The first ex-military jet flew in Britain in the late 1960s, restored by Jet Heritage of Bournemouth. The company made a successful business out of restoring the complicated military airframes and making them legal for civilian flight. This is the story of Jet Heritage and the men who restored the first ex-military jets back into service.

An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the Air Ministry during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. Other sections include aircraft recognition, how to act as an RAF officer, bailing out, and so on.

An incredible 30,000 flights – at least – arrive safely at their destinations every day. But a handful don’t, while some come terrifyingly close to crashing. When even the smallest thing does go wrong at 35,000 feet, the result is nearly always a fast-unfolding tragedy.This extensive collection of compelling real-life accounts of air disasters and near-disasters provides a sobering, alternative history of the just over 105 years that passengers have been travelling by air, from the...

An engaging look into the culture of those who fly high-tech fighters and bombers and one pilot's personal account of his career in the cockpit.The F-117 Stealth Nighthawk was a truly groundbreaking aircraft when introduced in the early 1980s. The strange shape of the jet, all flat panels and angles, rendered the aircraft nearly invisible to radar. This highly classified program wasn't acknowledged publicly by the U.S. Air Force until 1988. The Nighthawk was retire...

The Airbus A380 is a commemorative volume preserving the history of this iconic craft in words and images from aviation writer and historian Graham Simons.Every seven minutes, an A380 takes off or lands somewhere in the world.The Airbus was initially designed and developed in order to provide a contender to the Boeing's growing monopoly of the skies in the biggest large-aircraft market in the world. Ambitious in design, the undertaking seemed mammoth...

"A masterpiece of the most diligent research and extraordinary detail and surely represents the definitive study of the Comet . . . a terrific book."—Royal Aeronautical SocietyThis volume from the respected and well-regarded aviation historian and author Graham Simons is "a solid book of such scope that you'll probably consult it for a lot more than just Comet material" ( SpeedReaders.info).Extensively illustrated throughout, Comet! featur...

Introduced into RAF service in December 1959, the English Electric Lightning was and still is one of the most iconic of British fighter aircraft. When it entered service it was literally streets ahead of the competition. With a rate of climb and top speed superior to its competition, and maneuverability that was still unmatched twenty years after it entered service, the Lightning was a potent weapon. Utilised by the RAF and Royal Saudi Air Force as well as the Kuwait Air Force, the Lightni...

Flying boats have been a familiar sight in the Solent since the dawn of aviation. Two of Britain's major manufactures, Saunders-Roe and Supermarine, were based in Cowes and Woolston respectively. The area has been home to flying boats of Imperial Airways and, latterly, BOAC and Aquila Airways. With a terminal at Hythe and then Southampton Docks, one could view not just majestic ocean liners but huge flying boats too, from the Empire boats of Imperial Airways to the majestic Saunders-Roe Pr...

A detailed history of the pioneering Bell X-1, the first manned craft to break the sound barrier. Brought to life with dazzling digital art, this rocket-powered aircraft launches Osprey's new 'X-Planes' series and brings the reader into the dangerous and thrilling world of experimental aircraft.In 1947, no one knew if it was possible to break the 'sound barrier'. The Bell X-1 was the tiny, rocket-powered craft that finally broke it. It was the result of innovative ...

The RB211 gas turbine engine was to be the biggest engineering project in Britain, and the world's fi rst three-spool turbofan. It had been developed for the Lockheed L1011 Tristar and fi nally entered service in 1972. Despite its huge development costs, which pushed Rolls-Royce into bankruptcy, it turned Rolls-Royce into a global company, supplying engines for many thousands of airliners and military aircraft. Despite the development costs, the failure of the company that produced the eng...

Enjoy Dr David Myhra's exciting next chapter in the "Luftwaffe Project Design Board", the 2 part book about Reimer Horten's Ho 18, the world's first proposed intercontinental bomber! "Horten Ho 18 All-Wing Bomber" features beautiful digital images by renowned digital artists Jozef Gatial and Mario Merino and transcripts of actual interviews with Reimer Horten by Dr Myhra! This 2-part edition is a must read for any aircraft enthusiast!

The uncertain fates of Amelia Earhart, Amy Johnson and Glenn Miller have fascinated readers and aviation historians ever since they disappeared. Even today, more than half a century after their final flights, what happened to them is still the subject of speculation, conspiracy theory and controversy. This has prompted Roy Conyers Nesbit to reinvestigate their stories and to write this perceptive, level-headed and gripping study. Using testimony from new witnesses and hitherto undisclosed ...