In the first half of the 20th century the possibility of flight opened up entirely new avenues of thought and exploration. In the age of H.G. Wells and Biggles, the opening up of the air to balloons and planes- the Royal Flying Corps was founded in 1912 - appealed to concepts of courage and bravery which would be both encouraged and undermined by ......

Rate of Climb is an original and continually entertaining biography, drawing on previously unpublished family and archival material, from a leading ex-RAF fighter pilot who flew Lightnings, Phantoms, Tonrado F2/3s and other high-performance aircraft.

Hercules Boys contains a fascinating collection of first-hand and highly entertaining accounts by the ground and air crews themselves who adapted to everything that the elements, enemy and `airships' in Whitehall threw at them. A must for any military aviation devotee.

The Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is an evolutionary redesign of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 A/B Hornet. The Legacy F/A-18 Hornet first flew in 1980 and met the requirement for a multirole fighter to complement the larger and more expensive Grumman F-14 Tomcat, serving in fleet defense interceptor and air superiority roles. The Hornet proved to ......

A highly engaging personal account by a decorated RAF pilot.

This first volume of German Fighter Aces trace the story of the Luftwaffe's day fighter arm (der Tagjagd) from its inception to 1942.

The latest book in the Polish Wings series shows famous Russian bombers and training aircraft in service with the Polish Air Force during and after WW2.

Even today, almost eighty years after its first flight, the North American P-51 Mustang remains one of the most famous and recognisable aircraft in the world. Nimble and fast, qualities that lead the Mustang to be used even today in air races, the aircraft was forged in battle. This, the second of two volumes on this iconic aircraft, explores the ......

The history of Cold War reconnaissance in the words of the man who proved the aircraft, commanded the units, and flew the missions. This is the biography of pilot Col. William Gregory, whose astonishing career with the CIA and the US Air Force encompassed the attempts by US intelligence to understand Cold War Soviet Union.

The story of the top-scoring ace in history, a Luftwaffe pilot named Erich Hartmann who totalled 352 kills.

The Grumman-designed TBF Avenger was unquestionably the most successful torpedo bomber in the US fleet during WWII. Developed just prior to the US entry in WWII, the type made its combat debut at the Battle of Midway. Demand for the large carrier-borne aircraft, which could drop conventional bombs and depth charges in addition to torpedoes, soon ......

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was not only the largest and most advanced US aircraft to see combat in World War II, it was also the most expensive weapons system of the war, even exceeding the cost of developing the atomic bomb - the weapon that ultimately would be delivered to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by a pair of B-29s in August 1945. Through a ......

A mere 20 Sea Harriers operating from two aircraft carriers would take on the might of the Argentine air force, some 200 planes strong.

The P-8A Poseidon, a variant of the Boeing 737 series of airliner, takes over the role of antisubmarine warfare from the P-3 Orion, itself a derivative of an airliner, the Lockheed Electra. The P-8A brings new capabilities, endurance, and crew enhancements to the art form of maritime patrol, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The Poseidon also ......

The first of two volumes illustrating the camouflage and markings of the day fighters used by the Yugoslav Air Force from 1918 to 1941 on aircraft of British, German, Czech and French origin.

The most comprehensive illustrated study of the post-war Swedish jet fighter aircraft which was a design ahead of its time and with revolutionary double-delta wings.

The most iconic planes of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, DeHavilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster, were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design.

From the 1970s until the 2000s, the spear tip of the USN air wings was the F-14 Tomcat. Illustrated by over 100 photographs and colour profiles, `Tomcats of the Storm' is an exclusive source about some of least-well known air combats fought by US Navy's fighter crews in recent history.

The Mystery of Missing Flight F-BELV, believed to be the only aircraft never to have been recovered from the Vietnam War.

During World War II, the United States Army Air Corps was led by a cadre of officers who believed implicitly that military aviation, particularly fast heavy bombers at high altitude, would be able to destroy strategic enemy targets during daylight with minimal losses. However, by 1942 the Flying Fortress was proving vulnerable to Luftwaffe ......

New B-format paperback edition. The experiences of the German fighter pilots in the Second World War, based on extensive recollections of veterans as well as primary documents, and diary and flying log book extracts, with photographs from the veterans themselves, many never previously published.

Arranged chronologically by theatre of war and campaign, and illustrated with detailed artworks of combat aircraft and their markings, Aircraft of World War I is a comprehensive study of the aircraft that fought in the Great War of 1914-18.

TOP GUN meets BAND OF BROTHERS in this stunning untold story of the race among America's elite airmen to become the greatest fighter pilot of WWII.

Photographic history of the German, Soviet, French, Italian, Swedish jet fighters of the 1940s and early 1950s.

Packed full of unique material and first-hand accounts from the archives of the Imperial War Museum, it tells of the men and women who won the Battle of Britain in that fateful summer, at home and in the air.

The riveting story behind an exceptional test pilot, George Errington, whose career spanned three decades.

"Dozens of top secret bomber designs were drawn up by the Germans during the Second World War, including gigantic flying wings, sleek jet bombers, asymmetrical bombers with the cockpit and weapons turrets on the ends of their wings and even enormous carriers for single-seat suicide bombers."

Dan Sharp analyses Germany's last-gasp WW2 Volksj ger jet fighter programme.

Projects and plans to alter and improve Germany's infamous WW2 jet fighter - the Me 262.

The original dive-bomber, the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, profiled by Luftwaffe expert Andy Saunders.

The story of the fighters who took the battle to Germany during the First World War from the bestselling author of BOMBER CREW and THE DAMBUSTERS

Detailed monograph covering the design and development of the C.205 Veltro ("greyhound" ) the main production variant of this classic Italian fighter aircraft from WWII.

Bill Reed had it all - brains, looks, athleticism, courage and a talent for leadership. After a challenging childhood in Depression-era Iowa, Reed joined the US Army Air Corps, but the outbreak of World War II saw him give up his commission. Instead, he travelled to China to fly for the American Volunteer Group - the legendary Flying Tigers. ......

During the Second World War, RAF Lancaster bombers took the conflict into the very heart of Hitler's Third Reich, and flew some of the most daring operations of the war. Surprisingly, of the 7,377 Lancasters built only two survive today, one in Britain and one in Canada. Produced with the full cooperation of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial ......

An illustrated history of the Fleet Air Arm's between-the-wars torpedo/spotter/reconnaissance biplane, featuring many previously unpublished photographs and artwork.

With over 200 photos, Luftwaffe provides a full pictorial history of the aircraft and key figures of the German Air Force in WWII, from the Blitzkrieg invasions of Poland and France to the defence of Germany.