Aces in Command


Book Description

"Eddie Rickenbacker, Hub Zemke, Boots Blesse, and Robin Olds are in the pantheon of American fighter aces. Their names are familiar to many, but there has never been a book that examined their brilliant leadership ability as well as their aerial prowess." "These four men were all robust personalities, difficult to discipline, and, more often than not, thorns in the sides of their commanders. Each of these elite pilots burned to become the leading ace of his time. These qualities were not unique. However, the achievements of these men were extraordinary, even for the miniscule percentage of fighter pilots who ever became aces. Rickenbacker, Zemke, Blesse, and Olds distinguished themselves by becoming "force multipliers" - they used their leadership skills, instinctive knowledge of air warfare, and superior piloting abilities to make the other pilots in their units better warriors. These men put their units' interest ahead of every other goal and in the process made their units far more effective. Instead of using their skills merely to achieve personal glory, they trained units that produced multiple aces while achieving ace status themselves." "Renowned aviation historian Walter Boyne details the careers of these legendary aces but also explains the reasons why these pilots achieved such great success as aces and leaders. Boyne's fascinating narrative puts you in the cockpits of fighter planes that varied vastly in technology, against enemies of ever-increasing capability in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Aces in Command takes you in a SPAD XIII with Rickenbacker over the Western Front. It puts you in a P-47 Thunderbolt with Zemke over Germany, breaking all the rules but shooting down Germans. Then you fly with Blesse in a Sabre, getting your victories deep inside North Korean lines - but never losing a wingman. Finally, it tells you of the exploits of the maverick Robin Olds in two wars, learning the trade in a P-38 Lightning during World War II and, later, using all he learned to whip a F-4 Phantom wing into shape in Vietnam." "Despite the differences among the planes and jets of each era, Boyne makes a strong case that Rickenbacker, Zemke, Blesse, and Olds could have been aces in any era. More importantly, he reveals the characteristics and common denominators that made these aces superior combat leaders."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved




‘Twelve to One’ V Fighter Command Aces of the Pacific


Book Description

This volume details the experiences of 107 elite American aces in combat against the Japanese. The highest scoring US pilots of World War 2 fought against the Japanese Army Air Force and Imperial Japanese Navy over the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines. Flying P-38s and P-47s, men such as Dick Bong and Thomas McGuire won the Medal of Honor for their successes in combat in 1943-45. 'Twelve to One' is a rare document that details the 'tricks of the trade' employed by these men. This volume also includes biographies of the men whose tips for aerial combat make up the text, and the V Fighter Command Manual.




Aces


Book Description

Aces is an illustrated history of the brave World War II fighter pilots who earned the title of ace, with archival and modern photos of their aircraft.







Merging Optimization and Control in Power Systems


Book Description

Merging Optimization and Control in Power Systems A novel exploration of distributed control in power systems with insightful discussions of physical and cyber restrictions In Merging Optimization and Control in Power Systems an accomplished team of engineers deliver a comprehensive introduction to distributed optimal control in power systems. The book re-imagines control design within the framework of cyber-physical systems with restrictions in both the physical and cyber spaces, addressing operational constraints, non-smooth objective functions, rapid power fluctuations caused by renewable generations, partial control coverage, communication delays, and non-identical sampling rates. This book bridges the gap between optimization and control in two ways. First, optimization-based feedback control is explored. The authors describe feedback controllers which automatically drive system states asymptotically to specific, desired optimal working points. Second, the book discusses feedback-based optimization. Leveraging the philosophy of feedback control, the authors envision the online solving of complicated optimization and control problems of power systems to adapt to time-varying environments. Readers will also find: A thorough argument against the traditional and centralized hierarchy of power system control in favor of the merged approach described in the book Comprehensive explorations of the fundamental changes gripping the power system today, including the increasing penetration of renewable and distributed generation, the proliferation of electric vehicles, and increases in load demand Data, tables, illustrations, and case studies covering realistic power systems and experiments In-depth examinations of physical and cyber restrictions, as well as the robustness and adaptability of the proposed model Perfect for postgraduate students and researchers with the prerequisite knowledge of power system analysis, operation, and dynamics, convex optimization theory, and control theory, Merging Optimization and Control in Power Systems is an advanced and timely treatment of distributed optimal controller design.




‘Down to Earth' Strafing Aces of the Eighth Air Force


Book Description

'Like The Long Reach, Down to Earth is a message from the battle at its height, told in their own words by the men who fight' - this is how Brig-Gen Francis Griswold, VIII Fighter Command, ends his introduction to this book. His official endorsement reveals just how important a document Down to Earth was to the teaching of tyro fighter pilots heading for action in the ETO. More leading aces were lost to flak whilst ground strafing than to German fighters. In this book William Hess has included biographies of all the pilots that originally contributed to this work back in 1943-44.




Aces at Kursk


Book Description

The Battle of Kursk in July 1943 is known for being the largest tank battle in history. A Russian victory, it marked the decisive end of the German offensive capability on the Eastern Front and set the scene for the Soviet successes that followed. While many have focused on the tank engagements, especially the Battle of Prokhorovka, there was an intense air battle going on overhead that was bigger than the Battle of Britain. As part of the German offensive, the Luftwaffe’s VIII Air Corps deployed around 1,100 aircraft in the south alone, while the opposing Soviet Second and Seventeenth air armies initially deployed over 1,600 aircraft. There was a similar effort surrounding the German attack in the north. The battle in the south began with a Soviet air strike on German airfields and a fight for control of the air that continued throughout the day across the front. On the first day of the battle, 5 July 1943, the Germans flew at least 2,387 sorties in the south while the two Soviet air armies flew 1,688 sorties. That first day of battle resulted in 19 to 27 German planes and 189 Soviet aircraft shot down. This was an aerial engagement like no other ever seen before. Involved on the German side were the 52nd and 3rd Fighter Wings. The 52nd Fighter Wing was the most accomplished fighter wing in history and many of its top aces were involved in the combats over the Kursk battlefield. These included Walter Krupinski (197 claimed kills in the war), Günther Rall, the third highest scoring ace in history (275 claimed kills), and the highest scoring ace in history, Erich Hartmann (352 claimed kills). Opposing them were what were to become three of the top five Soviet aces: Kirill Yevstigneyev (53 claimed kills), Nikolai Gulayev (55 claimed kills) and the top scoring Allied ace of the war, Ivan Kozhedub (62 claimed kills). This was indeed the battle of the aces. But there was also the massive ground attack effort by both sides, including the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka fitted with 37mm anti-tank guns flown by the man who would become most decorated soldier of the Third Reich, Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The aerial battle involved hundreds of Soviet Sturmoviks, or IL-2s, Stalin’s armored ground attack plane. The battle featured the famous attack by Luftwaffe Hs-129s and Fw-190s on Soviet armor on 8 July 1943. Aces at Kursk is not just a war story, but a revealing investigation that analyses the entire air battle that turned the tide of the war on the Eastern Front.




Race of Aces


Book Description

The astonishing untold story of the WWII airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot. In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" -- the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker -- offered a bottle of bourbon to the first U.S. fighter pilot to break his record of twenty-six enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command. What developed was a wild three-year sprint for fame and glory, and the chance to be called America's greatest fighter pilot. The story has never been told until now. Based on new research and full of revelations, John Bruning's brilliant, original book tells the story of how five American pilots contended for personal glory in the Pacific while leading Kenney's resurgent air force against the most formidable enemy America ever faced. The pilots -- Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald and Gerald Johnson -- riveted the nation as they contended for Rickenbacker's crown. As their scores mounted, they transformed themselves from farm boys and aspiring dentists into artists of the modern dogfight. But as the race reached its climax, some of the pilots began to see how the spotlight warped their sense of duty. They emerged as leaders, beloved by their men as they chose selfless devotion over national accolades. Teeming with action all across the vast Pacific theater, Race of Aces is a fascinating exploration of the boundary between honorable duty, personal glory, and the complex landscape of the human heart. "Brings you into the cockpit of the lethal, fast-paced world of fighter pilots . . . Fascinating." -- Sara Vladic"Extraordinary . . . a must-read." -- US Navy Captain Dan Pedersen"A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots." -- James M. Scott"Vivid and gripping . . . Confirms Bruning's status as the premier war historian of the air." -- Saul David




Flight Dynamics and Control of Aero and Space Vehicles


Book Description

Flight Vehicle Dynamics and Control Rama K. Yedavalli, The Ohio State University, USA A comprehensive textbook which presents flight vehicle dynamics and control in a unified framework Flight Vehicle Dynamics and Control presents the dynamics and control of various flight vehicles, including aircraft, spacecraft, helicopter, missiles, etc, in a unified framework. It covers the fundamental topics in the dynamics and control of these flight vehicles, highlighting shared points as well as differences in dynamics and control issues, making use of the ‘systems level’ viewpoint. The book begins with the derivation of the equations of motion for a general rigid body and then delineates the differences between the dynamics of various flight vehicles in a fundamental way. It then focuses on the dynamic equations with application to these various flight vehicles, concentrating more on aircraft and spacecraft cases. Then the control systems analysis and design is carried out both from transfer function, classical control, as well as modern, state space control points of view. Illustrative examples of application to atmospheric and space vehicles are presented, emphasizing the ‘systems level’ viewpoint of control design. Key features: Provides a comprehensive treatment of dynamics and control of various flight vehicles in a single volume. Contains worked out examples (including MATLAB examples) and end of chapter homework problems. Suitable as a single textbook for a sequence of undergraduate courses on flight vehicle dynamics and control. Accompanied by a website that includes additional problems and a solutions manual. The book is essential reading for undergraduate students in mechanical and aerospace engineering, engineers working on flight vehicle control, and researchers from other engineering backgrounds working on related topics.




Aces High


Book Description

Capturing the hearts of a beleaguered nation, the fighter pilots of World War II engaged in a kind of battle that became the stuff of legend. They cut through the sky in their P-38s to go one-on-one against the enemy—and those who survived the deadly showdowns with enough courage and skill earned the right to be called aces. But two men in particular rose to become something more. They became icons of aerial combat, in a heroic rivalry that inspired a weary nation to fight on. Richard “Dick” Bong was the bashful, pink-faced farm boy from the Midwest. Thomas “Tommy” McGuire was the wise-cracking, fast-talking kid from New Jersey. What they shared was an unparalleled gallantry under fire which won them both the Medal of Honor—and remains the subject of hushed and reverent conversation wherever aerial warfare is admired. What they had between them was a closely watched rivalry to see who would emerge as the top-scoring American ace of the war. What they left behind is a legacy of pride we will never forget, and a record of aerial victories that has yet to be surpassed anywhere in the world.