The Panavia Tornado

The Panavia Tornado

Author: Michael Leek

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2015-07-30

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1473869137

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Through a collection of dramatic and informative photographs, supplemented by cutaway illustrations, this book highlights the agility and flexibility of this dedicated RAF aircraft. Throughout the course of its career, it has formed the backbone of the RAF across its many different theaters of operation. Utilized in a strike, anti-aircraft, air superiority, air defense, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and fighter-bomber capacity, this aircraft type has enjoyed an immensely varied career. Each aspect is illustrated in this photographic celebration.The book includes photographs by the author and a select number of other amateur photographers, with the vast majority of photographs never previously published taken low level around the hills and mountains of England, Scotland and Wales. This impressive new photographic publication will be presented in full colour and is sure to be prized as a collector's piece amongst fans of the genre.


The First Air War

The First Air War

Author: Lee Kennett

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 1999-07-30

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1439105456

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Historian Lee Kennett takes on the vital task of detailing the World War I aviator in this complete overview of the first air war, that Richard P. Hallion calls, "A welcome and long overdue addition to the literature of military aviation." "The whole subject of the first air war is like some imperfectly explored country: there are areas that have been crisscrossed by several generations of historians; there are regions where only writers of dissertations and abstruse monographs have ventured, and others yet that remain terra incognita," historian Lee Kennett tells his readers. There are very few books that explore military avition and its history to the fullest extent as Kennett has done in First Air War. The purpose of this book is to act as a complete overview on topics and histories that have previously gone unexplored. He tells of World War I fliers and their experiences "on all fronts and skillfully places them in proper context" (Edward M. Coffman, author of The Old Army). In considerate detail, Kennett tells the full story on how a few planes became the armies of the sky.


The Man Who Built the Swordfish

The Man Who Built the Swordfish

Author: Adrian Smith

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-04-30

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 1838609504

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Sir Richard Fairey was one of the great aviation innovators of the twentieth century. His career as a plane maker stretched from the Edwardian period to the jet age - he lived long enough to see one of his aircraft be the first to break the 1000mph barrier; and at least one of his designs, the Swordfish, holds iconic status. A qualified engineer, party to the design, development, and construction of the Royal Navy's state-of-the-art sea planes, Sir Richard founded Fairey Aviation at the Admiralty's behest in 1915. His company survived post-war retrenchment to become one of Britain's largest aircraft manufacturers. The firm built a succession of front-line aircraft for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm, including the iconic Swordfish. In addition, Fairey Aviation designed and built several cutting-edge experimental aircraft, including long-distance record-breakers between the wars and the stunningly beautiful Delta 2, which broke the world speed record on the eve of Sir Richard's death in 1956. Fairey also came to hold a privileged position in the British elite - courting politicians and policymakers. He became a figurehead of the British aviation industry and his successful running of the British Air Commission earned him a knighthood. A key player at a pivotal moment, Fairey's life tells us much about the exercise of power in early twentieth-century Britain and provides an insight into the nature of the British aviation manufacturing industry at its wartime peak and on the cusp of its twilight years.


Dowding of Fighter Command

Dowding of Fighter Command

Author: Vincent Orange

Publisher: Grub Street

Published: 2008-10-30

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 1908117745

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An extensive biography of the life and distinguished military career of the Scottish air chief marshal. Making full use of archival sources, studies by other scholars, and information provided by family members, Vincent Orange has completed the first biography of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding to cover his entire life. Soldier, pilot, wireless pioneer, squadron commander, spiritualist, champion skier, “Stuffy” Dowding is perhaps best known as the creator of the first radar-based air defense system and his no less remarkable management of such throughout the Battle of Britain. Dowding served in “delightful and dangerous Iraq,” helped to pacify unrest in the Holy Land, was involved in the R.101 airship disaster, and oversaw the creation of Britain’s first eight-gun monoplanes, the Hurricane and Spitfire. Controversially dismissed from Fighter Command and refused the R.A.F.’s highest rank, he nevertheless became the first airman elevated to the peerage since Trenchard. Westminster Abbey was packed for his memorial service in March 1970 with more than 46 air marshals in attendance; and in 1988, H.M. the Queen Mother unveiled a statue in his honor. With his expert eye, respected historian Orange has analyzed and evaluated every episode of Dowding’s exceptional career to produce the definitive biography.


The Magic of a Name: The Rolls-Royce Story, Part 1

The Magic of a Name: The Rolls-Royce Story, Part 1

Author: Peter Pugh

Publisher: Icon Books Ltd

Published: 2015-04-02

Total Pages: 554

ISBN-13: 1848319622

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Magic of a Name tells the story of the first 40 years of Britain's most prestigious manufacturer - Rolls-Royce. Beginning with the historic meeting in 1904 of Henry Royce and the Honourable C.S. Rolls, and the birth in 1906 of the legendary Silver Ghost, Peter Pugh tells a story of genius, skill, hard work and dedication which gave the world cars and aero engines unrivalled in their excellence. In 1915, 100 years ago, the pair produced their first aero engine, the Eagle which along with the Hawk, Falcon and Condor proved themselves in battle in the First World War. In the Second the totemic Merlin was installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time in 1940 to help win the Battle of Britain. With unrivalled access to the company's archives, Peter Pugh's history is a unique portrait of both an iconic name and of British industry at its best.


Rolls-Royce: The Magic of a Name

Rolls-Royce: The Magic of a Name

Author: Peter Pugh

Publisher: Icon Books Ltd

Published: 2015-10-01

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 1848319258

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Magic of a Name tells the story of the first forty years of Britain's most prestigious manufacturer – Rolls-Royce. Beginning with the historic meeting in 1904 of Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls, and the birth in 1906 of the legendary Silver Ghost, Peter Pugh tells a story of genius, skill and dedication that gave the world cars and aeroengines unrivalled in their excellence. In 1915, 100 years ago, Royce produced the first of many aero engines, the Eagle, which proved itself in battle in the First World War. Twenty-five years later, the totemic Merlin was installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time to help win the Battle of Britain. With unrivalled access to the company's archives, this is a unique portrait of both an iconic name and of British industry at its best.