The Junkers Aircraft Company of Dessau, Germany forever changed the world of aviation when they produced several aircraft that revolutionised warfare during World War Two. Among them were the Ju 87 Stuka, which was key to the success of the Blitzkrieg, and highly versatile bomber and transport aircraft including Junkers Ju 86, Ju 52, Ju 90/290 and, later, Ju 88. Drawing on a multitude of photographs, diagrams and US government reports, Junkers Military Aircraft of World War Two reveals the history of this innovative aviation company and its many key aircraft that played a vital role in the war. From initiating unprecedented advancements in structural design to producing advanced turbojet engines and radical aircraft that provided a glimpse of the future of aviation, the Junkers Aircraft Company proved to be a true pioneer in the aviation world.

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 sales were initially modest, the unmistakable four-engine jet became a bestseller after much-improved and more-advanced versions became available in the 1980s. Though recent technological developments have caused the age of the big four-engine passenger jet to slowly come to an end, the elegant 747 is undoubtedly an aviation legend that still turns heads at airports. Sadly, after a 50-year-plus service career, the last 747s are due to come off the factory line in 2022. The history of the 747's design, development, and operational use is presented in detail in this book, as is its use by many of the world's most famous airlines, including TWA, Pan Am, Lufthansa, Qantas, British Airways, El Al, Air France, and nearly 100 others throughout its long career. Governments and militaries worldwide have also flown the 747, for missions including ferrying NASA's former space shuttle fleet, and the current US Air Force One presidential aircraft. Technical specifications for the 747 and its variants, as well as period photographs, bring to life the fascinating history of one of Boeing's most iconic aircraft.

The Junkers Ju 52 (nicknamed Tante Ju - "Auntie Ju" - and "Iron Annie") was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. The Ju 52 first saw military service in the Spanish Civil War, as both a bomber and transport aircraft. It was used as a bomber during the Invasion of Poland in September 1939. The Luftwaffe then relied on the Ju 52 for transport roles during World War II, including paratroop drops, most notably in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. Lightly armed, and with a top speed of only 265 km/h (165 mph)- half that of a Spitfire - the Ju 52 was very vulnerable to fighter attack and an escort was always necessary in combat. Many Ju 52s were shot down by anti-aircraft guns and fighters while transporting supplies, most notably during the desperate attempt to resupply the trapped German Sixth Army during the final stages of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. This book provides a complete modelling guide with numerous profiles, line drawings and photographs. This book is written entirely in German.

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow") was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started even before World War II began, but engine problems meant the aircraft did not reach operational status until mid-1944. Compared with Allied fighters of its day, including the jet-powered Gloster Meteor, it was much faster and better armed. In combat, it proved supremely difficult to counter due to its speed and the design was pressed into a variety of roles, including light bomber, reconnaissance and even experimental night fighter versions. The Me 262 is considered to have been the most advanced German aviation design in operational use during World War II. The Allies countered its potential effectiveness in the air by relentlessly attacking the aircraft on the ground, or while they were taking off or landing. This book provides a complete modelling guide with numerous profiles, line drawings and photographs. This book is written entirely in German.

This book charts the development and service history of the Antonov design bureau's heavy transport aircraft. In the late 1950s, the Antonov design bureau began developing the An-22 heavy military transport, intended to carry 50 tons. Powered by four 15,000 hp turboprops, it was the world's heaviest transport when it first flew in February 1965. The four-turbofan An-124 was again the world's most capable airlifter when it emerged in 1982, with a payload of 120 tons. It proved its worth in military and humanitarian operations and earned acclaim as a commercial freighter after 1991 for carrying heavy and outsized items. The unique six-engined An-225 "Mriya" was created for carrying the Buran space shuttle. Despite the demise of the Buran program, the aircraft found use on the heavy/outsized cargo transportation market. It is illustrated by a wealth of new photos and color artwork, as well as line drawings.-

Broken Wings is a fascinating history of Alaska aviation, encompassing numerous civil aircraft disasters over a period of seventy years. Derived from official accident reports, newspaper accounts, magazine articles and years of research, the author draws the reader into the true stories of aviation tragedy that have occurred in the Last Frontier.

The immediate human toll of this 1994 disaster was staggering: all 132 people aboard Flight 427 died on a Pennsylvania hillside. In this volume, Adair explains takes readers behind the scenes to show who makes decisions about airline safety.

Beryl Markham, like Karen Blixen, could only have come out of Africa. Pioneering aviatrix, flamboyant beauty, brilliant race-horse trainer, unscrupulous seducer - her life story is for every reader who was enthralled by Blixen's exotic world, that of Kenya between the wars. This fully authorised biography, drawn from the author's personal association with Beryl and her family, paints a vivid portrait of a tempestuous and controversial character. It tells of her friendship with Karen Blixen (though she commandeered Blixen's husband Bror and lover Denys Finch Hatton), of her spectacular courage when she became the first person to fly from England to America, and of the mysteries surrounding her highly praised, bestselling book WEST WITH THE NIGHT.

Man's attempts to harness the use of electricity for his dream to fly go back to well before the 19th century. Until the 1990's, due to battery weight and low energy, electricity could only remain a faithful accessory to piston aircraft, but with the arrival of lightweight construction materials, solar power, improved engines and the LiPo battery, the skies recently opened up to a whole fleet of electric aircraft around the world - from thumbnail insect-styled drones (UAVs) to stratospheric airships. About aviation's third revolution (following heavier-than-air and turbojet), this book also outlines the diversity of future trends for electric aircraft in the 21st century.

Alaskans were introduced to the airplane as early as 1913, when town officials in Fairbanks invited stunt flyers James and Lilly Martin to fly over the local baseball park on July 4. Because many areas are only accessible by air, this enormous state is still defined today by aviation so that aviation and Alaska have formed a very special symbiosis that is unique both in the world of geography and flying. This publication celebrates the 100th anniversary of this remarkable relationship. It looks at aviation through artifacts of flight, popular culture and other ephemera; objects that are unique to flying in Alaska and that impressively convey stories of the pioneering spirit, engineering and the North. In an extraordinary fashion, they foreground the changes flying brought to life on the ground, guiding the reader from the early days through times of war and industrialization, to the beginning of the second century in the air.

French-born and self-trained civil engineer Octave Chanute designed America's two largest stockyards, created innovative and influential structures such as the Kansas City Bridge over the previously "unbridgeable" Missouri River, and was a passionate aviation pioneer whose collaborative approach to aeronautical engineering problems encouraged other experimenters, including the Wright brothers. Drawing on rich archival material and exclusive family sources, Locomotive to Aeromotive is the first detailed examination of Chanute's life and his immeasurable contributions to engineering and transportation, from the ground transportation revolution of the mid-nineteenth century to the early days of aviation. Aviation researcher and historian Simine Short brings to light in colorful detail many previously overlooked facets of Chanute's professional and personal life. In the late nineteenth century, few considered engineering as a profession on par with law or medicine, but Chanute devoted much time and energy to the newly established professional societies that were created to set standards and serve the needs of civil engineers. Though best known for his aviation work, he became a key figure in the opening of the American continent by laying railroad tracks and building bridges, experiences that later gave him the engineering knowledge to build the first stable aircraft structure. Chanute also introduced a procedure to treat wooden railroad ties with an antiseptic that increased the wood's lifespan in the tracks. Establishing the first commercial plants, he convinced railroad men that it was commercially feasible to make money by spending money on treating ties to conserve natural resources. He next introduced the date nail to help track the age and longevity of railroad ties. A versatile engineer, Chanute was known as a kind and generous colleague during his career. Using correspondence and other materials not previously available to scholars and biographers, Short covers Chanute's formative years in antebellum America as well as his experiences traveling from New Orleans to New York, his apprenticeship on the Hudson River Railroad, and his early engineering successes. His multiple contributions to railway expansion, bridge building, and wood preservation established his reputation as one of the nation's most successful and distinguished civil engineers. Instead of retiring, he utilized his experiences and knowledge as a bridge builder in the development of motorless flight. Through the reflections of other engineers, scientists, and pioneers in various fields who knew him, Short characterizes Chanute as a man who believed in fostering and supporting people who were willing to learn. This well-researched biography cements Chanute's place as a preeminent engineer and mentor in the history of transportation in the United States and the development of the airplane.

This acclaimed book on the Wright Brothers takes the reader straight to the heart of their remarkable achievement, focusing on the technology and offering a clear, concise chronicle of precisely what they accomplished and how they did it. This book deals with the process of the invention of the airplane and how the brothers identified and resolved a range of technical puzzles that others had attempted to solve for a century.
Step by step, the book details the path of invention (including the important wind tunnel experiments of 1901) which culminated in the momentous flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, the first major milestone in aviation history. Enhanced by original photos, designs, drawings, notebooks, letters and diaries of the Wright Brothers, "Visions of a Flying Machine" is a fascinating book that will be of interest to engineers, historians, enthusiasts, or anyone interested in the process of invention.

With their unmistakable silhouette, the Douglas DC-9 family of twin-engine passenger jets was a familiar sight on many of the world's airfields well into the 1990s. Douglas initiated development of the DC-9 at the beginning of the 1960s and, in doing so, developed an entirely new market-the short-range jet airliner. The DC-9 became an instant bestseller for Douglas. To this day, the DC-9, and its MD-80 and -90 variants, are among the most successful passenger airliners ever produced, with nearly 1,000 examples being produced from 1965 to 1982. In this book you will learn everything from the first designs to its gradual elimination from the market by more-modern designs from Airbus and Boeing. The history of the DC-9's design, development, and operational use is presented in detail in this book, as is its use by many of the world's most famous airlines, including Delta, Eastern, TWA, USAir, Air Canada, Swissair, Finnair, KLM, and Qantas. Technical specifications for the DC-9 and its variants, as well as period photographs, bring to life the fascinating history of Douglas's most successful commercial jet airliner.

The early 1950s were a boom time for British aviation. The lessons of six years of war had been learned and much of the research into jet engines, radar and aerodynamics had begun to reach fruition. In Britain, jet engine technology led the world, while wartime developments into swept wing design in Germany and their transonic research programme were used to give western design teams a quantum leap in aircraft technology. The English Electric Lightning emerged at this time. This supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era is perhaps best remembered for its amazing take-off performance, its exceptional rate of climb and its immense speed. Here, Martin Bowman takes us on a photographic journey of the famed Lightning, illustrating the various landmarks of its impressive operational history.

The helicopter came on the scene too late to play other than a minor role in the Second World War but by the Korean conflict the Bell H-13 Sioux, OH-23 Raven and Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw were in service. It was in Vietnam that the US military helicopters really came into their own and the best known were the Bell UH-1 Iriquois (known as the Huey), the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and the massive CH-37 Mojave. The USAF combat search and rescue Jolly Green Giant was indispensable. Attack helicopters have evolved from the early Huey Cobra or Snake and the Boeing AH-64 Apache came into service in the late 80s when the Sikorsky UH-60 series became the military general purpose chopper. All these formidable aircraft and many more are covered in detail in this superbly illustrated and comprehensive book.

This design guide was written to capture the author's practical experience of designing, building and testing multi-rotor drone systems over the past decade. The lack of one single source of useful information meant that the past 10 years has been a steep learning curve, a lot of self-tuition and many trial and error tests. Lessons learnt the hard way are not always the best way to learn. This book will be useful for the amateur drone pilot who wants to build their own system from first principles, as well as the academic researcher investigating novel design concepts and future drone applications.

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.

First flown in 1982, the Boeing 757 was an impressive accomplishment. The aircraft was fast, quiet, and fuel efficient while still exhibiting stellar takeoff, climb, and landing performance. Hear firsthand accounts from the leaders of the 757 program who skillfully established an extraordinary culture within their organization. This team, empowered by the program's expert guidance, overcame the challenges of producing a new aircraft type in an environment that was fast paced and unforgiving. It was originally designed as a domestic aircraft, and the 757's performance, along with the advent of twin-engine overwater authorizations, led it to become one of the primary aircraft conducting long-range overwater operations. To place the reader in the pilot's seat, a technical chapter is also included, describing the airplane's systems and actual handling of the airplane. Learn about this special aircraft and the people who designed, built, marketed, and flew it.

It's hard to imagine a history of British engineering without Rolls-Royce: there would be no Silver Ghost, no Merlin for the Spitfire, no Alcock and Brown. Rolls-Royce is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. But what of the man who designed them? The youngest of five children, Frederick Henry Royce was born into almost Dickensian circumstances: the family business failed by the time he was 4, his father died in a Greenwich poorhouse when he was 9, and he only managed two fragmented years of formal schooling. But he made all of it count. In Sir Henry Royce: Establishing Rolls-Royce, from Motor Cars to Aero Engines, acclaimed aeronautical historian Peter Reese explores the life of an almost forgotten genius, from his humble beginnings to his greatest achievements. Impeccably researched and featuring almost 100 illustrations, this is the remarkable story of British success on a global stage.

RAF Coastal Command was founded in 1936 when the Royal Air Force restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands. During the preceding inter-war years, maritime aviation had been seriously neglected due to the disagreements between the Royal Navy and the RAF over the ownership, roles and investment in maritime air power. Consequently, the new Command quickly became known as the 'Cinderella Service'. However, the Command played a key role in the Allied Victory during the Second World War, particularly during the Battle of the Atlantic. From a modest beginning, the Command blossomed into a powerful anti-submarine force when protecting Allied convoys from the German submarine force, while also protecting that shipping from attacks by the Luftwaffe. Equipped with legendary aircraft such as the Sunderland, Wellington, Catalina and Liberator, along with advances in radar technology such as the new Mark III ASV (Air-to-surface vessel), it was able to locate, attack and destroy an increasing number of U-boats that had fast become the scourge of the convoys. By the end of the Second World War, Coastal Command had flown more than a million flying hours, completed 240,000 operations and destroyed 212 U-boats - but suffered an ever higher loss rate than Bomber Command with 2,060 aircraft lost, along with the lives of 5,866 personnel. Post-war, Coastal Command saw a significant rundown but still made a contribution to the Berlin Airlift. When equipped with the new Shackleton aircraft, their activities shifted to anti-submarine patrols against the Soviet Navy and other fleets of the Warsaw Pact, particularly in the Atlantic. In 1969, Coastal Command was absorbed into the newly formed Strike Command. Illustrated with images from the Air Historical Branch - many of which have never previously been published.

Although Amelia Earhart remains the best-known female pilot of the 1930s, Jacqueline Cochran stood as the more important aviation pioneer and America's top woman pilot. Among her many accomplishments, Cochran was the first female aviator to win the Bendix Air Race, to fly a bomber, to break the speed of sound, and to participate in astronaut training. This revealing biography explores Cochran's childhood in an impoverished Florida mill town, her early career as a pilot, and her role in creating and leading the WASPs during World War II. It also chronicles her postwar exploits, including her participation in the nascent space program, her unsuccessful 1956 bid for Congress, and her surprising reluctance to crusade for the advancement of women. This detailed profile, removing Cochran from Earhart's shadow, firmly establishes the aviatrix as a pivotal figure in the history of women in aviation and in war.

People always seemed amused whenever Gretchen Ryan recounted tales of her transformative experiences as an air hostess in days gone by. Many even suggested she write a book about it. So she did. These were the debauched days of flying in the 80s, when flying was sexy, hanky-panky abounded, smoking was permitted, passengers wore suits, the cockpit was never locked and the cutlery was made of steel. This was a time of excess, wryly disguised as fun. This humorous, tongue-in-cheek memoir recalls amusing incidents, and a fair few tragedies, both in the air and around the world, as Gretchen's adventures saw her bounding through London, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Ilha do Sal and New York. Against the backdrop of this 'anything-goes' world of flying, for 10 years life was a kaleidoscope of fun and excitement.

In the early morning of 20 April 1942, forty-seven Spitfire Vs of 601 and 603 Squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force launched from the deck of the American aircraft carrier the USS Wasp, which had sailed to a position north of Algiers. The planes were bound for Malta. At the time, the island was under heavy siege by Axis forces. Salvatore Walcott's Spitfire never made it; he crash-landed in North Africa, part of Vichy France, and was interned. After attempting to escape, Walcott was liberated at the end of 1942. He returned to the UK and joined the US Army Air Corps and continued to serve as a pilot until the end of the war and afterwards with the USAF during the Berlin airlift. These are the bare bones of the story. But was that landing in Africa 'an inexplicable defection', as it has been described? Here is the evidence, alongside an exploration of American and British attitudes to men like Walcott who served under foreign flags. Walcott's story has been discussed for many years, but here is the truth. Did the Spitfire's undercarriage fail to retract, as Walcott claimed, or did he lose his nerve? Does the fact that Walcott later gained a reputation as a risk-taker indicate a 'Lord Jim' narrative, whereby he tried to make up for a moment of cowardice? Walcott's ultimately tragic tale is set against the larger narrative of Irish/American and British/Vichy France relations, of the Mediterranean theatre, aircraft design, and the US entry into the war.

Berkshire began the Second World War in 1939 with virtually no military airfields. However, this quickly changed and a massive building programme was soon underway, initially intended to provide training facilities for bomber crews. As the newly built airfields became operational, some were taken over by the USAAF including Greenham Common, Membury and Welford and they were involved in the planning and eventual execution of operation Overlord, the Allied D-Day assault upon Fortress Europe. White Waltham near Maidenhead will always be remembered as the headquarters of the legendary Air Transport Auxiliary, whose male and then increasingly female pilots - including Amy Johnson - ferried every type of aircraft from the factories to the front line airfields. Not only did the ATA prove that girls had excellent flying skills, but also that they were capable of piloting solo the largest bombers. This book describes the history of each airfield, highlights some of the major operations carried out from them, and marks their overall contribution to the great war effort. The effects of the war on the daily lives of the people living in Berkshire are also described. Reading and Newbury in particular realised the constant dangers they faced from random daylight attacks by German planes. Robin Brook's action-packed account will bring back vivid memories for many. It is a sharp reminder of the time when the skies never ceased to throb with the drone of departing and returning aircraft.