David R. McLaren Livres

Focusing on the legendary 56th Fighter Group, this narrative chronicles their daring combat missions during World War II, highlighting the heroic pilots who flew P-47 Thunderbolts to dominate the skies and achieve significant victories against the Luftwaffe. The book details their aggressive tactics in escorting bombers and ground attacks, as well as their innovative post-war missions, including operations in Alaska and pioneering trans-Atlantic jet flights with the P-80 Shooting Star. The foreword by former commander Hub Zemke adds personal insight into this storied unit.

Focusing on the F-51 Mustang, this documentary history reveals the aircraft's pivotal role in the Korean War, a conflict often overlooked. Highlighting the contributions of four air forces supporting the United Nations, it details the Mustang's extensive use of napalm and rockets, alongside the significant losses it endured. The narrative captures the courage of fighter-bomber pilots facing intense anti-aircraft fire and engaging in fierce dogfights with the formidable MiG-15, showcasing both the challenges and heroism of aerial warfare during this era.

Using close readings of Shaw's plays and letters, as well as archival research, David Clare illustrates that Shaw regularly placed Irish, Irish Diasporic, and surrogate Irish characters into his plays in order to comment on Anglo-Irish relations and to explore the nature of Irishness.

The Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star was the first American operational jet fighter. David McLaren's new book chronicles the development and early trials of the aircraft during Lockheed's groundbreaking attempts to create a viable jet fighter, in a period when jet propulsion was still an innovative unknown. This period also saw engineers and test pilots like Kelly Johnson and Tony LeVier facing many challenges, incidents and accidents as they attempted to create a new fighter from yet untested aerodynamic theories, and engines that were still under development. Also discussed are the record breaking transcontinental and absoulte speed records set by the Shooting Star. Detailed analysis of the Shooting Star's combat record in Korea shows why the F-80 flew more combat missions than any aircraft in the war theater. Also presented is a summation of all USAF, USAFR, and foreign countries that flew the P-80/F-80. David McLaren is also the author of Lockheed F-94 Starfire(with Marty Isham), and Beware the Thunderbolt!: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II (both titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

The T-33 jet trainer was derived from the Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star, the USAF's first operational jet fighter, in 1948. In the fifty years since its introduction the T-33 has trained more jet pilots than any other training type. In addition to this role, it has served, and continues to serve, as an attack fighter the AT-33 and as a reconnaissance aircraft the RT-33 in several foreign air forces. It was also a testbed in many development programs including tests on ejection seats and missile guidance systems, and continues yet today in various military and civilian roles.

Detailed developmental and operational history of the first USAF dedicated all-weather, jet-powered interceptor. It also features the colorful paint schemes applied to F-89s, which should appeal to both modelers and historians.

The Republic Aviation Corporation F-84 series, the Thunderjet, Thunderstreak, and Thunderflash was the United States Air Forces first Post World War II jet fighter. As a somewhat sad result of this, it has been ignored by most aviation historians and afi

This new work reflects 30 years of research by the author since the publication of his book on Dale in 1983. Although best known as the founder of New Lanark, Dale was Scotland's principal industrialist of the late 18th century and a social pioneer also.