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One of Gunston's best.
In a long and prodigious career, Bill Gunston has written many classics on aviation - this is one of his best.Highly recommended to those interested in the development of night fighters - or aviation in general. ... Read more

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An exploration of the Golden Age of Aviation. ... Read more

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Good review, but a little too British
The entire History of Aircraft is a worthwhile series, mainly because it features chapters written by a variety of writers, each (supposedly) a specialist on the topic in question.And the distribution of subjects, some more technical than others, is fairly well-done.

However, in this volume in particular, the emphasis on British aircraft and their design is a bit excessive.Yes, the series is British, but I'm sure that Putnam intended it for worldwide distribution, and there should have been a better attempt made at balance.

Unfortunately, only 6 of the 12 intended volumes in the series were published before then-current imprint owner Chrysalis decided to get out of the book business.I hope eventually that current imprint owner Anova decides to at least publish the remaining books in the series.

A good introduction
This is a good introduction to an age of great change in aviation. As is normal in a volume out of a series that wants to be a complete history of aviation, this book is rather encyclopedic in nature. That means that in some chapters all detail is sacrificed to create a complete overview, which tends towards the boring. This tendency is balanced, however, by very informative chapters on such specialized subjects as the development of the retractable landing gear, which make the book interesting even for readers who already know a lot of the history of aviation. Overall it is a successful combination.

Every chapter is written by a different author, and the quality of the text varies with the author's knowledge of the subject. The chapters on structures and landing gear development betray deep interest and personal involvement. In the chapter on aircraft armament, on the other hand, numerous errors betray a lack of knowledge about the subject, and one almost feels for the unfortunate writer who was asked to compile this.

This is a handsome and interesting book; though more a work of reference than an engrossing read. ... Read more

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Long needed history mainly accomplished
This is a great book for anyone interested in Jet Engine history. The book's opening sections are excellent. The coverage of Whittle's and the early British work are very complete. The transition of this technology to GE (USA) and GE's developments are also very well covered. The early German work is also well covered. There is some detail on Westinghouse's independent very successful turbine developments up to the J34; but then no real information on the causes of the failures of the J40 and J46, which knocked Westinghouse out of the aircraft turbine business. The Turbofan, which combined the smoothness and speed of the Turbojet with far superior fuel consumption, lower specific weight and noise levels has dominated commercial air transport for 40 years. Yet, the original development of this technology only rates a small sub-section in the chapter on Pratt&Whitney's work.In general, the unevenness of the detail detracts from this book. But overall, there is a very high level of well-researched information. For anyone interested in Jet Engines this book is a 'must read'.

An interesting historical review
A think that is an interesting historical review, in the preface theautors saids, that is an all american (only north american) centered pointof view, and he offers us an anecdotical history of gas turbine enginedevelopment spanning some 50 years of scientific and technologicaldiscovery, and insight into the personalities who shaped this powerfulinvention from its technological beginnings in England and Germany to themodern IHPTET programs.

By other hand he dedicates this book to Sir FrankWhittle and Dr Hans von Ohain and all the great pioneers of thistechnology, this is great memorial.

This is incomplete version fromthe point of view of a global review, I think that should be a second partrelated to "The history of industrial and aeroderivative gas turbinedevelopment", this for cover all about land-based gas turbines, if youdon't have any background in this kind of machines, if you should need moredetailed information in this articles:

- Are USA and Russian gas turbinesdevelopment systems defferents and can they benefit each other?. Publishedby ASME-IGTI in the newsletter GGTN Vol 36 Nº2 (1996)

- Introduction togas turbines for non engineers by Lee Langston and Goerge Opdyke. Publishedby ASME-IGTI in the newsletter GGTN Vol 37 Nº2 (1997)

- Origins of theland-based gas turbine by Septimus van der Linden. Published by ASME-IGTIin the newsletter GGTN Vol 37 Nº2 (1997)

- A Brief History of SovietAircraft Gas Turbine Technology by James St. Peter. Part I Published byASME-IGTI in the newsletter GGTN Vol 37 Nº3 (1997) Part II Published byASME-IGTI in the newsletter GGTN Vol 38 Nº2 (1998) ... Read more

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I would give it 5 stars, if it just has more photos....
The book is great except for one thing. There are not nearly enough, or any, photo's of the inside cabin. I would certainly like see what a 747 looks like on the inside with various views of all 3 levels of the giant. Unfortunatly, the book only shows you one 1969 photo near the front of the book. That of the first
class area. Otherwise, a great book.
David Todd

A Concise Tribute to Her Majesty, the Queen of the Skies
As with their other collaborative efforts, Norris and Wagner present us with a wealth of quality photographs on the best-known airliner. More than that, the authors take us on a journey of how the 747 came to be and where it is today. Each series and variant is surveyed; the information is concise and accurate. While this book may not be the visual feast laid out before us in the Airliner Color History series, this book is highly engaging and well worthwhile to any airliner aficianado.

Fun and factual
Not so informative to bore an aircraft enthusiast, yet provides enough to ponder an aircraft engineer. This contours enough history and facts about the mighty 747 that it's worth reading twice. Ive used this book for footnoting a few aviation college classes. If you like airplanes like I do,you'll enjoy this book.

Interesting facts in combination with pictures on B747
The book gives you an introduction into the "Birth of a Giant" andexplains the evolution from the drawing board to the manufacturing of the"Queen of the Skies". All model ranges are covered and in combination withthe pictures and a statistical section on Orders, deliveries, numbers inservice makes this book worthwhile reading. ... Read more

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Strategy for Victory: The Development of British Tactical Air Power, 1919-1943 examines the nature of the inter-Service crisis between the British Army and the RAF over the provision of effective air support for the army in the Second World War.Material for this book is drawn primarily from the rich collection of documents at the National Archives (UK) and other British archives.The author makes a highly original point that Britain's independent RAF was in fact a disguised blessing for the Army and that the air force's independence was in part a key reason why a successful solution to the army's air support problems was found. The analysis traces why the British army went to war in 1939 without adequate air support and how an effective system of support was organized by the RAF. As such, it is the first scholarly survey of the origins and development of British air support doctrine and practice during the early years of the Second World War.

The provision of direct air support was of central importance to the success enjoyed by Anglo-American armies during the latter half of the Second World War. First in North Africa, and later in Italy and North-West Europe, American, British and Empire armies fought most if not all of their battles with the knowledge that they enjoyed unassailable air superiority throughout the battle area. This advantage, however, was the product of a long and bitter dispute between the British Army and the Royal Air Force that began at the end of the First World War and continued virtually unabated until it was resolved in late 1942 and early 1943 when the 2nd Tactical Air Force was created.Battlefield experience and, in particular, success in North Africa, combined with the hard work, wisdom and perseverance of Air Marshals Sir Arthur Tedder and Arthur Coningham, the active co-operation of General Bernard Montgomery, and the political authority of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, produced a uniquely British system that afforded the most comprehensive, effective and flexible air support provided by any air force during the war. The book is divided into two equal parts of five chapters.Part one surveys how the British Army went to war in 1939 without adequate air support, and part two explains how an effective system of air support was organized by the middle years of the war.The analysis traces Britain's earliest experience with aircraft in the Great War 1914-1918, the inter-war period of doctrinal development and inter-Service rivalry, and the major campaigns in France and the Middle East during the first half of the Second World War when the weaknesses in Army-RAF co-operation were first exposed and eventually resolved.As such, it is the first scholarly survey of the origin and development of British air support doctrine and practice during the early years of the Second World War.

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The German war machine resulted in many innovations in jet engine and gas turbine development.The most noteworthy was the Me262, the world's first operational jet fighting aircraft. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic!
The title is an understatement, Kay covers every single development in this area in Germany, even oddball designs I'd never heard of. I've seen books with encyclopedic lists of engines, I've seen books with oodles of details on a single design, but I've never seen a book that has BOTH. And even those encyclopedic ones don't cover some of the engines he has in here.

I can't recommend it enough -- if you're interested in the history of jet power, just buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Now, I wonder if I can convince him to publish a follow-up volume on British engines? ... Read more

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This is a study of aircraft from World War II. The book is part of a 12volume series, which covers the production and operation of aircraft worldwide. Each volume is devoted to essays on aircraft types, their development and option, systems and equipment.

As well as outlining developments, each article seeks to explain why progress was in a particular direction, emphasizing the political, strategic or economic factors that dictated that development. Moving from the general to the specific, graphs and tabular data relating to typical or significant aircraft or allied subjects are provided in each section.

The series concentrates on the development of aircraft from the viewpoint of their technical development, the effect of technical development on the use of aircraft, and the effect of their usage on technical development.

Contributors to this title include: E.R. Hooton, Derek Wood, Alfred Price, M.J.F. Bowyer, Group Captain Peter Hearn, Norman Friedman, Elfan Ap Rees, Les Coombes, Andrew Nahum, Captain Eric Brown and John Golley. ... Read more

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Aviones de la Segunda Guerra Mundial
Excelente descripcion y graficas acerca del desarrollo y empleo de los aviones de combate utilizados en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Fotografias, caracteristicas tecnicas. Cubre la mayoria de los aviones utilizados portodos los contendientes en el conflicto. ... Read more

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Decent
I would recommend this book. By virtue of its size it is somewhat limited in scope. There is a fair amount of orginal research.

fine book on an not so usual subject
there are only few books devoted entirely to the history of aircraft engines. This one is a thoroughly complete and accurate description of the birth and growth of turbojet engines in the two countries which pioneered, almost in parallel, jet propulsion for aircraft. ... Read more

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The conception of the Pegasus engine in 1957 upset all the conventions of aircraft design. It was previously usual for aircraft designers to seek a suitable engine, but this was an engine that sought an aircraft. The aircraft that resulted was the famous Harrier that is still in front-line service with air forces around the world including the RAF and US Marine Corps. This book takes an in-depth look at the engine's original design concept, initial production and flight testing. It then goes on to explain how the developments and improvements have been made over the ensuing years and includes experiences of operational combat flying, both from land and sea.

Customer Reviews (1)

Technical subject full of history
Most books with titles like this will put ordinary readers to sleep.This one is different.It contains all of the relevant details of the technical history but it also includes the history of the rationale for a concept and many anecdotal srories about the business and personal relationships in this international program. ... Read more

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This is the history, development and application of piston aero engines, from those used in the Wright Brother's pioneering aircraft at the beginning of the century to the small machines which power microlights today. In addition to listing the various engines it also discusses the principles involved in the working and evolution of these power plants. The book includes details of new families of engines being developed at the present time as well as suggestions as to what the future might hold. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A thorough waste of money
This book is poorly written and badly illustrated.There are few engine diagrams and mostly photographs.It is far too short for the topic or the price.And, he can't decide if he is explaining engine design for beginners or writing history.However, if you have every other book on the suject, then there is plenty of fragmented but useful factual material in the book.If you are wanting to come up to speed on the topic, it is a waste of money.

Out of Stock? Why????
A great book, but unfortunately it is out of stock fot several monthes. It's a pitty.

Another excellent book by Bill Gunston
As usual, another excellent technical book by Bill Gunston. Unfortunately, it is out of stock ... hopefully it will be available againsoon. ... Read more

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Glare is the name given to a new material for aircraftstructures developed at Delft University in the Netherlands. Itconsists of thin aluminium layers bonded together by adhesivecontaining embedded fibres and is very resistant to fatigue. This bookgives the inside story of how the development of Glare took place. Ittook more than two decades from the first tests in Delft to the majorbreakthrough following the decision of Airbus to apply the material onthe A380 super-jumbo. This success was achieved by a small group ofpeople inspired by professor Boud Vogelesang, people who keptbelieving in the material and fought against all obstacles during theyears. This book tells the story of the ups and downs and the finalsuccess of their efforts. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Decent book
I would recommend this book. By virtue of its size it is somewhat limited in scope. There is a fair amount of orginal research.

Turbojet: History and Development 1930-1960 Vol. 2
The book has a lot of good data. However, it seems as if the author may have rushed to get it into print, as the text wasn't as polished as it could have been. ... Read more

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My favorite book on modern fighters
I have been reading books on combat planes since I was a kid. I even have a tattered 1983 edition of Mike Spick's Modern Air Combat on my book shelf. But I rate Designed for the Kill as the best consumer-level combat aviation book on my shelves (I have an older copy of Jane's All the World's Aircraft and it would take quite a bit to knock that off as the king of aviation book). While other books have raw data on combat aircraft - maximum airspeeds, maximum range, maximum bombload - this book goes beyond that to provide evaluative criteria and analysis on what modern warplanes can really do. By looking at what makes a good fighter and all the tradeoffs involved this book lets normal people (like me) look into the design process and understand why some planes are better than others. Though a few years old now - the F-22 had just been selected and the JSF/F-35 was just a gleem in the eye - it is still the best book in the consumer market for learning about most modern airplanes. I highly recommend it.

Good introduction to a very technical subject.
Mike Spick has been writing about modern air combat for some years and the experience shows.He covers the development of modern jet fighters introduced or in development from the 1970s onward, the "post-Phantom" generation.If you are interested in air-to-aircombat, this is recommended.With two caveats, however.One, have somebackground in either flying or engineering, as the author assumes a certainbasic knowledge of both.Secondly, don't expect abbreviations to beexplained the first, or even second time they are used.For example,"sfc" (for "specific fuel consumption") isn't explaineduntil two chapters after its first appearance.Also, expect a number ofBritishisms that are simply mystifying to any Yanks who may be reading.

A Great Book to Understand Jet Fighter Design
This is a very good book for people do not have a lot of technical background to understand the key factors of modern jet fighters. This book provides history and development history of almost all trends of jet fighters from the earlier age to the current time. Althought some of the information like Stealthy is available after it published. This is no way to harm the value of this book.

For people would like to know how to compare the performance of modern fighters, this is a great place to start. ... Read more

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An Excellent Introduction to an Important Topic
"America's Airports" is a valuable addition to the historical literature on the development of flight in the United States. One could argue that the ability to fly is the critical technology of the twentieth century and airports are a critical piece of the infrastructure of this technology. Anyone who has spent hours cooling their heels in airports--and who hasn't--will attest to their significance.

Now Janet Bednarek, one of the permier historians of aviation in America, has written a book on the rise of these institutions from their origins as grass strips to the paved runways and terminals that offered a variety of amenities. In so do, she chronicles the development of airways, air traffic control systems, and the other components of airports from restaurants to rental car agencies.

A core part of Bednarek's book is its discussion of how the airports started as private endeavors and evolved into huge government institutions with local, state, and federal involvement. How and why this took place is a critical element in the history of aviation in the United States. At a fundamental level, this resulted from the seizing of the technology of the airplane for government purposes through the air mail, military operations, etc. Additionally, the cost of operating the technology ensured that it could not remain a wholly private endeavor and that public funds had to be invested for the advancement of the air system. Most Americans accepted this as an important investment in the future of the nation and did not question these expenditures.

By 1947, Bednarek concludes, the basic system of public/private involvement in the airport infrastructure had been solidified and that is where she ends her study. I hope she will continue it in another book, bringing the history of American airports up to the recent past.

Wow!
This is the best book on Airports that I have ever read.I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this important subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice book, excellent value.
For ten bucks it would be hard to find a volume this nice.Great graphics and a nice briefing on each of the aircraft.Interesting reading and a great resource to modellers and those interested in a general history of World War II aircraft.Glad I bought it! ... Read more

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