U.S. Navy Supply Corps Ensign Ross Hofmann had no idea what was in store for him when he arrived at Cavite Naval Base in October 1941. Two months later, Japanese forces struck the Philippines, destroying the base and forcing U.S. personnel to retreat to Bataan. There, Hofmann joined a makeshift unit of Army Aircorps ground personnel, U.S. Marines, U.S. sailors, U.S. Naval ground battalions and Filipinos to fight a Japanese force that landed nearby.In March 1942, with the fall of Ba...

We were aware of a dreamlike quality to our trip. There was something far-fetched about it, something out of this world.Austerity might be getting everyone else down, but Steve is waving his worries goodbye on another of his light-hearted trips around the picturesque English waterways.This time it’s a bit different, though. This time he’s not just cruising with his cat, Kit, but with his long-suffering wife, Em, who’s given up work and wants her share of easy living too. The...

An exploration of near-future urban planning as airports become the center of cities, changing the way we live and conduct business.Not so long ago, airports were built near cities, and roads connected the one to the other. This pattern—the city in the center, the airport on the periphery—shaped life in the twentieth century, from the central city to exurban sprawl. Today, the ubiquity of jet travel, round-the-clock workdays, overnight shipping, and global business...

When Peter took charge of the flight deck of the 777 and took off from Beijing airport, there was nothing to suggest that this trip would be anything other than a routine flight of the sort he had made so many times before. It was not until moments before landing that anything went wrong. Coming in to Heathrow Airport, the plane suffered inexplicable loss of power to both engines, and it was suddenly likely that the plane would plough into a built-up area outside the airport, with the loss...

Get the latest boatbuilding tips from this updated classicSince its first publication in 1970, Boatbuilding Manual has become the standard reference in boatbuilding and boat design schools, in the offices of professional builders, and in the basement workshops of home builders. No other boatbuilding text has simultaneously served the disparate needs of professional and amateur audiences so successfully. Carl Cramer, the publisher of WoodenBoat and...

"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...

Bryan Webster started out his 10,000+ hour flying career by taking a ride in a two-seat single engine Cessna 150 and ending up inverted in the silty Fraser River beneath a large unmarked power line span east of Vancouver, BC, Canada. This experience left a lasting impression which 25 years later was the foundation for a new training concept for pilots of light aircraft, Aviation Egress Systems. (More at www.dunkyou.com).During Bryan’s many years...

It wasn’t very long after the first commercially viable automobiles came on the scene that ambitious engineers began to dream of vehicles that could travel not only on land but also in the air, or by water. For a century, talented designers have created unique dual purpose vehicles for land, water and air (in various pairings) for both civil and military applications. Sometimes converted from standard vehicles, sometimes beginning as clean-sheet designs, these machines have met the enginee...

Marine Rudders and Control Surfaces guides naval architects from the first principles of the physics of control surface operation, to the use of experimental and empirical data and applied computational fluid dynamic modelling of rudders and control surfaces.The empirical and theoretical methods applied to control surface design are described in depth and their use explained through application to particular cases. The design procedures are complemented with a number of worked practical ex...

The Kemp and Young series provides a general introduction to a number of subject areas in a style that will be ideally suited for those wishing to learn more. The concise presentation of the subject matter is made possible by the reduction of the work to its simplest terms. This is achieved through the omission of unnecessary mathematics or mathematical concepts, and the generous use of diagrams and illustrations. Rapid reference to the substance of each topic can be made by use of the car...

Getting afloat need not be difficult or expensive if you were to build your own boat. Most of the boats described here are suitable for beginners, and are small and light enough to be carried on a car roof rack. They can be taken to the sea, river, canal or lake; they are cheap and easy to build. In this revised edition of a classic manual, Ian Nicolson provides clear and useful advice on how to effectively build a boat from scratch. You will find different choices, including a simple chil...

The Routledge Handbook of Transport Economics offers the first state of the art overview of the discipline of transport economics as it stands today, reflective of key research and policy. Transport is an important area of study and one which is problem rich, stimulating a great deal of debate in areas which impact on everyday lives. Much of this focuses on the practicalities of the modern-day phenomenon of mass movement and all of the issues which surround it. The discipline of e...