Aviation Books to read

[gmc007]

Stealth Fighter: A Year in the life of an F-117 Pilot by Lt. Col. William B. O'Connor USAF (ret.) is a really good read as is Warthog by William L. Smallwood.

Mentioned before but great books are Chickenhawk & Tornado Down.

[Runner]

Victor Boys by Tony Blackman.

Really enjoyed this one, the first part of the book describes the development of the aircraft while the second part goes on to tell some of the stories of the airmen that flew them. Couldn't put it down, I especially enjoyed the second part which contains Bob Tuxfords account of Black Buck 1. Great book, highly recommended.

[Gooner_Ant]

Just finished reading 'Vulcan 607' by Rowland White.

Inspiring and just fantastic, could not put it down.

[Sparts99]

Just finished 'A Lonely Kind of War: Forward Air Controller, Vietnam' by Marshall Harrison. Fantastic book detailing missions as a Bronco pilot including going over the border into Cambodia. Highly recommended if the Vietnam war is of interest to you.

[TankBuster]

I've just obtained a copy of a lovely little book all about the A10A Thunderbolt II... Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt Lock On No 7
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lock-On-No-Fair ... 9070932172#_" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The book is aimed mainly at the plastic kit modeller as it contains lots of close up detailed colour photographs of the airframe, but what attracted me to the book is the fact that all of the photographs and information within the book were taken at RAF Bentwaters in the early 1990's. It really is well illustrated and contains some beautiful clear colour images of the A-10 at the proper home of the Hog! There are images of every part of the A-10, including what is behind the access panels.

A fascinating book for anyone interested in Bentwaters and the A-10. Definitely one I would recomend to anyone!

TankBuster

[2_avons]

Forced to land at Groom Lake...'but don't look'



good stuff from NEVER IN ANGER by Anthony 'Bugs' Bendell, former lightning pilot

recommended yet again

info here http://www.rafjever.org/neverinanger.htm

Graham

[paullangford]

If you liked "Chickenhawk" by Bob Mason, "Xin Loi Viet Nam" is a good follow on book, but written by a door gunner;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xin-Loi-Viet-Na ... ds=xin+loi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've also just finished "Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat " by Dan Hampton, also a very interesting read.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Viper-Pilot-Mem ... iper+pilot" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Skywatcher]

My fav book at the minute is a book by Phil Patton it's called Dreamland inside rosewell and Area 51(now officially cumfermed by us that it exits )lots of very cool stuff in it. It's a fantastic book also mentions briefly about aera s-4 as well ....and many other secret faculty
Also another fav ,Stealth warplanes by Doug Richardson ,loads of interesting facts in there I can not live without that book it's also got very good specs in there about f-22and f-35/32 JSFs and the Have Blue program

[Tom.Joyce]

Stealth Fighter: A Year in the life of an F-117 Pilot by Lt. Col. William B. O'Connor USAF (ret.) is a really good read as is Warthog by William L. Smallwood.

Mentioned before but great books are Chickenhawk & Tornado Down.

I've just finished "Warthog", bought it on a whim after reading this post........ I can recommend it ....had a bit of a "groundhog day" moment though as it does mention the closing of Woodford and Alconbury - and here we are with the withdrawal of A10's from Spangdahlen in the past couple of weeks.

[Gary]

Anyone with a Kindle in this months deals on Amazon there are a couple of aviation books

Bailout Over Normandy: A Flyboy's Adventures with the French Resistance and Other Escapades in Occupied France [Kindle Edition]
By Ted Fahrenwald for £1.29

Product Description
A daredevil pilot in the famed 352nd Fighter Squadron, the author of this remarkable memoir bailed out of his burning Mustang two days after D-Day and was launched on a thrilling adventure on the ground in Occupied France.

After months living and fighting with the French Resistance, Fahrenwald was captured by the Wehrmacht, interrogated as a spy, and interned in a POW camp—and made a daring escape just before his deportation to Germany. Nothing diminished this pilot’s talent for spotting the ironic humor in even the most aggravating or dangerous situations—and nothing stopped his penchant for extracting his own improvised and sometimes hilarious version of justice.

A suspenseful WWII page-turner and an outrageously witty tale of daring and friendship, this book brings to vivid life the daily bravery, mischief, and intrigues of fighter pilots, Resistance fighters, and other Allies in the air and on the ground.

Captured by the Wehrmacht, however, interrogated as a spy, and interned in a POW camp, the author made a daring escape just before his deportation to Germany. Nothing diminished Ted’s talent for spotting the ironic humor in even the most aggravating or dangerous situations, nor his penchant for extracting his own improvised and sometimes hilarious version of justice.

The author recorded his swashbuckling adventures at age twenty-four, after his discharge and return to the States. Afterward he went into business and never again put pen to paper. But his immediate reminiscence of his wartime experience—recently found—reveals a rare literary talent.

Wings: The RAF at War, 1912-2012 [Kindle Edition] by Patrick Bishop for £1.69

Product Description
The Royal Air Force is synonymous with its heroic achievements in the summer of 1940, when Winston Churchill's 'famous few' - the Hurricane and Spitfire pilots of RAF Fighter Command - held Goering's Luftwaffe at bay in the Battle of Britain, thereby changing the course of the war. For much of the twentieth century, warplanes were fixed in the world's imagination, a symbol of the perils and excitements of the modern era. But within the space of a hundred years, military aviation has morphed from the exotic to the mundane. An activity which was charged with danger - the domain of the daring - is now carried out by computers and pilotless drones.

Aviators have always seemed different to soldiers and sailors - more adventurous, questing and imaginative. Their stories gripped the public and in both wars and air aces dominated each side's propaganda, capturing hearts and dreams. Writing with the verve, passion and the sheer narrative aplomb familiar to many thousands of readers from his bestselling Second World War aerial histories, Fighter Boys and Bomber Boys, Patrick Bishop's Wings is a rich and compelling account of military flying from its heroic early days to the present.

[Sparts99]

In the kindle store now for 61p 'Trailblazers:Test Pilots In Action, a collection of stories from test pilots, bit lacking in detail and the translation from the Russian pilot of the Yak 41 is a bit clunky (this might be the crash described http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPOo1jOqZTA) but for 61p you really can't argue.

[roughcutter]

Peter Caygill's book Phantom from the cockpit is now available on kindle for £1.02




MarkL

[Sparts99]

I can't remember the exact details, but Wing Commander 'Pablo' something (?) wrote a very good book, warts and all about Tornado ops in the 1991 conflict. I seem to to remember he was very unpopular afterwards and his career ground to a halt. Sorry I can't be more specifgic but no doubt someone on here will have the details. The other ones I read that were definitely worth it to get a wider view were Stormin Norman Schwarzkopf's and General Sir Peter de la Billiere's.

Just downloaded 'Apache:Riding The Dragon' from the Kindle store for £1.99. So far a bit disappointing, lots of waffle.

[Mike]

I can't remember the exact details, but Wing Commander 'Pablo' something (?) wrote a very good book, warts and all about Tornado ops in the 1991 conflict. I seem to to remember he was very unpopular afterwards and his career ground to a halt.

That'll be Pablo Mason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Mason

[roughcutter]

Pablo's War - Sqn Ldr Pablo Mason, give Amazon a try there's a good chance you'll see it in there.
Another book that covers the Gulf War is "Magnum" by Brick Eisel & Jim Schreiner (Pen & Sword), about the Wild Weasels in Desert Storm. Although I have a copy of this book admittedly I haven't read it yet so can't comment.
MarkL

[Sparts99]

Just downloaded 'Apache:Riding The Dragon' from the Kindle store for £1.99. So far a bit disappointing, lots of waffle.

Given up with this, it's fiction and not very good fiction at that. It's gone all Mills and Boon with a badly written romantic element, the Kindle Store description is misleading. Don't buy it.

[south east spotter]

Just finished a bucket of sunshine by mike brook, highly recommended.
Also some more of my faves include plane speaking by bill gunston, brilliant view of some key moments from aviation history.
Faster than the sun by peter twiss, great read about the fairey delta and lots more.
also recently finished tony blackmans test pilot great account of a incredible career.

lance

[johnhowe]

Flying in Lancashire from Samlesbury and Warton Aerodromes volumes 1 & 2 by James H Longworth for a fuller
description see Warton Logs. Frank.

[MRTT]

Currently reading 'Vulcan 607', would recommend it!

[NAM Updater]

This one is proving interesting - 'Great Aviation Collections of Britain'