Illustrated with 180 colour photographs, with extended and informative captions, this book looks at the airliners of East and Central Asia. It showcases the variety of aircraft and airliners in that area, covering not just the aircraft that can be seen in places such as China but also those in other Asian nations such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North Korea and Taiwan.

It seems incredible that a mere 33 years separates the maiden flights of the Barnes Wallis-designed R.100 airship from the beautiful VC10 airliner. It is also remarkable that, in 2013, the latter is still in service, albeit in dwindling numbers, but still representing a company that was formed 102 years ago! Although the VC10 was prefixed with BAC by the time of its entry into service, the aircraft represents the rapid rise of Vickers, which actually embarked on its first aeronautical project in 1908, before establishing an official aviation department in 1911. Vickers produced over 70 different types of aircraft during a 49-year period, not including a host of sub-variants, the Wellington, for example, having 19 alone. Not all were successful, but every one contributed, however small, another nugget of experience, which was either ploughed into the next aircraft or stored away for the future. An ability to think outside the box', was another of Vickers' fortes. A good example of this was not only employing Barnes Wallis, but having such faith in his ideas, which must have seemed quite radical at the time, especially his perseverance and ultimate success with geodetic construction. Wallis had no shortage of critics and many dyed in the wool' employees of Vickers, during the early days, left the company because of his ideas. However, history has shown us that he was right about geodetics, and like Hawker with its Hurricane and Supermarine with its Spitfire, only God knows what the RAF would have done without the Wellington at the beginning of the Second World War. This book gives readers an insight into the aircraft produced by Vickers, as well as a history of the aircraft company itself.

During the late 1940s and into the 1950s, a number of British jet fighter and bomber aircraft were fitted with new, different or additional engines, both jet and rocket, to enable them to serve as test beds for those specific powerplants. These aircraft types included fighters such as the de Havilland Vampire, Gloster Meteor and Javelin, and Hawker Hunter, the one-off Hawker P.1072 and the English Electric Canberra, Short Sperrin, Vickers Valiant and Avro Vulcan bombers. This book brings together these specific aircraft, and the engines they tested, in a single volume. Accompanied by over 200 images, some of which are published here for the first time, it is an invaluable reference tool for both aviation enthusiasts interested in experimental and trails aircraft and modellers specialising in jet aircraft.

As with other transportation methods, safety issues in aircraft can result in a total loss of life. Recently, the air transport industry has come under immense scrutiny after several deaths occurred due to aircraft design and airlines that allowed improperly inspected aircraft to fly. Spacecraft too have found errors in system software that could lead to catastrophic failure. It is imperative that the aviation and aerospace industries continue to revise and refine safety protocols from the construction and design of aircraft, to secure and improve aviation systems, and to test and inspect aircraft. The Research Anthology on Reliability and Safety in Aviation Systems, Spacecraft, and Air Transport is a vital reference source that examines the latest scholarly material on the use of adaptive and assistive technologies in aviation to establish clear guidelines for the design and implementation of such technologies to better serve the needs of both military and civilian pilots. It also covers new information technology use in aviation systems to streamline the cybersecurity, decision making, planning, and design processes within the aviation industry. Highlighting a range of topics such as air navigation systems, computer simulation, and airline operations, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for pilots, scientists, engineers, aviation operators, air traffic controllers, air crash investigators, teachers, academicians, researchers, and students.

Cardiff Airport began life as wartime satellite airfield RAF Rhoose, officially opening on 7 April 1942, and has grown to become one of the UK's major civil airports. Home of Cambrian Airways and used by a varied mix of international airlines, the airport has been continually upgraded since civilian flying began in 1952. Aircraft maintenance has always been a vital part of the airport's activity and BAMC is one of the largest buildings in South Wales and can accommodate four Boeing 747 'jumbo jets' at one time. It is not only aircraft that comprise this airport's lively history; many people have shaped it including workers, travellers and even rugby celebrities. The supporters' 'air lifts' to and from matches are legendary. 2012 was the 70th anniversary of the first operations at this sleepy Vale of Glamorgan airfield. Little did those wartime pilots realise that one day their 'satellite airfield' would resound to the sounds of Concorde, Jumbo Jets and every contemporary aircraft imaginable.