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

X-Planes of Europe: Secret Research Aircraft from the Golden Age 1947–1974

by Tony Buttler & Jean-Louis Delezenne

Showcasing European efforts, the aircraft in this excellent book did by and large not advance into production but some of the technologies they tested did—the lift fan, vectored thrust, supersonic flight, to name a few.

Secrets of the Spitfire

by Lance Cole

Adding a new chapter to the voluminous Spitfire literature, this book tells the story of a brilliant but quiet aerodynamicist whose seminal work is only in recent years being recognized.

Schneidige deutsche Mädel: Fliegerinnen zwischen 1918 und 1945

by Evelyn Zegenhagen

For women, even the sky has a “glass ceiling.” This book juxtaposes female German pilots’ desire to fly with the political and economic realities of the interwar years during which airmindedness and aviation blossomed.

The Handley Page Victor: The History and Development of a Classic Jet, Vol. 2

by Roger R. Brooks

After a last hurrah in the Falklands and then the first Gulf War, Victors were mustered out in 1993, after a long 30 years of service but with a relatively low 6500 flight hours. Specs and data here tell the story.

Soviet and Russian Testbed Aircraft

by Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov

From military and civilian aircraft to rocket components and technologies, this book presents key types and programs since the 1930s along with information on the flight test centers.

Brooklands

by P.J. Wallace

A mini history of the world’s first purpose-built banked motorsport venue and one of Britain’s first airfields.

Jacqueline Cochran:  Biography of a Pioneer Aviator 

by Rhonda Smith-Daugherty

Beautiful and testy, Cochran held more aviation records for speed, altitude and distance than anyone. Despite worldwide fame in her day and being a relentless self-promoter, her name today is overshadowed by another’s.

Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters

by Dennis R. Jenkins & Tony R. Landis

From 500 mph at the end of WW II to exceeding the sound barrier only two years later. Someone was busy . . . and technology advanced rapidly. 50-odd examples of the jet age are shown here.

Building the P-51 Mustang

by Michael O’Leary

So, how did they do it? Build the legendary Mustang, that is. This book lets you look over their shoulders and tells you at the same time a lot about the aircraft itself.

X-Plane Crashes

by Peter W. Merlin and Tony Moore

This book is less about experimental planes than the process of and reasons behind looking for their crash sites. You too could find yourself a cool bookend in the desert—if you knew what you’re doing.

Sound Barrier: The Rocky Road to Mach 1.0+

by Peter Caygill

Shake, rattle, and roll—that’s the sound barrier at around 500 mph. This book explains how and why it happens, and how this difficult obstacle was overcome.