In December 1943, a top secret contract (E.24/43) was awarded to Miles Aircraft. The contract was to build the world's first supersonic jet capable of 1000mph. The only reliable source of data on supersonic objects came from the Armament Research Dept and their wind tunnel tests on ammunition. From this, Miles developed an exceptionally thin-winged, bullet-shaped aircraft. the research was inexplicably passed to the Americans in 1944. By December 1945, one prototype was virtually complete. The second, destined for an attempt at the sound barrier was 80 per cent complete. In February 1946, Capt Eric Brown was confirmed as the test pilot and October 1946 was set for the supersonic trials. However, on 12 February 1946, Miles were ordered to stop production. No plausible explanation was given for the cancellation when Britain was within six months of breaking the sound barrier. Eric Brown and others directly involved including Dennis Bancroft, the Chief Aerodynamicist on the M.52, have now come together to try and finally solve the mystery behind the cancellation.

The Northrop YF-17 holds a special place in aircraft history. The YF-17 was one of the two prototypes tested in the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Fighter competition, a program which attempted to reverse the trend of increasing cost and complexity of new fighter aircraft, and which resulted in the selection and manufacture of the F-16 as the next generation free world fighter. Even though the YF-17 lost the USAF competition, it was the prototype for the U.S. Navys F/A-18 aircraft. Don Logan is also the author of Rockwell B-1B: SACs Last Bomber, The 388th Tactical Fighter Wing: At Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base 1972, and Northrops T-38 Talon: A Pictorial History(all three available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The writing of this book, the first in-depth and fully detailed research about the early years of the Chel Ha'avir - from the light-plane days to the supersonic fighters received roughly ten years later - is the culmination of a long research period by the author. Research that was made harder by the tight - but understandable and respected - security measures involving Israel's Forces. An exceptional source of information has been the help provided by many Chel Ha'Avir veterans who fought in the early days during 1948/1949, and those who helped establish a viable air force in 1949-1956 in spite of tight budgets, obsolescent equipment and lack of experience, and also those who fought in Sinai in late 1956, establishing the seeds for its future role as the airborne shield of Israel. As the reader will discover, the beginnings were extremely hard, and the Chel Ha'Avir had to face unfriendly attitudes from both the United States and the United Kingdom, which took place while many people - civilian and military - were dying in the newborn Hebrew state. But in observing that official policies do not always reflect the citizenship's feelings, most of the colorful band of foreign volunteers that helped the Chel Ha'avir - and the other defense forces - to resist, fight back and win, came from those countries. These foreign volunteers, mostly with combat experience in World War II, provided a core in which many highly talented young Israelis learned fast. One thing was certain, then and now; Israel exists because of the resolute people that live in this small country, both civilian and military, but above all because of the Chel Ha'avir which in the following years would be proclaimed the most combat experienced air force in the world.

This new book is the third of a multi-volume series covering the complete history of Germany's legendary World War II jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262. Featured here are the Me 262 "A" series types from the A-1a jabo through the A-5 and including bomber, recon, night-fighter and other variants. Forthcoming volumes in the series will cover additional production types and unusual design versions.

This little known Heinkel fighter design was eventually canceled yet saw service in the Spanish Civil War.

The famous and versatile World War II German seaplane.

This volume focuses on the influence of America's Second World War aviation development and experience, subsequent aviation technological advances, and world events, in shaping American choices in military aircraft and associated weapons' development during the few years following the war. It shows how air warfare weapons from the last conflict were carried forward and altered, how new systems evolved from these, and how the choices fared in the next war-Korea. The period was one of remarkable progress in a short span of time via a great many aircraft and weapons programs, and associated technological progress. These systems were of immense importance influencing and growing the engineering, production, and operational capabilities to be exploited for the next generation of weapons that soon followed. Emphasized is the innovative features or new technology and how these contributed to advancing American military aviation, influencing the evolution of follow-on models or types. Included are military prototype, experimental, and research aircraft that are equally important in understanding the history of American aircraft development. Combat employment, progress, and equipment adaptation during the Korean Conflict is then highlighted. Tabulated characteristics are provided of those aircraft that entered production or represented significant technological advances influencing others that follow.

The possibilities of flight have long fascinated us. Each innovation captivated a broad public, from those who gathered to witness winged medieval visionaries jumping from towers, to those who tuned in to watch the moon landings. Throughout history, the visibility of airborne objects from the ground has made for a spectacle of flight, with sizeable crowds gathering for eighteenth-century balloon launches and early twentieth-century air shows. Taking to the Air tells the history of flight through the eye of the spectator, and later, the passenger. Focusing on moments of great cultural impact, this book is a visual celebration of the wonder of flight, based on the large and diverse collection of print imagery held by the British Library. It is a study of how flight has been thought and pictured.

An expert examination of the evolution of military aviation and its profound impact on warfare—from the employment of balloons during the French Revolutionary wars to the use of aircraft in World War I. Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact is a detailed, authoritative exploration of the role and development of military aviation, from its beginnings to the conclusion of World War I. Military history scholar Justin Murphy carefully illustrates the impact of aircraft on military warfare, examines the different types of aircraft, and includes a wealth of photographs and descriptions. Organized thematically, the work covers everything from the origins of military aviation and the impact of aircraft on World War I to the role of reconnaissance missions, auxiliary aircraft, fighters, and bombers. Each chapter highlights key individuals, advancements in aviation technology, industrial organization and aircraft production, and the influence of aircraft on military tactics and strategy. Murphy also demonstrates how aircraft contributed to the development of total war and blurred the lines that had traditionally separated combatants and noncombatants.

The Sahara Desert, February 1962: the wreckage of a plane emerges from the sands revealing, too, the body of the plane’s long-dead pilot. But who was he? And what had happened to him?

Baker Street, London, June 1927: twenty-five-year-old Jessie Miller had fled a loveless marriage in Australia, longing for adventure in the London of the Bright Young Things. At a gin-soaked party, she met Bill Lancaster, fresh from the Royal Air force, his head full of a scheme that would make him as famous as Charles Lindbergh, who has just crossed the Atlantic. Lancaster wanted to fly three times as far – from London to Melbourne – and in Jessie Miller he knew he had found the perfect co-pilot.

By the time they landed in Melbourne, the daring aviators were a global sensation – and, despite still being married to other people, deeply in love. Keeping their affair a secret, they toured the world until the Wall Street Crash changed everything; Bill and Jessie – like so many others – were broke. And it was then, holed up in a run-down mansion on the outskirts of Miami and desperate for cash, that Jessie agreed to write a memoir. When a dashing ghostwriter Haden Clark was despatched from New York, the toxic combination of the handsome interloper, bootleg booze and jealousy led to a shocking crime. The trial that followed put Jessie and Bill back on the front pages and drove him to a reckless act of abandon to win it all back.

The Lost Pilots is their extraordinary story, brought to vivid life by Corey Mead. Based on years of research and startling new evidence, and full of adventure, forbidden passion, crime, scandal and tragedy, it is a masterwork of narrative nonfiction that firmly restores one of aviation’s leading female pioneers to her rightful place in history.

Though Bicentennial aircraft schemes and markings, along with many of the aircraft of that period, have all but faded into obscurity, this colorful volume not only preserves their images, but reflects the spirit that prevailed during that historic period in U.S. aviation history. Presented here for the first time are the vivid, patriotic colors and schemes worn by aircraft during a time when the nation, still trying to purge itself of Vietnam, was swept with overdue patriotism; a time that compelled legions in civil and military air service to proudly wave their flag by decorating the aircraft that were their livelihood, or simply their hobby. One can only marvel at the meticulously-applied designs that transformed many aircraft into flying billboards of Americana. This volume is a boon to aviation enthusiasts, historians and modelers alike. Wayne Mutza is also the author of Grumman Albatross, and Lockheed P2V Neptune (both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Robert Mikesh takes the reader step by step through the process of aircraft restoration from the initial decision to prepare for an exhibit: Does it fit the museum's aims? How will it be displayed? Will it fly? And of course: Is it good value? Initial preparation before disassembly are noted and then the principal techniques in working with wood-and-fabric, and metal aircraft are discussed, using many interesting real examples. Types of propulsion, tires, colors and markings are covered systematically and the different requirements for indoor or outdoor exhibition are shown. This book is considered the authoritative reference to the wide and complex subject of aircraft preservation and restoration.

As the Luftwaffe's standard fighter, beginning in 1937 the Bf 109 was produced in large numbers and after the outbreak of the Second World War saw action over every front. With this light, high-performance aircraft Professor Willy Messerschmitt had created a ground-breaking design. The Bf 109 had to remain in continuous development in order to keep pace with advances in Allied fighter design. 1941 saw the advent of the Bf 109 F, a clearly improved version, which was soon replaced by the more powerful and better armed Bf 109 G. The Bf 109 H high-altitude fighter reached a ceiling of 14,000 meters, and the Bf 109 K, the most potent of all the variants of this fighter aircraft, entered production in the last year of the war. This is a complete summary of all versions from the Bf 109 F to K with many photographs, some never before published, and details.

This is the most detailed historical photographic account of all individual Israeli and American F-15 and F-16 aerial combat victories. Included with each photograph is information that will surprise you, such as the identity of the Israeli and American pilots and their squadrons, individual tail numbers of each aircraft, and the weapon(s) deployed in the destruction of each enemy fighter. Many of the successful air-to-ground missions are showcased, including: Operation OPERA (Israeli raid against the nuclear reactor under construction in Iraq); and the October 1985 Operation WOODEN LEG (F-15s from Tel Nof Air Base launched against the PLO headquarters in Hammam al-Shatt, Tunisia; the first time the F-15 was ever deployed as a strike fighter). Photographs of individual aircraft and detailed descriptions of each mission are included as well.

The Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star was the first American operational jet fighter. David McLarens new book chronicles the development and early trials of the aircraft during Lockheeds groundbreaking attempts to create a viable jet fighter, in a period when jet propulsion was still an innovative unknown. This period also saw engineers and test pilots like Kelly Johnson and Tony LeVier facing many challenges, incidents and accidents as they attempted to create a new fighter from yet untested aerodynamic theories, and engines that were still under development. Also discussed are the record breaking transcontinental and absoulte speed records set by the Shooting Star. Detailed analysis of the Shooting Stars combat record in Korea shows why the F-80 flew more combat missions than any aircraft in the war theater. Also presented is a summation of all USAF, USAFR, and foreign countries that flew the P-80/F-80. David McLaren is also the author of Lockheed F-94 Starfire(with Marty Isham), and Beware the Thunderbolt!: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II (both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

At 10: 35 on the morning of Thursday, December 17, 1903, man got his wings. On the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the motorized aircraft he and his brother Wilbur had constructed to a distance shorter than the length of the wingspan of today's 747 jet. They made three other flights the same day, the final lasting 59 seconds for a distance of 852 feet over the ground. The world would never be the same after that day. Mankind was finally off the ground in powered flight. And our experiences in the air would forevermore join the literature of human endeavors, to be shared by kindred spirits as well as the curious sorts who have wanted to know, "What was it like up there?"
In The Greatest Flying Stories Ever Told, editor Lamar Underwood has collected some of the finest writings, both fact and realistic fiction, to lay bare the drama of human beings coping with the skills needed to direct their machines through the vastness of the skies.
With contributions from: Charles Lindbergh, Ernest K. Gann, General Chuck Yeager, Leo Janos, Tom Wolfe, Mary Lovell, Richard Bach, Rinker Buck, Diane Ackerman, Derek Robinson, and more.

This new book covers the 388th TFW; a Composite Wing based at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, consisting of fighters, Wild Weasel aircraft, airborne jamming aircraft and AWACS aircraft. The author flew 133 combat missions in Southeast Asia in 1972, and was assigned to the 469th TFS, one of the two F-4E squadrons of the 388th TFW. The book discusses in detail the Wing, the Squadrons and the aircraft they flew: the F-4. F-105G Wild Weasel, A-7D, EB-66, EC-121, and C-130. Also covered are the mission types, as well as operations of the Wing during the Linebacker Campaign over North Vietnam. Narratives of all the 388th MiG kills and aircraft losses during 1972 are included. The book contains over 170 color and black and white photographs taken by the author, as well as theatre maps. A selection of official and unofficial flight suit patches is also included. Don Logan is also the author of Rockwell B-1B: SACs Last Bomber, and Northrops T-38 Talon: A Pictorial History(both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

'Lively history of British women aviators.' Daily Mail 'Compelling stories of female pioneers whose soaring ambition achieved firsts in the field of aviation.' Britain Magazine 'This lovely book offers a welcome and enjoyable read and provides a timely testament for these unsung pioneers of aviation.' Maggie Appleton MBE, Chief Executive Officer, RAF Museum 'A real celebration of the women who defied tradition and followed their dreams into the sky. Readable and entertaining, this book is a worthy tribute to Britain's woman aviation pioneers.' Sharon Nicholson FRAeS, Chairwoman of the British Women Pilots' Association Just eighteen months after two Frenchmen made the world's first ever flight, a fearless British woman hopped into a flimsy balloon and flew across the London sky for nearly an hour. Since then, many other remarkable British women have decided to defy traditional society and follow their dreams to get into the sky. For the first time, Magnificent Women and Flying Machines tells the stories of the pioneers who achieved real firsts in various forms of aviation: in ballooning, parachuting, gliding, airships and fixed-wing flight - right up to a trip to the International Space Station! Full of entertaining adventure, here at last is a proper record of Britain's wonderful women of the air.

One of the true land-marks of flight, this book covers its limited yet devastating use during WWII.

The Arado Flugzeugwerke devoted twenty years to making aviation history in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Within the pages of this book the reader will find the first comprehensive history of Arado, including many previously unpublished details about this little-known aviation company.

Covers Hs 126, Bf 110, Me 262, Ju 88, Bf 109, Bv 141, Fw 189 and others.