The United Kingdom has some of the most dramatic landscapes that can be used by pilots to train in the vital skill of low flying. Aircrew preparing for operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other potential war zones frequently hone their skills flying through the valleys of the UK, sometimes at near subsonic speed. In Cumbria, as well as other ......

Airpower Pioneers studies twelve especially influential airmen, detailing their impact on the evolution of the United States Air Force (USAF). Rather than focus on command in a series of air campaigns, this book describes the personal qualities and careers of people who distinguished themselves first and foremost by advancing airpower ......

This book explores the reconnaissance aircraft used by the British armed forces in the 1970s and 80s, namely the Avro Shackleton, Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, Fairey Gannet and English Electric Canberra. The maritime patrol and airborne early warning (AEW) Shackleton was a descendant of the Avro Lancaster and Lincoln and was in service from 1951 to ......

In 1955, the Vulcan B.Mk2 was proposed and a new wing modification was designed to take advantage of the more powerful Olympus engines and a new stand-off missile known as Blue Steel. The new wing was known as the Phase 2C development. Avro were given a contract for an aerodynamic prototype on 10 July 1956, with the first prototype VX777 making ......

This fully illustrated volume looks at the classic jet fighter, the Hawker Hunter. The types development, entry into service and operations are examined in detail. Development of the Hawker Hunter began in 1946 under the steady hand of chief designer Sydney Camm. With so many advances in aircraft design and technology during the late 1940s, the ......

The mighty Blackburn Buccaneer was considered an important and capable Cold War aircraft. This fully illustrated book details the types development and entry into service with the Royal Navy, RAF and South African Air Force, operations, weaponry and test flying.

From the first experience through the procurement of GNAT-750 and I-GNAT UAVs made by General Atomics in the mid-1990s, Turkey launched a continuously expanding development of domestic designs. Initially basing its designs on the TAI Sahit X1, then the TIHA Heron (TAI Anka), it gradually developed its own drone industry. Turkeys Drone Force ......

This definitive work on air rescue operations of the US Army Air Force and US Air Force takes the reader from the birth of the service during World War II, through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, to present-day operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Detailed text, accompanied by numerous photos - including many never before published - presents all ......

In production for over 50 years, the 747 was the first large-capacity civilian airliner. More than half a century ago the Boeing 747 took to the air for the first time; it is considered the first large-capacity civilian airliner. Lovingly nicknamed the "Jumbo Jet," the aircraft quickly became the flagship of any airline that operated it. While ......

A detailed investigation into the downing of an American B-17 Flying Fortress and the fate of her crew in the final months of the Second World War. On March 18, 1945, the B-17G "Lady Jane II" lifted off from her base at Deenethorpe, England; she never returned. The story is one of deep tragedy and survival, of sacrifice, and of the love the ......

Fighter pilots! Images of Baron Manfred von Richthofen and Eddie Rickenbacker in the Great War, Johnnie Johnson, Robert Stanford Tuck and Richard Bong in the Second World War, or Robin Olds in Vietnam, all spring to mind. Volumes have been written about them, past and present. Understandably, most of these revolve around the skill, cunning and ......

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was conceived for peace but turned to a warlike purpose savaging convoys bringing vital supplies to Britain. The aircraft Churchill called "the scourge of the Atlantic" became synonymous with the struggle to supply the Allies by sea. As a truly long-range reconnaissance bomber, the Condor acted as the eyes and ears ......

Bristol grew rapidly, from a few hangars at the influential Larkhill in Wiltshire to a new site at Filton, and, up to 2012, it was one of the key aviation design, development and manufacturing locations in Britain. This book explores the history of the company, and the aircraft that it produced. While not the first aircraft manufacturer in ......

The V Force consisted of three four-jet bombers, the Valiant, the Vulcan and the Victor, all required as part of the nuclear deterrent in the Cold War following the end of the Second World War. The Valiant was less aerodynamically advanced than the other two and went into service in 1955. The Vulcan entered service in 1956 and the Victor a year ......

At the peak of the Cold War in the 1950s the Soviet Union possessed some 12,000 aircraft, making it the largest air force of all the protagonists. By the 1990s this had declined to around 8,000, the reduction largely reflecting the increase in aircraft capability. As well as fighters and bombers, the Soviet inventory included trainers, ......

The new 2023 edition of this best-selling annual publication builds on the long history and heritage of the title. First published in 1950, this will be, remarkably, the 74th edition of Civil Aircraft Markings. When it appeared all those years ago, the book quickly achieved the status it still retains as the go-to source for up-to-date ......

Automation in aviation can be a lifesaver, expertly guiding a plane and its passengers through stormy weather to a safe landing. Or it can be a murderer, crashing an aircraft and killing all on board in the mistaken belief that it is doing the right thing. Lawrence Sperry invented the autopilot just ten years after the Wright brothers first ......

With the largest landmass of all the continents, and a population of over 4.6 billion people, Asia has a massive travel industry. From major carriers to local airlines, and charter operators to cargo carriers, the continent boasts a wide array of aircraft, operators and liveries. Focusing on East and Central Asia, this book showcases the ......

Illustrated with 180 colour photographs, with extended and informative captions, this book looks at the airliners of South & South East Asia

First published in the 1970s, Military Aircraft Markings has become an indispensable annual publication for aircraft enthusiasts, historians and students of military aviation. At the heart of Military Aircraft Markings is the most complete listing of all the aircraft of the UK Armed Forces; the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Army and associated ......

The General Dynamics F-111 was a swing-wing tactical fighter, interdictor, nuclear bomber and electronic warfare aircraft developed in the early 1960s in the belief that requirements from the US Air Force and the Navy could be satisfied more economically and efficiently by a single design. The idea was flawed and the Navy never got its aircraft ......

Originally published in 1995 this book provides an authoritative and stimulating account of the issues and problems facing transport planners in the 21st century. The contributors - leading authorities from North America and Europe - put forward a wide range of points from which future technical developments and transport will be approached. ......

THE WORLDS GREATEST AIRCRAFT
Concorde is the most beautiful, iconic and distinctive flying machine ever to grace the skies. For over a quarter of a century she was the worlds only successful supersonic airliner, carrying passengers in comfort and style at speeds faster than a rifle bullet - and at heights that provided a ......