lascaris: Christina Ratcliffe and the Forgotten Heroes of Malta’s War

by Paul McDonald

The RAF did tremendously important reconnaissance work on Malta, and the women and girls who worked as plotters and cipherenes helped. Obviously, they had private lives, and Ratcliffe’s in particular is way out there.

Project Terminated

by Erik Simonsen

“Too many cooks spoil the broth” . . . this book puts the blame for pulling the plug on seemingly viable aviation projects on hapless bureaucrats who keep the military from doing its thing. But it ain’t that easy . . .

Mezek a Turbina: Messerschmitts in Czechoslovakia

by Bohumír Kudlička

The Czechs built German aircraft. Surprised? There’s much to be surprised at in this interesting little book!

Flying Catalinas, The Consolidated PBY Catalina in World War Two


by Andrew Hendrie

This quite specialized but very useful book looks at the wartime activities of the most successful flying boat in aviation history. Even if you don’t give a hoot about airplanes, you’ll know this one: remember the opening sequence of the film/musical South Pacific?

Tupolev Tu-16, Versatile Cold War Bomber

by Gordon, Komissarov, Rigmant

There used to be a time when you couldn’t pick up a newspaper without reading about Badger spottings. Why the Soviets needed it and how they built and used it is the topic of this quite enormous book.

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