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Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering (New Edition) 34 reviews
Robert L. Shaw
Naval Institute Press, 1985
Excellent Text Not For The Casual Reader
This book is a serious educational tool for modern fighter pilots. I tried reading it in high school when I thought I wanted to "grow up to be a fighter pilot." The best thing about it is that I learned that being a fighter pilot requires a lot more knowledge of math and physics than I'd ever imagined. Real fighter jocks have to be a great deal smarter than they are portrayed in movies.
The ...
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Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam 1965-197212 reviews
Marshall L. III Michel
US Naval Institute Press, 1997
Not the Party Line
This book is an excellent account of the "corporate" deficiencies of the USAF in the late 60's and early 70's. The deficiencies of the air-to-air missiles in the Vietnam war are strikingly similar to the deficiencies of the torpedos in the USN in the first two years of WWII. Equally striking was the smug attitude of the service about the superiority of US aircraft ("The F-86 had a 13:1 kill ratio ...
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The Handplane Book22 reviews
Garrett Hack
Taunton, 1997
This book is a real gem....
If you are a dedicated hands-on woodworker, or simply of the armchair variety, this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book on handplanes should be on your short list. I recenly met the author, Mr. Garrett Hack, at a woodworking conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. He speaks to a live audience in much the same way that he writes; with great organization, clarity, and enough anecdotal ...
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Crossing the Line: A Blue Jacket's World War II Odyssey14 reviews
Alvin Kernan
Naval Institute Press, 1994
A real page-turner!
. When you think of an east coast university professor who specializes in the humanities--Shakespearean literature, in this case--you probably won't be visualizing someone who started adulthood by engaging in vicious aerial gunnery duels with Japanese fighters and otherwise living the stressful, profane, hazardous life of an enlisted sailor on three World War II aircraft carriers, one of which ...
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The Stars Here Are Mostly Planes30 reviews
Sarah Harris
Amazon, 2007
A Talent for Yarn Spinning
The Stars are Mostly Planes by S. Harris demonstrates the author's gift for telling a tale through a convincing character voice. If she isn't Katie Campbell herself, I'll be darned.
The only drawback of this excerpt is the lack of a clear overall story direction. It kind of sort reminded me of the way stories like 'Catcher in the Rye' and 'On The Road' unfolded. Just a telling, no solid ...
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Warbird Recovery: The Hunt for a Rare WWII Plane in Siberia, Russia19 reviews
Gordon R Page
iUniverse, Inc., 2005
Don't try this yourself
This is a great read. Gordon's adventures in Russia fall into the category of "someday we'll laugh about this". By sheer coincidence, I was traveling in Russia in 1993 just a few months before Gordon's first visit. Alas, I was cheated; I experienced no bedbugs, no shakedowns, no raw cod liver, no KGB tails, no self-promoting hookers, no rotgut vodka, no cold showers. I guess I was lucky to be ...
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Warbird Recovery: The Hunt for a Rare World War II Plane in Siberia, Russia16 reviews
Gordon R Page
iUniverse Star, 2007
Warbird Recovery....Buy it!
When Gordon sent me the book, I was excited to dig into it, but life is busy, and I didn't get a chance to read it right away. I am sorry I delayed reading it as it is an excellent story. I couldn't put it down once started. Gordon's undying passion and perseverance in the recovery of these WWII relics is impressive. I thought that I have had some pretty crazy adventures moving aircraft around ...
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Dyna-Soar: Hypersonic Strategic Weapons System: Apogee Books Space Series 35 (Apogee Books Space Series)14 reviews
Collector's Guide Publishing Inc, 2003
An Amazing Idea That Was Decades Before It's Time
This is the most comprehensive book I've ever seen on the X-20 Dyno-Soar. It has very detailed descriptions of the research and development that was done to make this space plane a reality. It contains very interesting charts & artists conceptions of what the vehicle would have looked like. There are many photographs of mockups, test articles, and the actual me who would have flown the ...
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Sled Driver : Flying the World's Fastest Jet14 reviews
Brian Shul
Mach 1, 1994
Lucky
I got my copy from Brian when he was selling them at an open house at March AFB. He was planted right under the left wing. You could sit in the cockpit of the SR-71 for a photo for $5. That was well worth it! When you look behind you and see all that mass of black titanium, and imagine that you would leave a 30-06 bullet in the dust, it is truly awe inspiring. By the way Brian was signing, to you ...
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Wingman #15: Return of Sky Ghost15 reviews
Mack Maloney
audible.com
HAWK IS WHAT EVERY AMERICAN WANTS TO BE
I STARTED THIS SERIES WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT AND WAS HOOKED ON IT EVER SINCE.MACK MALONEY PUTS MOST AMERICAN'S VIEWS INTO HAWK HUNTER.AMERICAN' WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICA STAYS FREE, AND MY VIEW IS THIS"YOU CAN HAVE MY FLAG WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD FINGERS"
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America's Hundred Thousand: U.S. Production Fighters of World War II10 reviews
Francis H. Dean
Schiffer Publishing, 2000
The best overall book on American Fighters of WW2.
If you need info on how these planes worked, real detail, not the typical picture book fluff, in the average book, this is the book for you.
Nuts and bolts info you can really learn from.
A complete Day to Day timeline for each plane, pilots comments on everything from the cockpits to the ground handling and how good of a gun platform.
Info about all the systems and structures.
...
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Tomcat Alley: A Photographic Roll Call of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat (Schiffer Military History)8 reviews
David F. Brown
Schiffer Publishing, 1998
Excellent book
There is not too much to read in the F-14 book, as it
is a "F-14 Roll Call" type book. This means it has a
photo of each and every F-14 ever made, and the final
disposition of each aircraft. If the aircraft was in
any special operations, that is mentioned also. For
photos, specific aircraft markingins, squadron
markings and F-14 history I thought the book was very
well done and ...
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MiG pilot: The final escape of Lt. Belenko9 reviews
John Barron
s.n, 1980
Great view inside the Soviet Union
I read this book twice while the Soviet Union still stood. The book is brilliently written. You get a view of life inside the former Soviet Union, inside their millitary and civillian life, and you see through the eyes of a refugee when he first experiences America. The story helps you to appreciate what you have here. Lt. Belenko is a very courageous man.
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Little Red Plane12 reviews
Ken Wilson-Max
Chrysalis Children's Books, 1998
My daughter loves it. Not just for boys.
I am writing in response to the reviewer who said that the book is especially great for boys. (let's not gender-type!) This is our daughter's favorite book. She is 13 1/2 months now and it has been her absolute favorite since we started reading it to her when she was just a few months old and we just ordered a second copy because hers is so tattered from use. Highly recommended for girls as well! ...
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Flying Legends 2004 Calendar10 reviews
John Dibbs
Motorbooks International, 2003
Warbird Legends/Flying Legends...beautiful photography...
...this book has glorious mainly color photographs and interesting text too...watch out though, if you order both this and "Warbird Legends", you will have the same book twice! not that it is such a bad thing!
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The Flight of the Phoenix (Unabridged)8 reviews
Elleston Trevor
audible.com
Asperger's Syndrome character makes this book stand out
"Flight of the Phoenix" held my attention, as an adventure novel should. What makes this book stand out is a character who is ignored for the first half of the book, because he's quiet and keeps to himself. In the middle of the book he becomes the most important character. In the penultimate chapter the plot twists around this character in what has to be most unexpected surprise I've ever seen in ...
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Mr. Lunch Takes a Plane Ride8 reviews
Vivian Walsh
Viking Juvenile, 1993
Funny Pet Tricks: Mr Lunch!
We thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the wonderfully implausible story to the extraordinary Matisse/Braques-like pictues. The story concerns a dog's flight for a television appearance--to demonstrate his bird-chasing skills. (No animals were injured in the writing of this book.) The pictures are very detailed and a bit abstract, but not unrecognizable or too cluttered for our 4 year old. A ...
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Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane11 reviews
Gregory N. Brown
Iowa State Press, 2003
Excellent book for all seeking adventure
I am a student pilot and have been reading just about everything I can get my hands on that has to do with flying for the past two years. I first learned of Greg Brown through his Flying Carpet column in AOPA's Flight Training magazine and enjoyed his articles and writing. I stumbled upon this book through a search on Amazon and am so glad I did!
The book is extremely well written and you ...
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Traitor9 reviews
Ralph Peters
Stackpole Books, 2004
Contractors Can Really Be Traitors
After 25 years in the defense industry, watching the Services buy big things they don't need while neglecting small things they do (like enough pay so the troops don't have to be on food stamps), it continues to disturb me that the American taxpayer continues to allow Congress to sell out to what Ike Eisenhower called the "military-industrial complex". TRAITOR could have been a documentary. ...
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Gotcha8 reviews
David M. Dannegger
Infinity Publishing, 2008
Something for everyone
I loved this book. The descriptions cover all the senses, so that before you realize it you are completely drawn into the book's reality. There are no false notes in the history, no anachronisms, just a wealth of detail that makes you feel as if you had been there - even as if you know what it's like to pilot a small plane! It made me remember why I wanted to take flying lessons back when I was a ...
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