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Aviation Books to read

A forum for discussing all things related to MILITARY AVIATION including Military Aviation news. No off-topic discussions here please.
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paulh
Posts: 539
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:15 pm
Location: Humberston, NE LINCS

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by paulh » Wed Oct 26, 2016 6:54 pm

Picked up a copy of 'Buccaneer Boys' at the weekend from The Works in Grimsby priced at £7.00 :thumb:
I'm sure they will be available at their other outlets as well.

I also see they are available online at that price plus postage if anyone is interested.
(not started reading it yet).

Cheers Paul.

Ryan22
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:59 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Ryan22 » Fri Oct 28, 2016 12:39 pm

I picked up 'Tornado Boys' by Ian Hall and like the 'Lightning/Jaguar/Buccaneer etc Boys' titles, it is excellent. Done in a chronological format starting with the development flights through to fairly recent operations, the accounts from various pilots/WSOs/ground crew give a broad experience of the amazing Tonka and life on their relative squadrons. Some cracking photos to marvel at too. Well worth a read.

MRTT
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Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 9:43 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by MRTT » Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:29 pm

Would also recommend 'Tornado Boys'- an excellent book! Has probably been mentioned before but I'd recommend 'Airshow' by Graham Hurley.

scottoz8
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Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by scottoz8 » Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:36 am

just finished reading The Fighting Cocks, an excellent read ,especially WW!, no armour,gyro sights, Sidewinder etc, along with
osprey;s 43 sqn great stuff

nickowen

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by nickowen » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:20 pm

I have just re-read 'Fate is the Hunter' by Ernest K Gann. "This is not a war story - and yet it is. Any tale in which the protagonists are so seriously threatened they may lose their lives demands an enemy capable of destruction."
Probably one of the three best books about flying ever written, along with St Exupéry's 'Wind, Sand and Stars' and 'Sagittarius Rising' by Cecil Lewis.

panta615
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Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by panta615 » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:47 pm

I can highly recommend 'None Braver' by Michael Hirch.

A fantastic read that's well written and pretty inspiring too.

powerslave
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:56 pm
Location: Lancs.

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by powerslave » Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:08 pm

Ryan22 wrote:I picked up 'Tornado Boys' by Ian Hall and like the 'Lightning/Jaguar/Buccaneer etc Boys' titles, it is excellent. Done in a chronological format starting with the development flights through to fairly recent operations, the accounts from various pilots/WSOs/ground crew give a broad experience of the amazing Tonka and life on their relative squadrons. Some cracking photos to marvel at too. Well worth a read.
Reading this at the moment,just finished the John Peters section about training to fly with nukes.
Interesting and sobering to read, after they all had been evaluated on readiness and timings and millions of other things,once they took off the ex ended.
All the crews knew that there was nothing to come back to,everything would have been turned to dust.They also knew they probably would'nt have returned anyway.

ian

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Blackcat1
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Location: Southern edge of the Brecon Beacons, South Wales

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Blackcat1 » Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:37 pm

Sorry if it's been mentioned already but the most recent good books I've read are :- Tornado over the Tigris ,Jaguar, Harrier, Tornado and Lightning boys, another good book I read was by our sadly departed friend/FC member Sheff/Tim Laming ; called View from the cockpit, flying military aircraft.
Gareth

6 Sqdn Canopeners
Oculi exercitus
Blackcats remembered
Jaguar Force Excellance! 2nd July 07.

mikecc99
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Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:50 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by mikecc99 » Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:58 am

With the USAAF`s `darn 100th` featuring in a thread in the FC Mess, can I recommend a fine book called `A Wing and a Prayer` by Harry H Crosby (Publisher Robson Books).
Crosby survived 37 missions as a navigator on the B-17s, mainly out of Thorpe Abbotts.

mikecc99
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Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:50 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by mikecc99 » Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:01 am

Sorry, don`t know how `darn` got in there unless there is a filter on potential swearwords?? Anyway the 100th Bomb Group ofcourse, part of the US Eighth Air Force

114PM
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Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by 114PM » Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:27 am

Sorry for being slightly off topic, but I didn't know where else to write my question ...

Is there any book or website about the Harrier, where one can see the exact type for a specific date?
For example, ZGxxx was modificated in May 2010 to a GR.9A, ZGyyy was modificated in April 2008 to a GR.7 etc.

Many thank's in advance!

Regards
Marcus

Ryan22
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:59 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Ryan22 » Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:31 pm

An excellent book I've just finished is 'MacRobert's Reply' by Philip Hamlyn Williams with Philip Jeffs (the son of Donald Jeffs, the sole survivor of the Short Stirling 'MacRobert's Reply' shot down over Denmark). With the upcoming disbandment of XV(R) Squadron, this book has taken on an increased sense of poignancy. Well worth seeking out on Amazon.

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awacsfan
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Location: not far from former RAF Laarbruch/Weeze Airport

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by awacsfan » Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:06 pm

Just a question to the forum here.... has anybody maybe read the book Spyflights and Overflights: US Strategic Aerial Reconnaissance, 1945-1960 by Robert Hopkins yet? I've noticed this book on the internet but contrary to many other books, no "inside view" is available and I was wondering if it's a good read? Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

06L
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Redcar, UK.

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by 06L » Mon May 01, 2017 5:44 pm

114PM wrote:Sorry for being slightly off topic, but I didn't know where else to write my question ...

Is there any book or website about the Harrier, where one can see the exact type for a specific date?
For example, ZGxxx was modificated in May 2010 to a GR.9A, ZGyyy was modificated in April 2008 to a GR.7 etc.

Many thank's in advance!

Regards
Marcus
Try this Marcus - http://www.harriersig.org.uk/reference/ ... ev1105.pdf
Regards
06L

Sparts99
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Location: Kent

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Sparts99 » Thu Sep 21, 2017 8:53 am

They Gave Me A Seafire by Mike Crossley. Engrossing read that starts as biographies do about the author's personal experiences but as the book progresses the technical aspects of the Seafire and comparisons to the Spitfire, the conduct of the RN heirarchy and tactics of battleship vs. aircraft carrier become the main topics. I recommend reading this and then Sharkey Ward's and Jerry Pook's books about the Falklands air campaign in that order. The parallels between them but 40 years apart are unbelievable, lessons if learnt were forgotten. All cheap on the Kindle at the moment.
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.

mikecc99
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Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:50 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by mikecc99 » Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:25 am

Deadlines - by Mike Curtis

A tragic tale of a wartime pilot and a memoir of a young journalist with a passion for military aviation. Lots more information and some nostalgic photographs at: http://www.deadlines101.com

The book starts with the Lichfield RC! There`s something for you if like airshows and airfields such as Farnborough, Fairford, Mildenhall, Binbrook, Brize Norton, Coningsby, Scampton, Wittering, St Mawgan, Nellis, Butterworth, Akrotiri and long gone military ones like Finningley, Upper Heyford, Alconbury and Greenham Common. There are accidents to report involving a Vulcan, a Phantom, a Buccaneer and the Red Arrows – and flights in a Tornado, a Harrier, a Hawk, a Nimrod, VC10s, helicopters and Jet Provosts.

Running through the book is the story of my uncle, Pilot Officer Colin Curtis, whose Wellington bomber from 101 Squadron at Oakington was shot down on his third mission. The aircraft and the six crew were never found. The Luftwaffe nightfighter expert who claimed three Wellingtons that evening in January 1942 suffered the same fate a year later. A couple of weeks after the 101 Squadron Wellington was lost, another pilot with family connections crashed into the sea in a Sunderland flying boat of 201 Squadron. The 12 men on board were never found.

A review on the Troubador publisher`s website reads: `Poignant, never-before told, family memories of very young RAF Bomber Command aircrew who died in World War 2 are cleverly interwoven with fascinating, often very amusing, anecdotes of a long-serving print and radio journalist who was born long after the end of WW 2, but who has been a life-long enthusiast of anything to do with aviation, and especially military flying. As a former RAF pilot and Public Relations Officer for the RAF Red Arrows, I thought I might be tempted to skim through the 300-plus pages to see who and what was mentioned! However, from the very first page I was hooked. If you are interested in flying stories, old and new, and the ways and means of journalists, from youngsters on their very first day in a news room, right up to News Editors, then this a book you must read.`Tony Cunnane.

Available as a paperback (£7.99) and as an e-book download (£4.99). I hope some of the FC community may enjoy the aviation aspects in particular. More at: http://www.deadlines101.com

Mike Curtis
http://www.deadlines101.com

page_verify
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Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by page_verify » Fri Sep 29, 2017 11:51 am

A very insightful read about the life of a former Army Air Corps pilot who transferred to the SAS's flying squadron, then to the SAS itself, then to SIS.
It contains more "first revelations" about just what the British got up to on the mainland during the Falklands War.

Image
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kisses-Nimbus- ... 1911525778

Sparts99
Posts: 2908
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:02 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Sparts99 » Fri Sep 29, 2017 11:58 am

That sounds interesting.
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.

Mikedee

JAVELIN Boys (Steve Bond ) 5 stars

Post by Mikedee » Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:32 pm

Was 14 when aircraft first flew 66 years ago ... strewth....although regarded as Marmite to some , It became my favourite aircraft ( SAD )
Really enjoyed the book , many good stories /snippets ..history of aircraft built, the many accidents, the frequent problems with the Sapphires...

Good colour photo section....tales of pilots - Looping the aircraft...Diving Supersonically....performing a "Twinkle roll' (without warning the back seater..

Taking a 'stripped down' T3 up to 58.000ft etc ...etc

....good deal on Google

Tiga1050
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Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 8:28 pm

Re: Aviation Books to read

Post by Tiga1050 » Mon Oct 16, 2017 9:57 am

One of my areas of interest is the Canberra PR7 / PR9 and in particular the photo reconnaissance role, how this was delivered, equipment, mission planning, flight profiles etc. I cannot seem to find much published material about this specific area. If anyone has suggestions about good books or other relevant publications I would be grateful for the heads up.
Thanks

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