Library Additions
Hurricane R4118: the extraordinary story of the discovery and restoration of a great Battle of Britain survivor by Peter Vacher, 2005, 160pp.
Air battle for Moscow: 1941-1942 by Dmitry Degtev and Dmitry Zubov, Air World, 2021, 238pp.
An in-depth look into the aerial battle for Moscow with Operation Typhoon and Operation Clara Zetkin, where the Luftwaffe was opposed by Stalin’s Falcons, the elite 6th Air Defence Corps.
Dowding’s despatch: the 1941 Battle of Britain narrative examined and explained by Andy Saunders. Grub Street, 2021, 224pp.
In September 1946, the London Gazette published a despatch from ACM Sir Hugh C T Dowding that was titled simply: ‘The Battle of Britain’ and became the very framework for the accepted Battle of Britain narrative. Andy Saunders takes a critical look at Dowding’s despatch and analyses the facts and details contained in that important document.
Operation Allied Force: air war over Serbia 1999, volume one by Bojan Dimitrijevic and Jovica Draganic, Helion, 2021, 96pp.
An overview of the air war over Serbia and the run up to the campaign. The book also includes material on the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence in the run-up to the campaign and colour profiles of aircraft used by the Serbians and NATO allies.
Aircraft aerodynamic design with computational software by Arthur Rizzi and Jesper Oppelstrup, Cambridge University Press, 2021, 431pp.
Presenting aerodynamic design of aircraft with realistic applications, using CFD software and guidance on its use. Tutorials, exercises, and mini-projects provided involve design of real aircraft, ranging from straight to swept to slender wings, from low-speed to supersonic and covers topics, such as shape optimisation to minimise drag and collaborative designing.
Civil aircraft registers of the British Isles 2021 edited by Sue Bushell, Air-Britain, 2021, 642pp.
Air-Britain’s annual publication listing the civil aircraft of the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and giving details, such as their manufacturer, types and ownership.
AFQR 2021: airline fleets quick reference by Terry Smith, Air-Britain, 2021, 303pp.
Air-Britain’s annual listing of aircraft operated by airlines operating across the world.
Under B-conditions: British experimental and production aircraft test flown under B-conditions of the Air Navigation Order since 1929 by D S Revell and P H Butler, Air Britain, 2020, 208pp.
A useful reference guide that de-codes the aircraft identification numbers placed on the side of experimental aircraft.
Flying light helicopters with the Royal Marines: collective tales from Marine Air 489 by Robert Wilsey, Air World, 2021.
Written by a pilot who served through much of the existence of the Royal Marines Air Squadron, the book examines the evolution and technological advances of Royal Marines aviation, flying the Westland Sioux, Scout, Gazelle and, ultimately, Lynx helicopters. He describes the rigorous training undertaken and operating globally from Malta, Northern Ireland, the jungles of Brunei, the Pyrenees, Arctic Norway and, in 1991, Northern Iraq.
The men who flew the Hawker Hunter by M W Bowman, Air World, 2021, 286pp.
Retells stories of those who flew the aircraft at aerobatic displays and on operations in Europe with Fighter Command and 2nd TAF, and in Cyprus, the Middle East and the Far East, where Hunters in the groundattack role operated against rebels in Aden and Malaysia respectively.
Fleet Air Arm Boys: Volume two, strike, antisubmarine, early warning and support aircraft since 1945, true tales from Royal Navy men and women air and ground crew by Steve Bond, Grub Street, 2021, 285pp.
A compilation of firsthand recollections from air and ground crew, operating from aircraft carriers and land bases. Includes reminiscences of working with Scimitars, Sea Hawks, Buccaneers and Skyraiders and on operations, including Suez, the Beira Patrol, the Falklands, Belize and Bosnia.
Buccaneer Boys 2: More True Tales by Those Who Flew ‘The Last All-British Bomber’ by Graham Pitchfork, Grub Street, 2021.
A compilation of 30 informal reminiscences of flying the Blackburn military jet aircraft as recounted by former Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force and South African Air Force (SAAF) pilots and including operations in the first Gulf War and the Border War.
Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm by John Nichol, Simon & Schuster, 2021, 458pp.
The story of the RAF crews and their families that flew the Tornado over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
Desert Warriors: Iranian Army Aviation at War by Babak Taghvaee, Helion, 2016, 132pp.
A history that concentrates on the use of helicopters by Iran during the 1980s.
Hungarian eagles: a Magyar Kiralyi Honved Legiero, 1920-1945 by Gyula Sarhidai, G Punka and Viktor Kozlik, Hikoki, 1996, 62pp.
A guide to the Hungarian Air Forces and their campaigns between 1920 and 1945, complete with diagrams and illustrations showing markings and camouflage to help aeromodellers to create accurately painted models.
RAF Bomber Command: 1936-1968 by Chris Ashworth, Patrick Stephens, 1995, 256pp.
A history of the Royal Air Force’s bomber force, complete with a selection of orders of battle, a list of aircraft used in each squadron and a selection of wartime statistics.
A short history of the Royal Air Force by Ministry of Defence, 1994, 122pp.
A short history of the RAF aimed at those just joining the service.
Instructors’ Handbook of Elementary Flying Training. A.P.1732a, Air Ministry, 1942
RAE Farnborough Space Department: A History by Bryan Day, British Interplanetary Society, 2015, 148pp.
Starting with the government’s space projects that predated the creation of the Royal Aircraft Establishment’s Space Department in 1962, it goes on to explore the projects of the department’s constituent divisions, including work on satellite launchers, satellites, remote sensors, space radiation and propulsion. Though the book concludes with the closure of the RAE, it also looks at the continuing work on space radiation and electric propulsion.
The Royal Aircraft Establishment: Treasure House of Aviation in 100 Objects and Concepts by Graham Rood, Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, 2021 450pp.
From carbon fibre to blind landing, the Royal Aircraft Establishment was at the forefront of innovation, yet much of the equipment, procedures, materials and techniques that they developed are now taken for granted. This selection highlights a century of achievements from those who served at RAE Farnborough, RAE Bedford and the NGTE with the aid of the FAST Museum’s extensive collections.
Winds of Change: Expanding the Frontiers of Flight: Langley Research Center’s 75 Years of Accomplishment, 1917-1992 by James Schultz, NASA, 1992, 133pp.
Test Pilots of the Jet Age: Men who Heralded a New Era in Aviation by Colin Higgs and Bruce Vigar, Air World, 2021, 172pp.
This book contains interviews with the British test pilots that took aviation into the jet age: John Allam, Godfrey Auty, Roland Beamont, Eric Brown, Jim Cooksey, John Cunningham, John Farley, Joe Lancaster, Doug Nicholls, John Ellacombe, William Walker, Dickie Martin, Duncan Simpson and Peter Twiss.