Essential Reading Reccomendations?

[Mossie]

There's a number of book titles that could be described as 'essential reading' for those interested in project, prototype & concept aircraft.  The ones I know about (& mostly own) are:

'Project Cancelled' by Derek Wood (especially 2nd edition)
The various 'Secret Project' titles by Tony Butler et al
'From Spitfire to Eurofighter' by Roy Boot

If you'd reccomend any others that you think are paticularly interesting, post them here!

[AeroplaneDriver]

It's not a reference book in the same way as the Secret Projects/Project Cancelled/etc books, but "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich is a great read.  It gives an insiders look at life at the Lockheed Skunk Works in the glory days of Kelly Johnson and the U-2/SR-71/ F-117.

Skunk Works

[cthulhu77]

"My Tank is Fight" by Zack Parsons. Possibly one of the best "Germany '46 " books out there.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Tank-Fight-Zack-P...s/dp/0806527587

[Thorvic]

'British Experimental Jet Aircraft' by Barrie Hygate

Another good one for the post war projects and insppiration behind alot of the maintrack stuff.

'Stuck on the Drawing Board' by Richard Payne is good work on the British Civil Aircraft project designs.

Geoff

[matrixone]

Not really a what-if book but what I would say is essential reading is the new title from Eagle Editions ''Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Dora'' it has plenty of new information on the type, want to build a what-if Fw 190D-15 or any other Focke-Wulf project aircraft? This book will give you PLENTY of good ideas on how to paint and mark it.

There are some nice photographs taken just after capture of the Mimetall Erfurt/Nord factory that built quite a few Focke-Wulfs during the war, this series of photographs show a number of semi-finished Ta 152Es and Ta 152H-1 aircraft and even an ultra rare Fw 190A with a Ta 152 tail.

BTW, The second volume of the JaPo Fw 190D camo & markings book is out now and is said to have a chapter on the Fw 190D-15, not what-if but awfully close! I am still waiting for my copy of this book.

Matrixone

[B777LR]

Theres always the Secret Projects series, ive just discovered. Ive got Soviet secret fighters since 1945, and im awestruck by the amount of projects, such as VTOL Mig-21s and swing wing Mig-25s

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-04...jects&x=17&y=23

[jcf]

'Soviet X-Planes' by Yefim Gordon and Bill Gunston: good for the pre-jet era coverage of Soviet developments.

'Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works: The Official History' by Jay Miller

Most of the various Putnam manufacturer's histories are good for diagrams of unbuilt projects.  

'The British Fighter since 1912' is a good single source for developmental programs and deadends, it also reveals that the RAF and Air Ministry were not as thickheaded and hide-bound during the '30s as is often claimed.

'U.S. Fighters', 'U.S. Bombers' and  'U.S. Naval Fighters', all three by Lloyd S. Jones are great quickie references with usable 3-views.

Friedman's series on U.S. ships, small craft and subs are excellent for floatie subjects.

Scott Lowther's Aerospace Projects Review is an outstanding resource, y'all really should subscribe.

And of course Paul's wondrous forum:

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php

Cheers, Jon

[Daryl J.]

What's a good reference for Hawker prototypes?  

And a text that illustrates machines like what Wooksta dropped on the folks at Telford.....that was a seriously cool machine.  


Daryl J.

[jcf]

What's a good reference for Hawker prototypes?   

And a text that illustrates machines like what Wooksta dropped on the folks at Telford.....that was a seriously cool machine.   


Daryl J.

'Hawker Aircraft since 1920' and 'The British Fighter since 1912' both by Francis K. Mason and published by Putnam/Naval Institute Press, are the two that I have. The Hawker book has ten pages of project 3-views, two per page, dating from 1920 to ca. 1976.

'British Experimental Jet Aircraft' by Barrie Hygate is also a good reference for Hawker jet projects.

Jon

[Daryl J.]

'British Experimental Jet Aircraft' by Barrie Hygate is also a good reference for Hawker jet projects.

$349US + shipping from Amazon!       It sounds like I should have been buying reference books as investment material.


Daryl J.

[jcf]

There was post on SecretProjects a few months back that Barrie was considering an updated version, the response was lukewarm so he's evidently shelved the project. Which is unfortunate as using the response, or lack of, from a rather esoteric website is not an accurate way to judge demand.

Jon

[Thorvic]

There was post on SecretProjects a few months back that Barrie was considering an updated version, the response was lukewarm so he's evidently shelved the project. Which is unfortunate as using the response, or lack of, from a rather esoteric website is not an accurate way to judge demand.

Jon

The general impression was that if true the response would be good, but the person doing the asking was a tad too shadey and secretive for people trust him to actually sign up.