http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 65LOCKHEED BLACKBIRD – BEYOND THE
SECRET MISSIONS – REVISED EDITION
Book
Written by: Paul F Crickmore
Price: £35
This is an update of the author’s 1990 book
Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed.
In his words: “I’ve been given access to yet more declassi ed
documentation, personal diaries, previously unpublished photographs
and reconnaissance imagery. This has enabled me to piece together
a broader appreciation of the context within which this once highly
classi ed national reconnaissance asset was developed.”
The result is 16 chapters whose subjects include all the codenamed
missions, early development, technical aspects, Area 51, NASA and
many others. One I found especially interesting – ‘Squaring Up Over
The Barents Sea’ – is an account from a MiG-31 pilot showing how the
Soviet Union was, by the 1980s, capable of intercepting an SR-71 and
launching a missile if it actually entered its airspace. Ten appendices
feature such topics as ‘Black Shield Missions Over North Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos’, ‘SR-71 Commanders and Awards’, ‘Blackbird
Disposition’, ‘Chronology’, ‘Records’ and ‘Losses’.
There are 240 colour photographs plus 96 in black and white.
In my opinion, this is undoubtedly the de nitive volume on this
incredible aeroplane.
Published by Osprey Publishing, ISBN 9781472815231, available
from http://www.ospreypublishing.comTHE 8TH ARMY AIR FORCE IN COLOR
- AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF
KODAK FILM
Book
Written by: Nathan Howland
Price: £48
A collaboration by an American publisher and a
British author, this hefty volume presents 245 original colour slides
restored to their former glory.
Photographic slides are prone to oxidation, celluloid damage,
heat discoloration, damp, mildew, scratches and dust. Repairing
many of these issues would usually involve hours of rebalancing
and re-colouring, but this was avoided by using a photo software
application. Kodak’s Digital Recovery of Color (ROC) plug-in for
Photoshop – has been devised speci cally for the company’s lm
and requires just one click to produce staggering results.
In the author’s words: “The proprietary algorithms of the plug-in
are a work of genius. By analysing the colour spectrum and gradients
within a scanned image, the plug-in is able to determine the optimum
colour and tonal curve for each colour light channel and remove
colour-cast and other defects.” He goes on to say the photos have
been published exactly as they emerged from the plug-in’s treatment.
Leaving aside the technicalities, this is a truly remarkable
collection of images of B-17s, B-24s, Mustangs, Thunderbolts and
various other types. Colourful group markings are well in evidence,
along with many examples of nose art. For every photo the original,
sometimes apparently hopeless, image and an initial cleaned up
version are shown on one page with the Kodak ROC nal result
alongside on a full page. An often dull and faded image is magically
restored to life with a totally natural-looking effect.
This landmark book shows scenes from World War Two as
though the images were taken yesterday.
Published by Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 9780764351778,
available from http://www.schifferbooks.com
METEOR BOYS – TRUE TALES FROM THE
OPERATORS OF BRITAIN’S FIRST JET
FIGHTER – FROM 1944 TO DATE
Book
Written by: Steve Bond
Price: £20
The latest title from this series follows the well-
established pattern of drawing upon the personal experiences of the
subject’s air and groundcrews. Ten chapters spanning six decades of
this rst-generation jet ghter are supported by an appendix detailing
all the major units that operated it, including no less than 62 squadrons.
There are 78 black and white and 44 colour photographs.
After the introduction has outlined the Meteor’s lengthy career from
limited wartime use to its time as a target drone, the reminiscences
start with the F.4. This variant proved something of a handful, with a
very high accident rate in the early 1950s. In 1952 alone, 153 were
written off in accidents with the loss of 94 pilots. Some heart-stopping
moments are recounted here by yers who narrowly avoided disaster.
Better training and technical improvements to the Meteor improved the
situation, while lives were also saved by the F.8 becoming the rst of the
type to be tted with an ejection seat.
As well as day- ghters, there were also night- ghters, ghter
reconnaissance and photo reconnaissance versions and each has its
own chapter. There are many tales of practice interceptions, against a
variety of types, including the Lincoln, Washington, Valiant as well as
the USAF’s B-36 Peacemaker and B-45 Tornado. As ever in an RAF
setting, high jinks and humour are well in evidence. Steve Bond has
produced another winner in this entertaining series.
Published by Grub Street: ISBN 9781910690260, available from
http://www.grubstreet.co.ukPLANES ON FILM – TEN FAVOURITE
AVIATION FILMS
Book
Written by: Colin M Barron
Price: £12.99
The author emphasises in his introduction that what
follows is his personal choice of aviation lms and
concedes that other enthusiasts might come up with an
entirely different list. Those featured are The Dambusters, Reach for the
Sky, Flight of the Phoenix, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Dark Blue World, The Blue Max,
633 Squadron, Raid on Entebbe, Memphis Belle and Battle of Britain.
Each lm is allotted 30 to 40 pages, beginning with how the project
was originally adapted from a book or devised within the industry.
The quest for suitable aircraft for each is described in great detail.
Mosquitos were gathered for 633 Squadron, while Battle of Britain
required Spit res and Spanish-built versions of Bf 109s and Heinkel
111s. Numerous replicas of World War One machines were built for The
Blue Max and familiar aircraft, such as the Harvard, were converted into
very convincing Japanese ghters and torpedo planes for Tora! Tora!
Tora! Many of these still survive and their current status is listed.
A plot narrative is provided for each movie into which are woven
anecdotes about the lming and how problems were overcome. Various
other aspects are covered, including the musical scoring and there’s a
complete list of technical credits. The reader’s attention is also drawn to
the surprising number of errors contained within almost all these lms.
Verdict: a very interesting and well-written book, though more photos
would have been welcome, there being only ten black and white images
showing aircraft used in the lms.
Published by Extremis Publishing: ISBN 9780993493263, available
from http://www.extremispublishing.comYANK BOMBER BOYS IN NORFOLK –
A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE
USAAF IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Book
Written by: Peter W Bodle FRAeS
Price: £25.00Compiled from the photographic collections
of individual troops and station photographic
sections, this unusual book gives a view of
US Army Air Force operations in Norfolk. The
primary aviation fare is the Consolidated B-24
Liberator, but a scattering of other types,
US and RAF, appears, including a Bristol
Beau ghter, captioned on page 218 as a
“British medium bomber”. It is regrettable that some photographs
appear to have suffered in quality from being reproduced beyond
their scanned dimensions, rather than from being more than seven
decades old.
The captions are generally weak, but sufficient to identify
locations and the units depicted, although most readers will simply
be absorbed in the photographs. There are scenes of domesticity
and regular air eld life, as well as more harrowing images of crashed
and, in some cases, burning bombers. Those fortunate enough to
live in or around Norfolk will enjoy the possibility of spotting a familiar
air eld, pub or other location. This is a book to be dipped into at
leisure, rather than read cover to cover.
Published by Fonthill Media; ISBN9781781553565, available from
http://www.fonthillmedia.comA CENTURY OF AIR WARFARE WITH NINE (IX)
SQUADRON RAF – STILL GOING STRONG
Book
Written by: Gordon Thorburn
Price: £25.00Given IX Squadron’s century of service – it formed
as a Royal Flying Corps unit in December 1914 –
author Gordon Thorburn begins his history with a
look at the origins of bombing and airborne radio.
The unit was a pioneer in both elds.
The excellent narrative describes the
squadron’s early and inter-war history in
considerable detail, before the author embarks into an unusual
presentation of its World War Two campaign. A run through of aircraft
types and operations might be expected – IX Squadron Lancasters
may or may not have been responsible for causing Tirpitz to capsize
in an attack own alongside 617 Sqn, for example (opinions on which
unit dropped the vital Tallboy depend on which squadron personnel
one is talking to) – but instead the story is presented through the eyes
of different aircrew and groundcrew. The result is as engaging as it is
informative.
Through the Cold War, IX Squadron operated the Avro Lincoln and
English Electric Canberra, before returning to Avro with the Vulcan. The
latter gave way to the Panavia Tornado as the unit once again took on
a pioneering role, introducing the swing-wing strike aircraft into RAF
service. There are hair-raising accounts from crews involved in the
Tornado’s rst combat operations over Iraq in 1991 and coverage of
subsequent action over the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya.
All of the many photographs are reproduced in black and white,
which is a pity given the many colour images of IX Squadron’s
operations from more recent times. Readers will notice that the Bristol
Scout shown on page 18 is a Bristol Fighter and might puzzle at Litening
being described as a radar defence pod rather than a targeting pod, but
given the extent of the book’s coverage, these are minor criticisms.
Published by Pen & Sword Aviation; ISBN1783036346, available
from http://www.pen-and-sword.co.ukFROM SPITFIRE TO METEOR
Book
Written by: Albert Horton
Price: £9.75 plus postage
Given the quality of reproduction of its black
and white photographs and inconsistent
typography, the self-published origins of this
book are immediately apparent, but neither
detracts from the excellence of its content,
which essentially comprises the memoirs of
Royal Air Force ghter pilot Albert Horton.
Horton graduated onto the Supermarine Spit re in June 1949,
after training on the de Havilland Tiger Moth and North American
Harvard. Moving on from the Merlin-engined Mk 16, he accumulated
the majority of his Spit re hours on the PR.Mk 19 and FR.Mk 18,
both of them Griffon engined. Photographic reconnaissance became
his speciality and Horton was posted to the Middle East with 208
Squadron.
His was a fascinating time, for the RAF was transitioning to jets
and he made the change from piston power to the Gloster Meteor
FR.Mk 9, gleefully noting that he ew faster in a Spit re than he was
permitted to in the Meteor. Horton gives engaging recollections of
ying in the relative freedom of the immediate post-war world and the
excitement of service life.
This is a book written by someone who was there, and his
passion for ying and the Spit re in particular, shines through.
Although it repeats a couple of photographs and would bene t from
tighter editing in places, this modest book is recommended as an
engaging, illuminating and entertaining read.
Published by Robert Davies; ISBN9781291969085, available from
http://www.lulu.comOSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES
- SPITFIRE ACES OF NORTHWEST
EUROPE 1944-45
Book
Written by: Andrew Thomas
Price: £13.99
This new title from Osprey is number 122 in its
acclaimed Aircraft of the Aces series and the
fact that it is written by RAF authority Andrew Thomas, with cover
artwork by Mark Postlethwaite and colour pro les by Chris Thomas,
all under the careful editorial guidance of Tony Holmes, will add up to
recommendation enough for many readers.
For those not familiar with Aircraft of the Aces, this would be an
excellent rst volume. Dealing with the Supermarine Spit re in its
last year of service over Northwest Europe, it abounds with artwork,
photographs and rst-hand accounts set into Andrew Thomas’s
authoritatively researched narrative. The beautifully rendered pro les - 36 altogether – illustrate Mks VB, VII, IX and XVI, and are complete
with extensive captions. An appendix detailing individual pilot scores,
a bibliography and comprehensive index round off another superb
package from Osprey.
Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd; ISBN9781782003380,
available from http://www.ospreypublishing.com
36 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft November 2014XXXXXXXXXThe latest products for the
Flight Bag discerning aviation enthusiast
36_FlightBagDC.mf.indd 36 03/10/2014 14:40
established pattern of drawing upon the personal experiences of the65_flightbagDC.mf.indd 65 02/02/2017 16:57