A
Williams Brothers
AutogyroChampion Spark Plugs 1/48 kit. This
is a great detailed kit as all their models are. Fit and
finish is top notch. It was tricky for me to get the 4 blades
on top to sit correctly, a real challenge.
I actually cheated and made a small ring support for them.
But for the most part, even if I bumped them, they stayed
on. It is painted Testors Dark Blue and Testors Yellow.
Williams
Brothers kits include some great instructions, some of the
best in the model industry. They usually included a history,
diagrams, and even (black and white) photos of the real
aircraft in the directions.
I
have built this kit and a few of their Gee
Bee racing aircraft as well.
Air
Classics - Contains historical accounts by the men who
lived in the belly of a B-17
bomber or in the cockpit of a P-51
Mustang. Also provides photographs of historic aircraft
and air battles.
From
Autogiro to Gyroplane: The Amazing Survival of an Aviation
Technology - Predating the invention of the helicopter
by two decades, the Autogiro was the world's first rotary-wing
aircraft. The helicopter had the advantageous ability to rise
straight up, while the Autogiro/gyroplane could only taxi.
Yet the gyroplane was safer and more stable; both aircraft
should have had value in market. Why did the helicopter survive
and prosper, while the Autogiro became a nearly forgotten
historical footnote? Why didn't the Autogiro catch on, and
why is it being revived today? This is the first book to tell
the fascinating 80-year history of today's gyroplane and its
antecedent, the Autogiro. Charnov explains that the near-eclipse
of the Autogiro was caused by a potent combination of bad
luck, the impact of the Great Depression and World War II,
and egregious business decisions. Only by understanding the
amazing manner in which this aviation technology has persisted
and evolved can one fully understand the basis for its future.
In contrast to the fate of the Autogiro, the gyroplane's unfolding
story is characterized by successful business models, effective
decision making, and the emergence of cutting-edge technology.
The survival of the gyroplane may be a paradigm for the persistence
of earlier, less complex technologies, and its future relies
on grasping its colorful history.
Gear
Up!: Flight Clothing & Equipment of USAF Airmen in World
War II - A great collectors guide. Plenty of clear
pictures giving a good coverage of WW2 aviation items.
Additional text isn't extensive or going into much detail.
The wonderful photo's are the strong point of this book.
Vintage Aircraft.
French
Aircraft: From 1939 to 1942. Vol. 1: From Amiot to Curtiss
- For the first time, all of France's military aircraft in
the first years of WWII are offered to the international audience.
Not only the fighters, but every type of combat aircraft,
based on an alphabetical order.
