This book, together with 2 subsequent volumes, offers a nostalgic selection of color images featuring four types of aircraft in British military, or Ministry service. Full advantage has been taken of a relatively scarce photographic opportunity from a period when a roll of color film (eight exposures) cost approximately $7--a weeks average wage in the early 1960s. Each volume contains fighter, bomber, transport, and trainer aircraft each having an introduction and comprehensive captions to explain the various types in full detail. Serial numbers, units, and aircraft histories are all covered and four-view artwork derived from specific photographs is included to provide in depth information for the enthusiast, historian, or modeler. Together with volumes 2 and 3, Britain's Military Aircraft in Color Volume 1 will form a comprehensive record of British military aircraft of the 1960s.

Britain's Military Aircraft in Colour 1960-1970 Vol 1: Hunter, Canberra (pt 1), Valetta and Vampire T.11

History

Derry, Martin

Military

Crecy Publishing

The Avro Lancaster, such a stalwart of the skies during the Second World War, also enjoyed a colorful and exciting postwar career. It is this era that the authors have chosen to focus on here, profiling the aircraft type across its many variants. Split into three primary sections, this book offers a concise yet informative history of the Avro Lancaster's postwar operational career (from 1945-1964) charting the course of all the various design improvements that occurred across this timeframe and including a selection of contemporary photographs with detailed captions. A 16-page color illustration section also features, profiling 48 separate aircraft (in profiles and 2-views). A model-making section completes this publication, offering exciting new instructional content. As with the other books in the Flight Craft series, whilst published primarily with the scale aircraft modeler in mind, it is hoped that those readers who might perhaps describe themselves as 'occasional' modelers – if indeed they model at all – may also find that this colorful and informative work offers something to provoke their interests too.

Avro Lancaster 1945-1964: In British, Canadian and French Military Service (FlightCraft)

Robinson, Neil

Pen and Sword Aviation

When Sidney Camm’s masterpiece, the Hawker Hurricane, entered RAF service in late 1937 it quickly became one of the most important aircraft in Britain’s military arsenal, especially in the first three years of the Second World War. This title covers the history of this iconic design, from the prototype and the initial production variants’ entry in to RAF service, through its development and use, first as a day fighter, and then night fighter, intruder, fighter-bomber, catapult-launched and then carrier-based fighter, and eventually dedicated ground attack machine. The Hurricane served in every wartime theater, from Norway and France, the Battle of Britain, the defense of Malta, to the campaigns in the Western Desert and the Mediterranean, on the Russian Front and in the Far East where it saw service until the end of hostilities. Split into three primary sections, this volume offers a concise yet informative history of the Hurricane's development, operational career and design improvements, including many contemporary photographs with detailed captions; a 16-page color illustration section featuring 48 separate aircraft (in profiles and 2-views); and finally a section prepared by that well-known and established doyen of model makers, Tony O'Toole, listing and illustrating the plastic model kits produced of the Hurricane in all scales. As with the other books in the Flight Craft series, whilst published primarily with the scale aircraft modeler in mind, it is hoped that those readers who might perhaps describe themselves as 'occasional' modelers – if indeed they model at all – may also find that this colorful and informative work offers something to provoke their interests too.

Hawker Hurricane and Sea Hurricane (FlightCraft)

Initially projected as a maritime reconnaissance version of the Lincoln bomber, itself a development of the famous wartime Lancaster which saw post-war service in a General/Maritime Reconnaissance role, (see Flight Craft No 4), the Avro Shackleton, (named after the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton) was a completely new design, powered by four Rolls Royce Griffon 57 engines driving six blade contra-rotating propellers.Split into three main sections, this latest Flight Craft title, perfectly timed to coincide with the release of the first examples of the eagerly awaited new tool 1/72 scale Airfix kit, offers a concise history of the Shackleton's development and operational career from the prototype and initial entry in to RAF service in 1951, and its use with the South African Air Force, the only other operator of the type. Section 1 chronicles its design, ongoing improvements and development through the three main Marks, in both the Maritime Reconnaissance and Airborne Early Warning roles, until its retirement after four decades of RAF service in 1991, which includes scores of contemporary photographs with detailed captions, many of which have never been seen in print before.This is followed by a 16-page color illustration section featuring profiles and 2-views of the color schemes and markings carried by the type in RAF and SAAF service. The final section lists all the plastic model kits, accessories and decal sheets produced of the Shackleton in all scales. As with the other books in the Flight Craft series, whilst published primarily with the scale aircraft modeler in mind, it is hoped that those readers who might perhaps describe themselves as 'occasional' modelers may also find that this colorful and informative work offers something to provoke their interests too.

Avro Shackleton (FlightCraft)

The Junkers Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ (a contraction of the German word Sturzkampfflugzeug, ie dive bomber) was arguably the Luftwaffe’s most recognizable airplane, with its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann as a dedicated dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft, the prototype first flew in 1935, and made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. After several design changes in the light of operational experiences, the ‘Stuka’ went on to serve the Luftwaffe and Axis forces, from the invasion of Poland in 1939, through the Battles of France and Britain in 1940, over the North African desert and the across Mediterranean, the invasion of Russia and the subsequent bitter fighting in that vast area, and following several more design changes and upgrades, continued to serve through to the end of World War Two. This latest addition to the growing Flight Craft range, follows the previous well established format, in that it is split in to three main sections. The first section, after offering a concise design and development history, continues with coverage of the various subtypes, from ‘Anton’ to ‘Gustav’ and their operational use from the Spanish Civil War to the end of World War Two. This is followed by a 16-page full color illustration section featuring detailed profiles and 2-views of the color schemes and markings carried by the type in Luftwaffe and Axis service. The final section lists as many of the injection-moulded plastic model kits produced of the Junkers Ju 87 in all the major scales that the authors could find details of, including the brand new Airfix 1/72 and 1/48 scale kits which were released while this book was being written, with photos of many finished models made by some of the world’s best modelers. As with all the other books in the Flight Craft range, whilst published primarily with the scale aircraft modeler in mind, it is hoped that those readers who might perhaps describe themselves as 'occasional' modelers, or even simply aviation enthusiasts, may also find that this colorful and informative work offers something to provoke their interests too.

The Junkers Ju87 Stuka (FlightCraft)

Americas

The Gloster F.9/40 was Britain’s first jet fighter and as the Meteor F.I became the first jet-powered aircraft of any description to enter service with the Allies in World War II. Several early Meteors were dispatched to Europe in the hope that 1945 might witness the first ever jet-on-jet combats between it and the much-vaunted German jets – a contest which, in the event, was never to occur. Postwar, and the Meteor quickly became the backbone of the UK’s day fighter defenses, progressing through successive Marks as it did so, until finally being replaced on the front line by later types during the mid-1950s. With their ever-adaptable airframe, two-seat Meteors became Britain’s primary night fighter too, serving for several years until replaced by the Gloster Javelin from the late 1950s onwards. With its operational career over, the Meteor’s adaptability and ruggedness was put to sterling use as an advanced trainer, the most obvious example of which was the T.7\. As late as 1982, a handful of stalwarts were still soldiering on. Although space precludes a comprehensive history of such a prolific aircraft, it is hoped that both aviation enthusiasts and aircraft modelers may find some interesting examples in these pages, and sufficient inspiration to help them choose which color scheme to finish their latest Meteor model in. This latest addition to the FlightCraft range follows our well-established format in that it is split into three primary sections. The first covers the Meteor using numerous photographs, informative captions and tables. The second is a 16-page full-color illustration section featuring detailed profiles and 2-views of many of the color schemes and markings carried by British Meteors. The final section lists as many injection-moulded plastic model kits of the Meteor, in all the major scales, that the authors could obtain, plus a gallery of models made by some of the UK’s best modelers.

The Gloster Meteor in British Service (FlightCraft)

Europe

The Hawker Hunter is one of Britain's classic postwar jet aircraft. Initially introduced in 1954 as a swept-wing, transonic, single-seat day interceptor, it rapidly succeeded the first-generation jet fighters in RAF service such as the Gloster Meteor (see Flight Craft 13) and the de Havilland Venom. Powered by the then newly developed Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet, the Hunter's performance transformed the RAF's day fighter squadrons from the mid-1950s until the advent of the English Electric Lightning from the early 1960s (see Flight Craft 11).Even then, as successively improved variants of the type were produced with increasingly more capable engines and expanded fuel capacity, the Hunter successfully transitioned into a strike/ground attack fighter-bomber and fighter reconnaissance platform. Two-seat variants were developed for training and other secondary roles with the RAF and the Royal Navy and a few remained in use until 2001, albeit with specialized MoD Test and Evaluation units - well over forty years after the type's initial introduction. Hunters were also famously used by two RAF display teams, the 'Black Arrows', who looped a record-breaking twenty-two Hunters in formation, and later the 'Blue Diamonds' as well as the Royal Navy's 'Blue Herons.'The Hunter saw combat service with the RAF in a range of conflicts including the Suez Crisis as well as various emergencies in the Middle East and Far East. The Hunter was also widely exported, serving with many foreign air forces, in which it also saw active service, which unfortunately lies outside the scope of this particular publication. Almost 2,000 Hunters were manufactured by Hawker Siddeley Aviation, as well as being produced under license overseas and will remain one of the UK's most iconic aircraft designs of all time.

The Hawker Hunter in British Service (FlightCraft)

Showcases images of biplane fighters, such as the Hawker Fury, the Hawker Hart and the Gloster Gladiator, as well as monoplane fighters, including the Hurricane I, the Spitfire, and the Vickers Venom. Through the use of contemporary photographs and informative captions, Prelude To War: The RAF 1936-1939 chronicles many of the RAF's aircraft that continued to serve in the years immediately preceding the start of hostilities in 1939, a period of rapid technological change and mechanical innovation at a time when many European nations held their collective breath as, yet again, they witnessed the steady rise of German militarism and, ultimately, conquest.Forced to take note of this emerging threat the British government authorized a policy of modernizing and re-equipping Britain's armed forces. This process, frequently confusing and fitful, was by 1936 taking shape with the RAF at the forefront of modernization, although as Winston Churchill solemnly noted in 1937, 'It was no longer in our power to forestall Hitler or to regain air parity. Nothing could now prevent the German Army and the German Air Force from becoming the strongest in Europe...we could only improve our position. We could not cure it.'To this day, isolated perceptions still linger to the effect that by September 1939 the RAF had become an all-monoplane force with Fighter Command fielding countless squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires ready to overwhelm any enemy insolent enough to enter British skies. Similarly, the same perceptions suggest that a confident Bomber Command stood ready to darken German skies with armadas of modern bombers. These notions were wide of the mark - such was the power of propaganda!Certainly, numbers of monoplanes did exist, but until the aircraft industry could expand to cope with the demands of a modern war, fleets of obsolescent biplanes had to be employed in secondary roles, with others remaining in the front line until monoplanes could replace them: there was no other choice.It is hoped that this modest work will shed light on some of the RAF's better known aircraft of the period, but more particularly upon those that remain virtually unknown today and which might be described as having 'also ran'.

Prelude to War: The RAF, 1934–1939 (Images of Aviation)

Air World

British Military Aviation: 1960s in Colour No. 1 - Meteor, Valiant and Beverley

Dalrymple & Verdun

Hornet and Sea Hornet

Collins, David

Butler, Tony

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