This anthology has been compiled by a handful of writers who have two things in common. They all attend the Writers' Summer School in Swanwick each August. And they all count themselves lucky to have known Katy Clarke.This mixture of stories for grown-ups and children is published in Katy's memory. All proceeds will go towards the work of Rowcroft Hospice in Torbay, where she spent the last weeks of her life.Katy Clarke was a brave, funny and inspiring lady who loved family...

During and after World War II, aircraft designers were faced with the problem of increasing the range of strategic bombers. Dr. Richard Vogt, a German immigrant to the United States, proposed that floating wing panels carrying fuel tanks could be attached to the wing tips of an airplane with hinges to extend its range. The floating wing panels would support their own weight, without increasing the load on the airplane's wings. The Air Force initiated a project to simulate floating wing pan...

It has been asserted that the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, carrying Air Force serial 52-0008, can lay claim to being the airplane that has seen and participated in more history than any other single airplane. For forty-five years, the NB-52B was a fixture at Edwards Air Force Base. While the NB-52B is most famous for launching the three North American X-15 rocket planes, it continued to serve in the role of launch platform for a multitude of programs until its final mission on November 16...

The General Electric Air Research Laboratory at the Schenectady, New York Airport hosted an open house on June 22, 1946, less than one year after V-J Day. It was an overcast day with intermittent rain. The event featured a variety of prototype airplanes and helicopters and some modified testbed airplanes. Many of the airplanes were pinnacles of piston-powered aircraft technology. Examples of early jet fighters foreshadowed the coming transition to jet power. The first jet air mail service ...

The P-85 Goblin was the only airplane that ever flew which was designed from scratch to be operated entirely from another airplane. The development of the B-36 by the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation of Fort Worth, Texas resulted in a requirement for fighter protection for the bomber at distances from any friendly base that far exceeded the range of currently available escort fighter airplanes. Due to the inability of contemporary fighters to escort B-36 bombers all the way to thei...

It was 1968 and Robert Hartley was on his first combat mission in Vietnam as copilot of a helicopter gunship. As he and his platoon leader flew over the A Shau Valley, a Chinook helicopter engulfed in flames suddenly came into view. Hartley noticed tiny black smoking objects exiting the tail ramp of the aircraft. Seconds later, he realized those objects were men escaping the flames and plunging to their deaths. It was in that moment that he silently wondered, How the hell did I get here?

From flying with the Screaming Eagles in Vietnam to serving with the Marines and the Royal Navy, this memoir recounts the life of a career military pilot.Sometimes it just isn't your day. Whether your helicopter comes apart in flight due to equipment failure, or another aircraft runs into you in midair, or an enemy gunner lands his rounds in exactly the right spot to take you out of the sky. That's why, after twenty-four years and more than five thousand flight hou...

* The true adventure tales of a U.S. Air Force fighter who flew more than 400 combat hours while on duty in Vietnam* Provides a rare insider's glimpse into the world of the flying elite, detailing their education, training, emotions, and day to day experiences* Poignant, sometimes funny, brutally honest, always exciting, and an eye-opening look at one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history.

Vivid firsthand accounts from aviators who flew this renowned supersonic interceptor fighter.The English Electric Lightning was the only single-seat supersonic interceptor fighter designed and manufactured in the UK. It saw service with the RAF in the sixties and seventies and gained a worthy reputation for its speed—in excess of Mach 2—and phenomenal rate of climb. It was, however, not entirely reliable, and over fifty were lost during its operational career....

This is not AI-generated content. The contents were written and verified by subject matter experts from Aviation Supplies & Academics, an 85-year-old aviation company. Look for the ASA wings to ensure you are purchasing a reliable publication.An excellent resource for students and flight instructors alike, the Helicopter Maneuvers Manual helps pilots acquire a mental picture of each phase of flight. With this comprehensive guide, author Ryan Dale has captu...

A pictorial history of the legendary Lockheed spy plane, written by one of its pilots and "filled to the brim with information and revelation" ( Seattle Post Intelligencer Travel for Aircraft blog).At the height of the Cold War in 1964, President Johnson announced a new aircraft dedicated to strategic reconnaissance. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy plane flew more than three-and-a-half times the speed of sound, so fast that no other aircraft could catch it...

The author of Javelin from the Cockpit looks at some of the more notable British, German, and American fighters through performance and handling trials.During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible. During the lend-lease agreement with the USA, the RA...