"This document is THE Air Force statement of leadership principles and force development, enabled by education and training, providing a framework for action ensuring our Airmen can become effective leaders. Your personal leadership is the key to our Service's success in fulfilling its role in our system of national security."

-- John P. Jumper,
General, USAF
Chief of Staff

Designed in 1948 by the brilliant Walter Beech, the T-34 Mentor was intended as a low cost replacement for the T-6/NJ Texan. The aircraft bore many similarities to the Beechcraft Bonanza, but had a two-seat cockpit with bubble canopy, and a conventional tail. The original T-34s were equipped with a piston engine. Fifteen years after production ceased, the design was upgraded and deliveries began of a turbo-prop equipped T-34C Turbo-Mentor, which remained in production until 1990. The T-34 is one of the most reliable aircraft of its type with many remaining in service today, six decades after it was first produced. Over 2300 Mentors in various versions were produced worldwide, including the T-34A for the Air Force and the T-34B variant for the U.S. Navy.

The T-33 "Thunderbird" was the training variant of the U.S. Air Force's first production jet fighter, the F/P-80 "Shooting Star." Originally designed by Lockheed's "Kelly" Johnson during WWII, the P-80 went from drawing board to airborne in a record 150 days. The T-bird was three feet longer than the P-80, and boasted a second seat, instrumentation and flight controls. Equipped with an Allison J33 turbojet, the T-33 had a maximum speed of 600 mph, a range of over 1200 miles in ferry, and a service ceiling of 48,000 feet. The Navy also operated the T-33 as the TV-2 or T-33B, and eventually produced a carrier-capable variant called the T2V-1/T-1A SeaStar. In addition to its role as a trainer, the plane served as a drone control aircraft, reconnaissance platform, and target tow aircraft. In foreign service the T-33, which could carry rockets, bombs and gun pods, was used as a combat aircraft. Perhaps its most notable combat role was during the Bay of Pigs, when T-33s flown by the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force (FAR) attacked ships and aircraft of the exile forces, helping fend off the invasion. One of the most successful and enduring aircraft in history, the T-33 flew in the air forces of over 30 nations. Over 6500 were produced between 1949-59, and some continue to fly today. Originally printed by Lockheed and the U.S.A.F., this Flight Operating Handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Originally classified "Restricted," the manual was declassified and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been slightly reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.

The first ICBM to be developed and deployed by the United States, the Atlas had a range of 5500 nautical miles and could achieve a speed of 15,500 mph. Depending on configuration, it could be equipped with either a W-49 (1.45 megaton) or W-38 (4.5 megaton) thermonuclear warhead. The Atlas' development can be traced to a series of research and development studies performed in the wake of WWII by the Convair company. These led to the company winning a contract in 1951 for a long range missile. The three-engine XSM-65A design that eventually emerged featured a thin skin, inflated by internal fuel pressure like a balloon, and had "one and a half" stages. In this configuration, both the main booster and sustainer engines ignited at lift-off, with the boosters dropped in flight. (This unique feature was intended to make certain the sustainer engine could fire at high altitudes, something later determined to not be a problem). The missile burned kerosene and liquid oxygen fuel, and relied on a radio-command / inertial guidance system.After some teething problems including the loss of the prototype Atlas, the missile flew successfully on December 17, 1957. A little under two years later, the first USAF Atlas ICBM squadron consisting of three missiles on unprotected pads was activated at Vandenburg AFB. Subsequent deployments featured hardened "coffins" in which the missile would be stored horizontally. After a launch order was issued, the Atlas would be raised, fueled, and launched - a hazardous process that took about fifteen minutes. The system's inherent vulnerability and long reaction time eventually led the Air Force to construct silos similar to those used with the Titan I, which lowered the response time considerably. The use of volatile fuel mixtures in the confined silo environment proved to be extremely dangerous however, and led to four catastrophic accidents. As second generation missiles came on the scene such as the Titan II and Minuteman, Atlas became obsolete. By April 1965, all Atlas ICBMs were phased out. At the peak 129 of the missiles were deployed, and nearly 350 were built during the program. Many of these would be recycled as launch vehicles for satellites. Notably, members of the Atlas family placed four of America's Mercury astronauts in orbit.Created by the Air Force for the men who stood "on alert" with the Atlas, this technical manual contains descriptions of the HGM-16F missile, launch complex, handling and transport, checkout and launch operations, emergency procedures, and more. Originally restricted, it has been declassified and is reprinted here in book form. Some portions have been reformatted, but care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.

Created by famed Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson, the F-104 Starfighter was designed to compete with Soviet Mig-15s. Equipped with a huge and powerful J79 engine, the aircraft could reach speeds well in excess of Mach 2.0, while its thin, trapezoidal wing provided extremely low drag with terrific acceleration and rate of climb. Unforgiving and sensitive to control inputs, the F-104 killed many pilots and developed a reputation as a "widow-maker." Despite its shortcomings, the Starfighter enjoyed a long career. It flew in the air support role during "Rolling Thunder" in the Vietnam War. It also saw extensive service in foreign air forces and NATO. NASA continued to use the F-104 as a support aircraft until 1995. This pilot's flight operating handbook was originally produced by the USAF. It has been slightly reformatted but is reproduced here in its entirety. It provides a fascinating view inside the cockpit of one of history's great planes.

This manual outlines required material for all phases of aircraft performance. It is a source document for the basic flight engineer course. It directs new flight engineers in learning the technical language and practical application related to flight. It furnishes the experienced flight engineers with background and review information. The aircraft performance technology presented in this manual is not limited to one specific airframe. For the most part, the technical language, performance charts, and procedures are common to all transport aircraft. There are two major factors that are responsible for the differences. These are a specific aircraft's design and the way different aircraft performance procedures to support that design. These factors may make a given performance limitation critical for one aircraft and insignificant for another. The material contained in this manual provides information relative to the duties of the flight engineer, the atmosphere, aerodynamics, power plants, weight and balance, and aircraft flight performance. It also includes guidelines for mission planning.