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

I Kept No Diary

by F.R. (Rod) Banks

If your motor requires high octane fuel it probably has high compression. Banks is the man who championed this technology—and a thousand other things—which is probably why he had no time to keep a diary. He was 80 when he wrote this book, and still working!

The Curtiss Hydroaeroplane: The U.S. Navy’s First Airplane 1911–1916

by Bob Woodling and Taras Chayka

The story of the first truly successful seaplane is here told against the backdrop of the all-important human factor: how people find each other, work together, and make the sum greater than its parts.

UFO Drawings From The National Archives

by David Clarke 

Some say The Truth is Out There. Even if it is, so is a whole load of other stuff. Fake news is not news! This delightfully left-field book shows how the UFO phenomenon has been a rich seam mined by a diversity of Britons, ranging from the self-delusional to the unsettlingly sane.

A Complete History of U.S. Combat Aircraft Fly-Off Competitions

by Erik Simonsen

How do military aircraft make the cut to be selected for active duty? And the ones that didn’t, what would they have looked like if they had made it into service? On the latter score, this book is a winner.

Ilyushin Il-28

by Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov

The first mass-produced Soviet jet bomber is worth a look for many reasons, both technical and historical.

Schneider Trophy Seaplanes and Flying Boats

by Ralph Pegram

Over a hundred different aircraft are covered here, along with a thorough look at the reasons for air racing, as well as technical developments and the historical/political picture.

Aviation Records in the Jet Age

by William A. Flanagan

A nicely curated and well written overview—more than a highlight reel but not an encyclopedia. You really will be amazed by how far we’ve come in a relatively short time.

The Blue Max Airmen: Manfred von Richthofen

by Lance J. Bronnenkant

Von Richthofen . . . that old chestnut. But wait—this is one of the few books worth having! A bit short, a bit flimsy, but sehr gut.

The Complete History of U.S. Cruise Missiles

by Bill Yenne

When missile launches make the news it’s never a good day, and when cruise missiles are involved, the doomsday clock moves closer to worry-time. This small book isn’t so much a complete history as a quick overview.

Trailblazer in Flight, Britain’s First Female Jet Airline Captain

by Yvonne Pope Sintes

“Airworthiness” of a different kind is the topic here: can—should—a woman be at the helm of a commercial airliner? You’ll shudder at some of the reactions in her time (1950s), and then you’ll shudder some more because glass ceilings are still very real today.

Polish Aviation Museum Cracow

by Jaroslaw Dobrzyński

The whole purpose of this publisher’s new series of which this book is the first, is to (a) bring the museum to people who can’t see it in person and (b) provide a reference-level documentation of a museum’s holdings. The text gives basic history and vital stats along with some commentary as to how the item came to be in the museum and, if applicable, what work was done to it here.

Convair Advanced Designs

by Robert Bradley

Loosing faith in progress? Feeling down by too much “been there/done that”? Well, prepare to be amazed and entertained by two books that look behind the curtain. Not everything here is a flight of fancy; some of these machines were totally viable but just didn’t get green-lighted.