Aviation History
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1001 Flying Facts & Firsts
A popular assemblage of aero- and astronautical facts, photos, chronologies.
50 Aircraft That Changed the World
In this book, the authors of the widely acclaimed Aviation Century series profile 50 of history's most influential aircraft, their pilots and designers.
They begin with the Wright Brothers' 1905 Flyer, then move on to the birth of aerial warfare in World War I, the trailblazers of the interwar years, classic World War II aircraft, the jets of the Korean and Vietnam wars, modern commercial carriers, private jets, experimental designs and new combat fighters featuring stealth technology.
Featured aircraft in 50 Aircraft That Changed the World include:
Fokker E.111
Charles Lindbergh's Ryan NYP
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Supermarine Spitfire
Boeing B-17
Avro Lancaster
De Havilland Mosquito
Howard Hughes's Lockheed Constellation
Concorde
Learjet
Boeing B-52
Rutan Voyager
Hundreds of color and archival photographs enhance the informative and entertaining text.
A Collector’s Guide to Air Memorabilia
Detailed handbook outlining the various items that can be collected. Individual chapters look at equipment, uniforms and dress, full size aeronautica, medals, printed ephemera, etc.
A Gentlemen’s Agreement: Newfoundland And The Struggle For Transatlantic Air Supremacy
The early 1930s were desperate years for Newfoundland, a decade of mass unemployment and looming economic collapse. But it was also a time of great hope for aviation, as aircraft companies raced to build planes that could fly great distances--including across the Atlantic Ocean. No country on either side of the Atlantic wanted to be left behind in the competition for prime landing sites, a situation that placed Newfoundland in the crosshairs for those seeking supremacy in transatlantic flight. Competition for the island's aviation rights was fierce; nations and companies engaged in deals, double-deals, and under-the-radar "Gentlemen's Agreements" in efforts to take control of aviation's greatest prize. Newfoundland's ruling politicians and merchant class, however, were poorly prepared and, in attempting to exercise the Dominion's role in the greater community of nations, unintentionally initiated Newfoundland's loss of independence. Author Robert C. Stone has meticulously researched and unraveled these muddled plots, demonstrating how Newfoundland was, for a time, the most important country in the world--and then gave it all away.
A History of 413 Squadron
Since its birth during World War II, Tusker Squadron has served Canada with pride and distinction. From Ceylon to the Arctic, Europe to the Maritimes, it has watched over the waves for more than fifty years.
The men and women of 413 Squadron have dedicated their lives to saving others, including F/L L.J. Birchall - the Saviour of Ceylon - who successfully warned the Allies of the Japanese invasion before being captured. They have patrolled the Indian Ocean, mapped Canada s North, fought in two wars and conducted all-weather interception. Today, they continue to serve faithfully by carrying out invaluable search and rescue duties along the Atlantic and eastern Arctic coasts.
This is their story, brought to life through numerous archival photos and the words of those who served.
AIRCOM: Canada’s Air Force
AIRCOM is a visual feast that shows all the aircraft operated by Air Command. It also focuses upon the people who make the air force work, and on their many bases. A special section deals with Canada's Hornets in the Persian Gulf War.
Aircraft Versus Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat from 1914 to the Present Day
As soon as the first aeroplane had proved its value in war it became a target, and the fighter pilot was born. This book tells the story of the men and the aircraft in which they fought, from the rudimentary beginnings of tactics to the sophisticated technology of the present day.
Allison Power of Excellence 1915-1990: Allison Gas Turbine Division
The Allison Gas Turbine Division of the General Motors Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of aircraft engines for medium-sized aircraft. While not as large as companies like Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, or General Electric, Allison has played an important role in the development of aviation. Its engines have been found on aircraft including the Lockheed P-38, C-130 Hercules, Curtiss P-40, Lockheed F-94, and Convair 580.
This book tells the story of the unique company from 1915 to 1990.
Amelia: A Life of the Aviation Legend
What happened to Amelia Earhart? Her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 continues to confound investigators. Here, the authors provide new insights into the mystery as well as a full biography of the world's most revered aviatrix.
American Air Power: The First 75 Years
A thoroughly engrossing and exceptionally well-written account of American military aviation from the delivery of the first military craft by the Wright brothers in 1909, right up to the present. All the dimensions of America's air involvement are explored in depth, the technological, strategic, tactical, and political considerations that have shaped our nation's air defence policies and practices, the aircraft, the airmen, and the decision makers, the stories behind the headlines, how aviation developed in the Army, Navy, Marines, and finally in a separate Air Force, it's all here, generously illustrated with dozens of photos from military and private archives!
American Aviation: An Illustrated History
From the first hot air balloons that hovered above France in 1783 to the most recent flights of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, this volume delivers a comprehensive look at the wondrous history of American aviation. Thorough enough to serve as a college text, readable enough to be enjoyed by aviation buffs, this is a general reference that will delight anyone with an interest in aviation history.
And I Shall Fly: The Flying Memoirs of Z. Lewis Leigh
Z. Lewis Leigh was the first pilot to work for Trans Canada Airlines in 1937. During World War II, Leigh joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. His first assignment was anti-submarine flying, but was transferred to Transport Command in 1942 where he would beremembered for his excellent administrative abilities, revolutionizing how Transport Command operated. Leigh continued in RCAF service until 1957.
These memoirs chronicle the years he spent devoted to flying.
Antique & Classic Airplanes
David Davies & Mike Vines Softcover 128 pages
At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits
This is perhaps the finest collection of cockpit photographs in existence. The National Air and Space Museum holds the world's premier collection of historic aircraft, but visitors to the museum must maintain a respectful distance. In At the Controls, NASM photographers Eric Long and Mark Avino use creative lighting techniques andphotography to duplicate the sensation of actually being at the controls inside the cockpit of 45 legendary aircraft, with access not only to the instrument panels but to the consoles as well. The reader experiences a pilot's-eye view.
Aviation Century: The Golden Age
Aviation Century The Golden Age is filled with tales of romance and adventure, of daring and bravado, as pilots break records, astound the public and prepare for war on a global scale. Their achievements became the stuff of legend, and their aircraft revered artifacts of a Golden Age.
Between the World Wars a new wave of aviation pioneers took the technological advances forged in the heat of battle and applied them to aircraft in exciting new ways. An unprecedented growth in the manufacture of affordable light aircraft occurred, providing ambitious, extraordinary individuals with the means to conquer the sky.
Aviators raced to be the first to fly over oceans, cross jungles and ice caps, look down on the continents' highest peaks, and travel distances faster than ever before. Many aviators died trying to achieve aeronautical immortality.
Aerial daredevils entertained a wide audience through flying circuses and air shows. The spirit of adventure thrived after World War II with larger air shows and more thrilling aerobatics.
In this book Dan Patterson's photographs of preserved and restored aircraft in museum and private collections are combined with rare archival photographs.
Forewords for Aviation Century The Golden Age are by aviation legends Alex Henshaw and Tom Poberezny.
Aviation Century: War and Peace in the Air
War and Peace in the Air, the final book in the acclaimed five-volume Aviation Century series, explores the influence of aviation in the major wars and minor conflicts since World War II. The authors also examine the dangers of flight, including airborne disasters, accident investigations and threats from terrorism, and speculate on the myriad ways in which aviation will change in the near and far future. Included are:
- The introduction of the jet engine and the changes it brought in training, logistics and administration
- Improvements in weaponry, avionics and aircraft systems in the transformation of basic bombers and fighters
- The history of flight safety, from the first air fatality in 1908 to the disaster-prevention tactics introduced to defeat modern terrorist threats
- Profiles of 21st century aircraft, plus the future in aviation -- including collision avoidance systems, computer-driven air-traffic control, and the return of supersonic travel.
Rare archival photographs and newly photographed color images add to the entertaining and informative text. All the current photographs have been shot on site or in museums, collections or the field.
Aviation Century: Wings of Change
The fourth volume in the Aviation Century series is the dramatic story of the worldshrinking developments in commercial aviation through the end of the twentieth century, in which airliners grew from frail biplanes to huge Jumbo jets. In the process, advanced air travel brought with it worldwide political, economic and social change. In 2004 commercial airlines carried an estimated 1.6 billion passengers.
Each new generation of transport aircraft has brought greater reliability, economy and safety, and increased global commerce through technological advances. Each day millions of shipments now travel by air between continents via sophisticated air cargo and air express systems.
Other chapters in Winds of Change examine:
- The wider world of aeronautics
- Private aircraft (personal planes as well as ultralights, sailplanes, hang gliders and parasails)
- Lighter-than-air flight (Zeppelins, blimps, hot-air balloons)
- Rotary wings (helicopters and related craft)
- The challenges of research and development (from sketch pad to computers; designers, builders and test pilots).
Aviation Century: World War II
Beginning in 1939-40 with the German blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain, aircraft repeatedly turned the tide of war. Their worth was proved in many roles besides bombing and airborne assault, including air defense, support of ground operations, maritime patrol, shipping strikes, transport support and reconnaissance. Warplanes became indispensable and revolutionized the character of war.
In Aviation Century World War II, stunning images of preserved and restored wartime aircraft are combined with archival photographs of the world's first well-photographed war to tell an unprecedented visual story of World War II. The unforgettable images are accompanied by insightful text that explains the strategic role of warplanes and describes the types and models of aircraft used by each nation, and re-tells the dramatic stories of the war.
Forewords for Aviation Century World War II are written by World War II veteran pilots Ramsay Potts and Don Lopez.
Aviation: A Smithsonian Guide
From the winged gods of mythology to the technology of the Stealth Bomber, Aviation: A Smithsonian Guide presents the thrilling panorama of world aviation. It combines fast-paced narrative by Flying Tiger pilot Don Lopez with stunning color visuals from the National Air and Space Museum. Seven thematic sections detail landmark events, technological advances, and the drama of the men, women, and aircraft that soared ever higher, farther, and faster. Here are balloonists and barnstormers, stunt fliers and jet pilots, the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, and many more. Fact boxes and diagrams explain such concepts as wing design and jet propulsion, while two-page portraits feature planes. Aviation includes more than 350 illustrations, photographs, and other artworks. Events that shaped the course of aviation are presented in an 8-page foldout illustrated timeline, an instant reference to the entire subject. The 40-page photo glossary offers easy identification and concise explanations of technical and scientific terms, plus biographies of major people.
Barons of the Sky: From Early Flight to Strategic Warfare: The Story of the American Aerospace Industry
Lockheed. McDonnell Douglas. Northrop. Martin Marietta. Boeing. These names today are synonymous with the greatest flowering of technology and military might the world has ever known. Here is a vivid history of the rise of the aerospace weapons industry by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wayne Biddle.
Billy Bishop, VC
A brief account of the life and career of the First World War, Canadian fighter pilot, Billy Bishop.
Billy Bishop: Canadian Hero
Billy Bishop was fiercely ambitious, driven by an undisguised hatred of his enemies. He played hard and fought even harder. A highly skilled pilot and a crack shot, "top gun" of the Allied air forces, by 1918 Bishop was the most highly decorated war hero in Canadian history.
He remains the most controversial. Some of Bishop's fellow pilots were repelled by his grandstanding and suspected he was deliberately inflating his number of "kills." Since then, the claim has been repeated by many others. This issue is at the heart of Billy Bishop: Canadian Hero.
In this updated second edition, author Dan McCaffery reviews the evidence in support his account of what Bishop really did in the skies over France, setting the record straight about one of this country's most famous and controversial figures.
Bush Pilot’s Mayday: Bush Pilot’s Journal Book One
Bush Pilot’s Mayday is true life adventure based on logbook entries and recollections of the author’s fellow pilots and companions. Ken Forscutt flew a Cessna floatplane for 17 years into various places in Northwestern Canada, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. His aircraft was equipped with a minimum of radio gear and all navigation was done the “old way” - with maps and a simple compass.Here, Forscutt relates the many adventures and misadventures that befell him as a private pilot. After learning to fly in Manitoba, Ken made numerous trips to remote northern Manitoba lakes for hunting and ice fishing expeditions. In one hair raising adventure, Ken finds himself clinging to a pontoon and locked out of the plane’s cabin as it propels itself across a lake and up into the air. In another, he mistakes the sound of a seat belt banging against the outside of the plane, for a missing strut and causes himself unnecessary grief in landing the plane. Ken often flew parties and individuals to remote fishing lakes in Alberta where fish and adventures abound. He flew in the Northwest Territories where he had several close calls - while landed on an ice field en route to Tuktoyaktuk, Ken is forced to make an impromptu take off when the plane and its occupants are chased by an angry Polar Bear sow and cub. He mistakenly flies into restricted air space when he runs into the Mid Canada Early Warning System. This is a well written book that will appeal to aviators, armchair pilots and anyone who like a good story told well.
Camera Above the Clouds (Volume 1): The Aviation Photographs of Charles E. Brown
This all-colour collection of photographs contains such aviation bench-marks as the test-flights of the Avro Lancaster, the test of Britain's first jet fighter - the English Electric Lightning, and shots of the world's only jet-powered flying-boat, The Saunders Roe SR.A1.
Canada’s Air Force: At War and Peace: Volume 2
No-one interested in the history of Canadian military aviation will want to miss this 3-volume series from Larry Milberry!
Volume 2 completes 1939-45. Ch.1 & 2 cover night fighters, intruders & medium bombers. Much on Canadians on Defiants, Beaufighters & Mosquitos, the former a period of frustration, the latter of success. Many personal stories end happily, but sad times also fill the pages. Ch.3 deals with Bomber Command, beginning with Canadians on RAF squadrons, then moves to the first RCAF squadrons on Hampdens & Wellingtons. With some 70,000 words, Ch.3 says much of the bombing campaign. If CAFWP has a brutal chapter, this is it -- some 10,000 young Canadians die on bombers. Chief data sources are the official 6 Group records + diaries, logs & albums of the men who were there. Ch.4 studies Coastal Command on Beaufighters, Liberators, Sunderlands, etc. 60,000 words of new coverage and photos. While RCAF at War revealed new material on the Hornell VC, more is added here. Special coverage of 422 & 423 Sqns (Sunderlands) is not to be missed, nor are the excerpts from combat reports. Air transport is the theme of Ch.5, with more of Norseman, Dakota, Fortress, etc.
Canada’s Air Force: At War and Peace: Volume 3
No-one interested in the history of Canadian military aviation will want to miss this 3-volume series from Larry Milberry!
The first title dedicated solely to the postwar RCAF and the largest of all general RCAF histories. Beginning with the post-1945 slowdown, you'll read how Canada disposed of 1000s of surplus aircraft, whether burned, buried, or sold to get-rich-quick entrepreneurs. Next? The panicky built-up to Korea and the Cold War. Here are all the details about Vampires, Mustangs, Sabres & CF-100s; North Stars & C-119s; Lancasters, Neptunes & Argus; Harvards & T-33s. One chapter deals with R&D projects, whether Arctic navigation, flight test, or weapons; one about the CF-105 will be an eye-opener for those taken in by the Arrow myth makers. Vol.3 has hundreds of fresh colour photos from the 1950s-60s. Dozens of reminiscences enliven this era. Vol.3 takes you beyond unification to the 1970s.
Canada’s Fighting Pilots
First published in the 1960s and long out of print, Edmund Cosgrove recounts the lives of Canadas outstanding pilots and their exploits in the two world wars. From the brilliant individualists who flew in the First World War to the tough and dedicated bomber crews of the Second, this is the story of Canadian airmen and their remarkable contribution to the war effort. An essential book for any aviation and history enthusiast, the superbly readable original text that made this book a classic in its day is now supplemented with new and unpublished photos.
Gathered together here are the stories of some of Canadas most celebrated pilots; William "Billy" Bishop, whose daring, solo dawn raid on a German airfield won him the Victoria Cross; William Barker, who fought single-handedly an entire squadron of enemy aircraft; George "Buzz" Beurling, the ace of Malta who achieved a remarkable score of victories fighting from an island under siege; and Andrew Mynarski, whose attempts to save the life of a trapped comrade, high over Germany, ultimately cost him his own. This is their unforgettable story.
Canada’s National Aviation Museum: Its History and Collections
The museum was first formed in 1964 at RCAF Station Rockcliffe as the National Aeronautical Collection from the amalgamation of three separate existing collections. These included the National Aviation Museum at Uplands, which concentrated on early aviation and bush flying; the Canadian War Museum collection, which concentrated on military aircraft, and which included many war trophies, some dating back to World War One, and the RCAF Museum which focused on those aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
In 1988 the collection was moved to a new experimental type triangular hangar. This book, published on the occasion of the opening the new hangar, depicts the Museum's beautiful history from its early beginnings in the halls of the National Research Council in the thirties to its present world-class status.
Canadian Women in the Sky: 100 Years of Flight
How a few women fought to board planes, then fly them, and finally to break through earths atmosphere into space.
The story of how women in Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, struggled to win a place in the world of air travel, first as passengers, then as flight attendants and pilots, and, finally, as astronauts. Anecdotes, sometimes humourous and always amazing, trace these womens challenges and successes, their slow march over 100 years from scandal to acceptance, whether in Second World War skies, in hostile northern bush country, and even beyond Earths atmosphere.
From the time the first woman climbed on board a flying machine as a passenger to the moment a Canadian woman astronaut visited the International Space Station, this is an account of how the sky-blue glass ceiling eventually cracked, allowing passionate and determined air-crazy women the opportunity to fly.
Cavalry of the Air: An Illustrated Introduction to the Aircraft and Aces of the First World War
A lot of the airmen of the First Word War who tested both the adversary and also death did not survive. These are their tales.
In the clinging mud and also trench warfare of WWI, it was quickly clear that the cavalry cream of the crop of the elite would certainly be of little USAge.
The rushing males and also policemans of the mounties searched for a method to be front and facility in the problem, and also found it in the new air forces being established on both sides of the Western Front. Quickly lances as well as sabres were replaced by silk headscarfs as well as machine guns. Fight on horseback was replaced by dogfights airborne individually and in wonderful flying developments constantly between warriors. No modern technology changed much more in the 5 years of the war, and also none would certainly have a bigger impact.
From Great Britain to Canada to Australia and also New Zealand, new heroes took the honour and dash of the mounties to the air in flying devices which would change the face of battle permanently.
Chronicle of Aviation
Uses contemporary accounts to trace the history of aviation and describe records, events, and technical developments.
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Classic Aircraft: A Century of Powered Flight
The development of powered flight is a twentieth-century story. The latest in the best-selling 'Classic' series, Classic Aircraft reviews a cross-section of the pace-setters that have pointed the way forward in the history of aviation: the ‘classic aircraft' which represented for good or ill the cutting edge of applied technology.
From 1915 to the present day, bombers created a new and terrible 'total war' -- in the 1940s the German Blitzkrieg employed screaming Stuka dive-bombers as they invaded the rest of Europe, and the RAF's Avro Lancasters carried out night bombing of Germany in the winter of 1944-45. In 1945 bombing reached its apogee with the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima by a Boeing B-29.
The counter to the bomber, the fighter developed with the Fokker E-1, the S.E.5a, the Hurricane, the Spitfire, and the US Navy's Hellcat -- all rising out of the early discovery that a small, agile aeroplane can become an efficient killing machine.
Civil aviation had its classics too. Originally the exclusive preserve of the rich, who could fly with slow dignity in Handley Page airliners on a twelve-day progress from Croydon to Australia via Imperial Airways, civil flight progressed to the dawn of the package tours in Vickers Viscounts and to the luxury of Concorde in the 1980s.
All the machines in this book, whether helicopters or the efficient light aircraft of today or the humble workhorses of the air, have serious claim to be considered as 'classic aircraft' and all, in one form or another, represent the incredible advance in technology unique to the now-departed twentieth century.
Confederate Air Force: Past Perfect, Ready for Action
Tells the story of how a group of "good old Southern" colonels in Texas stopped the rot. How they built a "search and rescue" task force to save these, the "world's finest fighting aircraft," and formed them into the Confederate Air Force, today based at Rebel Field in Harlingen, Texas.
Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada
Dancing in the Sky is the first complete telling of the First World War fighter pilot training initiative established by the British in response to the terrible losses occurring in the skies over Europe in 1916. This program, up and running in under six months despite enormous obstacles, launched Canada into the age of flight ahead of the United States.
The results enabled the Allies to regain control of the skies and eventually win the war, but at a terrible price. Flying was in its infancy and pilot training primitive. This is the story of the talented and courageous men and women who made the training program a success, complete with the romance, tragedy, humour, and pathos that accompany an account of such heroic proportions. A valuable addition to Canadas military history, this book will appeal to all who enjoy an exceptional adventure story embedded in Canadas past.
De Havilland Moths In Detail: DH60, DH80, DH82, DH83, DH85, DH87, DH94
The Moth was designed to be affordable, simple and safe and it inspired a world-wide revolution in civil and military training and private ownership. The DH60 Moth of 1925 led to a family of light airplanes which continued to evolve until the Second World War when most private flying came to an abrupt end. The DH82A Tiger Moth, icon of military pilot training throughout the conflict, became the standard aircraft for post-war flying clubs in many countries and effectively invented the new industry of agricultural aviation. They were used for racing and record breaking, and small airline activities this new book studies the evolution of each of the Moth family of light airplanes and their engines which took place between 1925 and 1939.
Fall of an Arrow
On February 20, 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announced to the House of Commons the cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow. Its development costs to that time were $340 million. The Arrow was to be the world's unsurpassed interceptor aircraft. Yet within two months of the Prime Minister's announcement, six completed aircraft were dismantled and all papers and documents associated with the project were destroyed.
Here is the history and development of the Arrow - the plane that would make Canada the leader in supersonic flight technology. The Arrow was designed to fly at twice the speed of sound and carry the most advanced missile weapons system.
Here are the stories of the men and women who were in the vanguard of the new technology - who had come from England, Poland, and the United States to make aviation history.