This book looks at Lightning accidents and incidents in chronological order using the official accident reports, Board of Inquiry findings and firsthand accounts from pilots. It puts the reader very much in the cockpit.
The English Electric Lightning was the only single-seat supersonic interceptor fighter designed and manufactured in the UK. This book gatheres 16 personal accounts of what it was like to fly the Lightning, thrilling stories that convey the immense brute power of the machine and also it's many pitfalls.
The English Electric Lightning, a unique single-seat supersonic interceptor fighter, was designed and manufactured in the UK, serving the RAF during the 1960s and 1970s. Renowned for its impressive speed exceeding Mach 2 and remarkable climb rate, it established a strong reputation. However, its operational history was marred by reliability issues, resulting in the loss of over fifty aircraft during its service.
This book is an in-depth study of England's most famous fighter station during the year of the Battle of Britain. It looks at the political upheaval within Fighter Command that saw the removal of Dowding and Park and their replacement by Sholto Douglas and Leigh-Mallory. The ongoing 'Big Wing' controversy and the resulting change in tactics during 1941 are examined. The main part of the book is a chronological account of the squadrons of the Biggin Hill Wing with particular emphasis on the pilots. The units covered include No.'s 66, 72, 74, 92, 124, and 609 Spitfire Squadrons and 264 Defiant Night Fighter Squadron. The author's research is based on combat reports and squadron Operation Record Books and first-hand accounts written by the participant pilots in the battles over southern England and northern France. Extensive appendices will include Air Combat Claims of the Wing, Operational Aircraft Losses, Details of Selected Operations and The Great Escape - the marked influence of ex-Biggin Hill pilots on the escape from Stalag Luft III in 1944.
The fastest, highest-flying, longer range marks of WWIIs most famous aeroplane. First-hand accounts of test-flying, combat and chasing V-1s.
It is a tribute to the design of the aircraft was called into front-line action during Operation Desert Storm. číst celé
During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible. During the lend-lease agreement with the USA, the RAF and Fleet Air Arm operated several American designs, each of which was tested to evaluate its potential.This book looks at the key area of fighter aircraft and includes the test results and pilot's own first-hand accounts of flying seventeen different models, designed in the UK, America and Germany. The reader will learn of the possibilities of air superiority offered by these types and also their weaknesses. Types included are The Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Boulton Paul Defiant, Hawker Tempest and Typhoon, Bell Airacobra, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Brewster Buffalo, Curtiss Tomahawk, North American Mustang, Grumman Martlet, Republic Thunderbolt, and Vought Corsair. All aircraft that saw a great deal of action throughout the War and which are now part of legend.
Gives an overview of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom's history. This book also looks at the experiences of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm when they received a new model designed with a British Rolls-Royce turbofan instead of the original American power plant. This book traces its development and progression.
The Meteor is remembered as the first British jet fighter to enter squadron service and the only jet powered Allied fighter to see action in WW II. Subsequent development was limited as a result of its relatively conventional airframe although it did hold the world air speed record for a while. The Meteor was immensely strong and many pilots owe their lives to its rugged construction. For a whole generation of pilots the aircraft (the Meatbox as it was affectionately known) provided the ideal introduction to jet-powered flight. It did suffer a high accident rate but many of the losses were due to lack of knowledge of the stresses of high speed flight at low level and a misguided training program. More than sixty years after its first flight the Meteor lives on as it is still used by Martin Baker to test ejection seats, testimony to the basic soundness of the design. This book looks into the aircraft's design history, development through many different variants and includes many firsthand accounts of flying the aircraft in peace and war.
Luftwaffe zařadila stíhačku Fw 190A-1 do výzbroje v roce 1941, což způsobilo paniku mezi spojeneckými leteckými silami, neboť se jejich legendární Spitfire poprvé setkal s protivníkem, který ho předčil prakticky ve všech ohledech. V roce 1944 vstoupil do služby typ Fw 190D-9, považovaný za nejlepší německou pístovou stíhačku, s maximální rychlostí 430 mil za hodinu a výzbrojí tvořenou dvěma kanony a dvěma kulomety. První verze byly poháněny hvězdicovým motorem BMW, ale na konci války byl nahrazen motorem Jumo 213A, schopným dosahovat výkonu až 2240 koní. Stíhací bombardovací verze dokázaly přepravovat až tisíc kilogramů pum. Publikace nabízí vynikající informace pro čtenáře, nadšence a modeláře, kteří hledají stručnou, ale vyčerpávající publikaci o konstrukci a historii letadel. Odpovídá na otázky, proč letadlo vzniklo, jaké mělo výkony v boji a kdo byli lidé, kteří na něm létali. Obsahuje také technická data, zajímavosti a vynikající obrazovou přílohu s barevnými bokorysy a třípohledovými nákresy.
