Warfighters takes a first-hand look at how the U.S. Air Force creates its most elite, highly trained aircrews, and provides an inside look at the USAF Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, one of the Air Force\s most highly classified programs. There is a detailed look at the USAF Weapons and Tactic Center and the 57th Wing both residing at Nellis, "The Home of the Fighter Pilot".\nOver an entire six month course, the authors were given unprecedented access to the leaders, instructors and students during the intense and demanding curriculm. Fly with A-10 Warthogs, E-16 Vipers, F-15E Strike Eagles and many other sophisticated aircraft as the crews put their knowledge to the test during the programs\ final two week "war".\nWarfighters also contains interviews with some of the most important figures in the history of the USAF, many of whom have fought and won in the skies over Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.

The legendary World War II Luftwaffe fighter unit Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" is the subject of this new, large-format, illustrated volume. Tracing their history back to World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen (the legendary "Red Baron"), JG 2 was at the forefront of aerial combat. Flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters during World War II, JG 2 produced many famous aces - among them Wilhelm Balthasar, Walter Oesau, Egon Mayer, Hans Hahn, Erich Rudorfer, and Helmut Wick. Using a day-to-day chronology, the book covers JG 2's combat history during the early campaigns in Poland and France, through the Battle of Britain, North Africa, and in the later defense of the Reich battles. A short chapter also covers their post-World War II transformation to JG 71 "Richtohofen" under the command of Erich Hartmann, when they flew the F-86, F-104 and F-4 Phantom.

The North American XB-70 is one of the most unusual looking aircraft in aviation history, and only two were constructed. It was originally designed as a Mach 3 high-altitude bomber, but was later used as a research aircraft. This new book by John Campbell and Garry Pape gives a short, detailed history of the XB-70, including production, flight tests, and the fatal crash of Aircraft #2 in 1965. Aircraft #1 is now at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Rare history of the the secretive and seldom photographed Me 209 V1, V2, V3, and V4 prototypes.

The B-17 Flying Fortress, a term coined by a Seattle Daily Times report in 1935, was a quantum leap in offensive air power. Designed for a nation whose foreign policy was still deeply isolationist, and an Air Corps whose in-service bomber fleet was dominated by bi-planes, the B-17, with its four engines, huge wingspan, enviable payload - almost double that of contemporary bombers - and all metal construction, ushered in a new age. For an aircraft of its size and relative complexity the B-17's design and development was heralded by a host of key innovations with the unveiling of the XB-15 (Boeing 294), including engine access crawl ways, enhanced endurance and massive load capacity. Within a year the Y1B-17 or Model 299 had refined ideas from the XB-15 and produced a sleek, attractive-looking aircraft. By 1937 all testing had been completed and the first 12 aircraft were delivered to 2nd Bombardment Group for assessment. At the start of the Second World War the still-new B-17 was just beginning to fill the ranks of US bomber squadron's and by early 1941 the B-17C, arguably the fastest B-17 built, was flying in RAF Service. The B-17 was soon flying over Europe with the newly-created United States Army Air Forces, as well as taking the fight to the Japanese in the Pacific and to the Axis in the Mediterranean. When production of the B-17 was halted in April 1945, at which point the B-17 had been supplanted by the B-24 in the Pacific, over 12,700 B-17s had been built. The type would bow out as a bomber not long after the war's end, though a few would soldier on as SB-17 air-sea rescue aircraft. Ultimately the B-17 would fly with 26 countries. This Flight Craft title offers the modeller an exciting selection of photographs, illustrations and showcase examples to help build their own version of this icon of the skies.

The famous Stuka is shown over a variety of fronts throughout its development.

More than 150 never before published illustrations, complimented by an exhaustively researched text, document the little-known air war between Bolivia and Paraguay during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Full details of such aircraft as Fiat C.R. 20s, Curtiss Hawk IIs, Curtiss Ospreys, Potez 25s and all other types employed by both combatants, including acquisition, operations, and markings make this a must for historians, modelers, and anyone interested in golden-age aviation.

Project Manhigh took humans to the threshold of space using balloons. In the 1950s, a small band of Air Force doctors were on the cutting edge of the United States' space research programs. Working at the Aeromedical Field Laboratory at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico, they used balloons to carry laboratory animals followed by human pilots above 99% of the atmosphere. Drawing upon flight reports and technical data, this book documents Project Manhigh and the high altitude flights that preceded it. The Manhigh flights were, in many ways, prototypes for future space missions. On each of the three flights, the Air Force placed a lone pilot in a sealed capsule nineteen miles above the ground. At such extreme altitudes, the pilots were well within the functional equivalent of outer space and needed the sealed capsule to survive. Manhigh existed prior to the creation of NASA and helped pave the way for human space exploration.

The Arado Ar 234C was the world's first four turbojet-powered flying machine to be built in series. But it was more than that, and its design and testing raised great hopes among the Nazis. The Ar 234 was nothing less than Adolf Hitler's long awaited "EnglAnder Bomber." Powered by four BMW 003A-1 turbojet engines, with a combined thrust of 7,040 pounds, early test results indicated that it could reach speeds of over 550 mph even when loaded with tons of high explosive bombs and/or guided missiles. This complete illustrated history contains over 570 photographs and line drawings.

Go back in time to a place where ingenuity and perseverance were all one needed to make a go of things in the northern British Columbian wilderness. A celebration of the people and lifestyles of this once-remote frontier, Outposts and Bushplanes commemorates the regions rich recent past history. The book also describes the vital role played by the relatively new light aircraft of the day and the skill of their capable pilots and engineers. Adventure-lovers and outdoors people will enjoy reading about fine folk of the Northwest and their often-daunting exploits as they settled this isolated region during the middle of the last century. Written in a descriptive and down-to-earth manner, Outposts and Bushplanes returns readers to the glory days of central British Columbia. Author Bruce Lamb brings his audience along as he flies in and out of the far-flung northern bush and introduces them to just some of the resilient characters that populated this area.

With first-hand insight into the into the key role of the US Air Force's fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation Desert Storm during the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding missions in the two wars. The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success. It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww Phantom II (Wild Weasel 4), that this equipment started to become successful enough to allow a substantial investment in converting 116 F-4E Phantom IIs into dedicated SEAD aircraft. This move introduced a new generation of anti-radar missiles which became invaluable in later operations including operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Northern Watch over Iraq. This volume features dynamic archival photography from crews who flew the jet, alongside mission accounts and technical details of the development and fielding of the F-4 Wild Weasel in its various iterations. Including specially commissioned artwork of 'sharkmouthed' Phantom IIs in Vietnam jungle camouflage and more modern USAF 'Ghost Gray', this book is the ultimate visual and technical guide to the F-4 Phantom II Wild Weasel Units in combat.

Flying Fox is a unique work in aviation literature combining the translation of a German pilot's classic autobiographical novel of flying in the First World War with a historical investigation that both illuminates and expands upon the original narrative. In 1933 the Koehler Verlag in Leipzig published Wir Flieger (We Flyers), by Otto Fuchs, who flew and fought in artillery observation and fighter squadrons in the Imperial German air service. The author presented the work as the recollections of an unknown pilot, changing names, unit designations, and airfield locations in order to protect the identities of the persons involved and to thwart inquiry. Adam Wait has not only provided a thoroughly annotated translation of Wir Flieger which retains the vividness of the author's original prose, but has also conducted meticulous research to uncover the true facts behind the story. His findings are related in a chapter-by-chapter commentary, supplemented by an epilogue continuing the story from the point in time at which the novel concludes to the end of the war. A further addition is a previously unpublished chapter of Wir Flieger excised by Koehler, as it did not conform to the heroic ideal of the time. Flying Fox is profusely illustrated with period and present-day photographs and maps that further bring this fascinating tale to life.

Stephen Ambrose is the acknowledged dean of the historians of World War II in Europe. In three highly acclaimed, bestselling volumes, he has told the story of the bravery, steadfastness, and ingenuity of the ordinary young men, the citizen soldiers, who fought the enemy to a standstill -- the band of brothers who endured together.

The very young men who flew the B-24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were yet another exceptional band of brothers, and, in The Wild Blue, Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship with the same vivid detail and affection. With his remarkable gift for bringing alive the action and tension of combat, Ambrose carries us along in the crowded, uncomfortable, and dangerous B-24s as their crews fought to the death through thick black smoke and deadly flak to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine.

The United States Air Force is the only Air Force in the world with the ability to project power rapidly, precisely, and globally using strategic bombers. With their global range, large payloads and immediate response capability, Air Combat Command's (ACC's) heavy bombers, the B-52H, B-1B, and B-2A are at the core of the USAF's war fighting strategy and provide both nuclear and conventional deterrent options for the United States. Don Logan's eighth book for Schiffer Publishing Ltd. presents a roll call of ACC's bombers with photographs and history of all 208 bombers since joining ACC in June 1992. Also included are all of the bomber's weapons including gravity weapons, and special weapons such as AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-86 ALCM/CALCM, AGM-129 ACM, AGM-142 Have Nap, AGM-154 JSOW, and AGM-158 JASSM. This book has over 700 color photographs, 40 line drawings, and 80 unit and special purpose flight suit patches.

The ancient Norwich firm of Boulton & Paul were brought into aircraft construction in 1915, and quickly became one of the great innovators. They pioneered metal construction and built the frame of the largest aircraft ever built in Britain, the R.101 airship. The Overstrand, the last of their superlative medium bombers, was the first aircraft in the world to feature a power-operated gun turret, and after their move to Wolverhampton in 1936 and change of name to Boulton Paul Aircraft their gun turrets became a vital component of the war effort, not least in their own Defiant, which fought in the Battle of Britain and was the most successful night fighter in the dark nights of the Blitz. Their post-war Balliol trainer was the World's first single-engine turboprop and their last production aircraft, because the technology of their gun turrets was translated into their world lead as manufacturers of power operated control units, and then fly-by-wire. Becoming part of the Dowty Group and later GE Aviation, their advanced aerospace product line is now invested in the firm of Moog, still in Wolverhampton, still innovating.

This new large format photo collection covers Luftwaffe aircraft from the years 1933-1945 and includes chapters on: Pilot Training Schools, Reconnaissance Units, Fighter Units, Zerstorer(Destroyer) Units, Bomber Units, Dive Bomber and Close Support Units, Transport Units, Naval Aviation Units, Miscellaneous Units, and Captured Aircraft. Emphasis is placed on details of unit emblems, codes and markings on a variety of war fronts, and aircraft.

They were in a two-man race to break the sound barrier. It was October 1947, a time before high-speed digital computers, when predictions of what would happen to fighter planes at such speeds were nebulous. Chuck Yeager and George Welch, two great fighter pilots from World War II, were about to explore the unknown in the bright blue sky over the Mojave Desert. Aces Wild: The Race for Mach 1 is the story of these two courageous men who dueled to become the first to fly at supersonic speed, Mach 1, in an aircraft. The book attempts to set the record straight as to who actually broke the sound barrier first. One pilot, the more celebrated of the duo, is still alive today. Aces Wild also tells the story of the other aviator, George Welch, who lost his life in 1954 while once again flying beyond the technological wisdom of his day over the Mojave Desert. Aces Wild traces the story of fighter planes from the start of World War II at Pearl Harbor through the transition to jets in the 1950s. The author reveals the views of supersonic flight before and after 1947 by pilots, scientists, engineers, business interests, the government, and the media. This dramatic tale will appeal to aviation buffs and all readers, especially those who enjoyed Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.

The McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is presented here showing its development, production and use by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and by various foreign air forces. Use by the Blue Angels, and the very latest model updates are included.

This thorough study of the history, development and service of floatplanes carried on battleships and cruisers documents a long neglected subject for the first time in over 400 photographs. From the 1920s through World War II, aircraft operating from catapults were used for spotting gunfire and scouting ahead of the fleet. Flying these planes was unique and the dramatic launching and recovery operations are covered by both photographs and text. Colors and markings are detailed and special attention has been paid to images showing catapult and ship details for both the ship and aircraft modeler. The assignment of all aircraft by type, totals, squadrons and ship is given annually from 1942 to 1949. In addition to rare photos of all of the experimental aircraft that were tested for this purpose, an addition chapter covers floatplanes used on small ships and submarine. William Larkins is also author of The Ford Tri-Motor 1926-1992, and U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941, U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959(both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The first U.S. night/all-weather fighter aircraft is chronicled, as is its use by Air Defense Command, Continental Air Command, Alaska and others.

This title was first published in 2000. This is volume one of a two-volume set which presents the reader with strategies for the contributions of psychology and human factors to the safe and effective functioning of aviation organizations and systems.Together, the volumes comprise the edited contributions to the Fourth Australian Aviation Psychology Symposium. The chapters within are orientated towards presenting and developing practical solutions for the present and future challenges facing the aviation industry. Each volume covers areas of vital and enduring importance in the complex aviation system. Volume one includes aviation safety, crew resource management, the aircraft cabin, cockpit automation, safety investigation, fatigue and stress, and applied human factors in training.

Here is a unique, revealing, one-of-a-kind book about many of the personalities, pilot, and aircraft involved in major transcontinental races across the United States from 1928-1970. Cross-country unlimited class events-including non-stop air derbies of the late 1920s, the famous Bendix Trophy Races of the 1930s and 1940s, and modern Reno Harolds Club Trophy to 1970-produced some of the most exciting and heartbreaking tournaments on record. Written by the co-author of Mustang: The Racing Thoroughbred, this companion volume is an extensive history and assessment of many factors involved in the isolated, lonely environment of long distance air racing.\nAlthough the history is seasoned with technical lore-the history of aviation weather forecasting and wireless radio transmission, major engine manufacturing, detailed histories of the Marcoux-Bromberg r-3, and the Granville Brothers Gee Bee-the human element is by no means neglected. The trials, ordeals and mishaps of many famous pilots include Jimmy Doolittle, Art Grobel, Benny Howard, Earl Ortman, Joe Debona, Charley Tucker, Ed Lunken, and Mike Carroll, and are remembered in context with the planes they flew.

Making use of primary Curtiss documents, as well as the combined resources of the world's leading historians of the subject, the authors have skillfully resolved myths and woven a comprehensive study of the often very confusing story of these classic airplanes. Making use of previously unpublished documents and photographs, this massive, life-long work will stand as a legacy to the memory of those wonderful shapes, the men and women who built them, flew them and took them to war, and the lasting contributions they have made, collectively, to aviation history and the defense of democracy.

Welcome to the world of flying animals! It's entertainment on the fly for the office, backyard, classroom (don't get caught!), or anywhere there might be a party, featuring 12 Lilliputian-size models that create 69 planes altogether. From the Dragon to the Stingray, Beetlebot to the Beach Bomber, these flying creatures are vibrantly colored and gorgeously designed to resemble animals that fly, both real and imaginary. Fold up an antennaed Scarab and the sharklike Predator. Includes step-by-step folding instructions and tips on how to send each plane soaring at its full aerodynamic potential.