Recommended
Reading - Just Click to Buy! 
Post 1945
When
you find a book that interests you click on the title line and you will
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the book and the price then you can go ahead and make a purchase!
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Genesis
of the Jet: A new edition of the account of Frank Whittle's invention of the jet engine in 1937 and its subsequent development, which was freely undertaken in the US following a lack of support from the British wartime government and military establishment. Previously published as "Whittle, the true story". |
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Yearger:
An Autobiography The pioneering aviator who first broke the sound barrier in 1947 recounts his career as a fighter pilot and test pilot, in a memoir enriched by the reminiscences of his wife and colleagues. |
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Brian
Trubshaw: Test Pilot This is the story of retired pilot Brian Trubshaw, the man who flew the first supersonic passenger aircraft. Brian describes his early days as an RAF bomber pilot in World War II, followed by service with Transport Command and the prestigious King's Flight. It was after he had left the RAF in 1950 to join the staff of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) at Weybridge as a test pilot that his career really took off. In the years that followed he was closely involved with the flight test programmes for the Vickers Valiant nuclear bomber, and the BAC 1-11 and VC10 airliners. In 1965 he became Chief Test Pilot for BAC/BAe and later piloted Concorde on its maiden flight in 1969. Trubshaw's descriptions are interwoven with insights into the manoeuverings of politicians, industrialists and trade unions which led ultimately to the decline of the British aircraft industry in the 1970s. |
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Warbird
Tech 28: English Electric Lightning Twin engines stacked virtually, auxilliary fuel tanks mounted on the top of wings and blinding performance make this aircraft one of the most successful English jet fighters. This work covers its design and evolution, performance figures and official factory records. |
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Warbird
Tech 26: Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan This
series contains excerpts from original military technical manuals.
This volume covers the RAF Avro Vulcan at war, Vulcan tanks, Blue
Steel and Skybolt, it presents information on the development of
the V force, details of the B1 and B2, and subscale aerodynamic
testbeds. |
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V-Bombers Following the end of the Second World War, Britain developed and maintained a huge fleet of technically-advanced and futuristic-looking jet bomber aircraft. Their sole purpose was to deliver nuclear weapons into the heart of Russia should the need arise, with crews being kept on constant alert. A change of defence policy resulted in the handing over of Britain's nuclear capability to the Royal Navy and this, with the ending of the Cold War, has seen the last of these impressive aircraft withdrawn from service. This text tells the story in detail of why the V-Force was created, explains how Britain's nuclear deterrent was kept ever-ready for action, with details of the three aircraft that made up the V-Force: Avro Vulcan; Handley Page Victor; and Vicker Valiant. It features the record-breaking Vulcan bombing mission to the Falklands in 1982 and the later use of the Victor as a tanker aircraft including operations during the Gulf War. In addition it focuses on the infrastructure required to support this force, from airbases to bomb stores and missile sites, and what survives to the present day. |
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The
Wrong Stuff: Flying on the Edge of Disaster The author recounts his training as an aviation cadet during the last years of World War II, his two tours of duty in Korea, and his work as a test pilot in the early days of jet aircraft. |
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Faster
Than the Sun This autobiography of Peter Twiss, the man who flew 1000mph for the first time in history, tells the story of the record-breaking Fairey Delta. It describes the vast organization necessary for the record bid, the political lobbying and the almost intolerable tension when the flights failed. |
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