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.

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.

First flown in May 1936, the Fieseler Fi 156, or, as it was better known, Storch (Stork), was designed in answer to a request from the German Luftwaffe for a short range reconnaissance aircraft. For its time, the Fi 156 had amazing performance and flight characteristics, what today is known as STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing). It could take-off from a lawn considerably smaller than a football field. During the Second World War, the ubiquitous Storch was the airborne eyes of the German Wehrmacht (Army), also being used on daring rescue missions, including the rescue of the Italian dictator Mussolini. The last flight out of Berlin was made in a Storch. Many were sold to Germany's allies, while one was used by Churchill after D-Day to observe the progress of the invasion. Others were used by the RAF as squadron 'hacks', with one being flown off an aircraft carrier. The STOL concept was copied by many countries, including France, Japan and the USSR. Post-war, production continued in Czechoslovakia, France and Romania, with more than 3,000 being built. Some are still flying.

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.

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.

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.).

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.

Flying as an airline passenger is, statistically, one of the safest forms of travel. Even so, the history of civil aviation is littered with high-profile disasters involving major loss of life. This new edition of the authoritative work on the subject brings the grim but important story of air disasters right up to date. David Gero assembles a list of major air disasters since the 1950s across continents. He investigates every type of calamity, including those caused by appalling weather, mechanical failure, pilot error, inhospitable terrain and hostile action. The first incident of sabotage involving a commercial jetliner is covered, as is the first, much-feared crash of the jumbo jet era. Examined alongside less well-known disasters are high-profile episodes such as that of Pan American Flight 103 at Lockerbie in 1988, the Twin Towers tragedy of 11 September 2001 and, more recently, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014 - the greatest mystery of the commercial jet age. Aviation Disasters is the authoritative record of air disasters worldwide, fully illustrated with a fascinating selection of photographs.

Research indicates about 35 of every 100 people develop a fear of flying at some point in their life. Almost everyone knows someone who has it. If you've ever mentioned to others that you aren't comfortable with air travel, you've probably already discovered just how common is the fear of flying. Fear of flying is a condition that merits proper attention, and which we are increasingly in a better position to deal with, particularly thanks to clinical research. We now know that fear of flying is similar to other phobias, and that it cannot be dismissed simply as fear of the unknown, and that telling someone to "pull yourself together" just isn't likely to be an effective way to deal with the problem. Gaining your freedom to expand your enjoyment of life is the purpose of this book. The book covers a number of areas, including valuable information about flying and everything to do with flying safety.

Among the makers of these unusual aircraft were Focke-Wulf, Flettner and Wiener-Naustdter.

At the age of twelve, American William R. Dunn decided to become a fighter pilot. In 1939 he joined the Canadian Army and was soon transferred to the Royal Air Force. He was the first pilot in the famous Eagle Squadron of American volunteers to shoot down an enemy aircraft and later became the first American ace of the war. After joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943, he saw action in the Normandy invasion and in Patton's sweep across France. Twenty years later he fought again in Vietnam. Dunn keenly conveys the fighter pilot's experience of war -- the tension of combat, the harsh grip of fear, the love of aircraft, the elation of victory, the boisterous comradeship and competition of the pilot brotherhood. Fighter Pilot is both a gripping story and a unique historical document.

Flying Boats: Air Travel in the Golden Age sets out to do justice to a time of glamorous, unhurried air travel, unrecognisable to most of today's air travellers, but sorely missed by some. During the 1930s, long-distance air travel was the preserve of the flying boat, which transported well-heeled passengers in ocean-liner style and comfort across the oceans. But then the Second World War came, and things changed. Suddenly, landplanes were more efficient, and in abundance: long concrete runways had been constructed during the war that could be used by a new generation of large transport aircraft; and endless developments in aircraft meant they could fly faster and for further distances. Commercial flying boat services resumed, but their days would be numbered.

This book covers all of the various fighter aircraft designed and employed by Russian forces during the years 1920-1941.

The DC-3 is the plane that made civilian transport that made civilian transport a profitable reality, and has become a legend in its own time. It has many names and designations - Skytrain, Spooky, Puff the Magic Dragon, DC-3, C-47, R4D, Li-2 and others. But the name that most pilots know it by is the "Gooney Bird." And it has played many roles besides being an aerial workhorse to transport people and cargo. It has been a bomber, fighter, airborne communications center, amphibian, living quarters, hospital, flying washing machine, and command post. When some of the more than 10,000 built, and additional hundreds in Japan and Russia, ended their days, they have been made into a hamburger stand, tea house, mobile home, seaside cottage, an officers club and even a chicken coop. Many have been put on static display at more than 200 museums around the world. After more than sixty years, 1,000 of them are still flying the world\s skies. The DC-3/C-47 has surpassed all other aircraft ever built in faithful service, dependability and achievement. This is the story of its conception, design and amazing life in war and peace. Carroll glines is also the author of The Doolittle Raid, Attack on Yamamoto, and Chennault\s Forgotten Warriors: The Saga of the 308th Bomb Group in China (all available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Jagdgeschwader 301 and 302 were established in 1943. Their mission was to intercept enemy bombers at night flying fast single-engined fighters. But they also had to engage Allied bombers by day. The pilots of these new fighter wings were a mix of former bomber pilots and trained fighter pilots - a unique composition for the Luftwaffe. Night missions required good instrument training, like that given to bomber pilots. The fighter pilots were more familiar with the available aircraft and combat tactics. A former fighter pilot himself, Willi Reschke describes the difficulties of crossing over from day to night fighting and vice-versa. He describes the difficult missions flown by JG 301/JG 302 and the fates of their pilots, providing the first chronicle of the "Wilde Sau" Geschwader.

The 95th Aero Squadron was the first American pursuit squadron to fly over the front in March 1918 and 1st Lt. Waldo Heinrichs was one of its original members. The history of the Squadron is told through the words of those who served, Heinrichs' richly written diary forms the nucleus of the story supported by contemporary letters, anecdotes, and combat reports from many of the other flyers. Entries from the official Squadron history as contained in the History of the American Air Services A.E.F. (the Gorrell History) round out the narrative. Over 280 photos, most unpublished from the personal albums of the participants, show planes, places and personnel which surrounded this happy band of warriors.

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.

Number 2 in the Luftwaffe Profile Series describes the design and use of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G/K.

Very influential design was the first and only rocket fighter used in WWII.

In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look at Russian aviation in the twentieth century. Presenting a comprehensive view of Russian aviation, from its genesis in the late czarist period to the present era, the approach is essentially chronological with a major emphasis on the evolution of military aviation. The contributions are diverse, with appropriate attention to civilian and institutional themes.

This is the story of the most successful pilot training jet ever produced: Northrop T-38 Talon. The history od the aircraft is broken down by the roles it has played in over thirty years of service including development and testing, pilot training, flight test support, NASA program support, air combat aggressor, aerial target, Thunderbird-USAF air demonstration team aircraft, companion trainer, and civilian test support. All units flying the T-38, their markings, and paint schemes are covered in over 300 color photographs-including a chart of colors used listing Federal Standard(RS) color numbers. Don Logan is also the author of Rockwell B-1B: SACs Last Bomber, and The 388th Tactical Fighter Wing: At Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base 1972(both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.)

Covers the aircraft and many pilots of JG 3, JG 5, JG 51, JG 52, JG 54 and JG 77.

Although the prime mission of military UAVs has been reconnaissance and surveillance, there is also consideration for mounting weapons on the vehicles. Surprisingly, just about every type of propulsion system has been considered, and they have used both single and multiple engines, with piston, rotary, turbojet, pulsejet, and rocket engines.