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

Flying Boats of the Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Ships of the Sky

by Richard Knott

To make the far-flung corners of their empire accessible, the British built a flying boat called—Empire. A fleet of over 40 plied the skies for a decade, until something new and better took its place.

“I Would Not Step Back . . .” Phil Lamason

by Hilary Pedersen and others

More than a just another war story, this book explains what made a quiet, humble man a leader even his enemies could not ignore.

The Lancaster and the Tirpitz

by Tony Iveson & Brian Milton

The subtitle calls only the bomber “legendary” but not the battleship? A good and necessary book but a bit one-sided.

Desert Boneyards: Retired Aircraft Storage Facilities in the U.S.

by Patrick Hoeveler, Adel Krämer

End-of-life questions are complicated, even for inanimate objects. Organ donor? Cremation? Cryogenics? Stuffed museum display? What happens to old aircraft when their glory days are past?

The Spitfire: An Icon of the Skies

by Philip Kaplan

There’s a ton of Spitfire books. This one adds something. People who flew or otherwise know the Spit inside out tell you what makes this airplane different, and, well, better.

The Avro Manchester: The Legend Behind the Lancaster

by Robert Kirby

If it weren’t for the subtitle many readers would probably not even know into what period to place this all but forgotten aircraft. Developed during times in which neither the technology nor the mission was entirely clear it lived a short and difficult life—but it was not for naught.

Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908

by David B.Gero

Whereas the Geneva-based Aircraft Crashes Record Office compiles and makes public statistics on aviation accidents of aircraft capable of carrying more than six passengers (excluding helicopters, balloons, and fighter airplanes), the military keeps its cards closer to the vest.

Testbeds, Motherships & Parasites

by Frederick A. Johnsen

Written by a USAF historian this book showcases the flying laboratories that test the seemingly obvious and the utterly obscure bits without which safe aviating would be anything but.

Soviet Spyplanes of the Cold War

by Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov

Well-illustrated histories of the “real” planes are accompanied by detailed descriptions of plastic scale model kits and commentary concerning their accuracy and available modifications.

The Royal Flying Corps 1914–1918

by Peter G. Cooksley

Absolutely one of the better books on the subject, which is probably why it keeps getting re-issued. Great at the human-interest level and a solid Big Picture introduction to the service that really validated aviation and thereby served as a model for all air forces.

The 377 Stratocruiser & KC-97 Stratofreighter: Boeing’s Great Post War Transports

by Bill Yenne

“A monkey could fly this plane.” Well, no, but once six monkeys on a flight from Thailand got loose. A modified version of it was called the Pregnant Guppy and NASA considered it a lifesaver. Everything you need to know about “Tomorrow’s Airliner” is in this lovely book.

Lancaster: Reaping the Whirlwind

by Martin A. Bowman

A close-up look at operating the mighty World War II bomber during the war and then on relief missions in the immediate aftermath.

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