American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925


Book Description

Without the support of airlift, the modern American military machine would be brought to a standstill. Since World War II--beginning with the Cold War and continuing up to the present day--the U.S. armed forces have come increasingly to rely upon airlift for mobility. The power to rapidly move and thereafter support a military operation--anywhere in the world, at any time--has become a foundational element of American defense policy. This work provides the reader with a comprehensive historical survey--including technical specifications, drawings, and photographs--of each type of fixed-wing aircraft used by U.S. military forces over a nearly 90-year period to carry out the airlift mission.




The Wright Flyers 1899–1916


Book Description

Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle-making brothers from Dayton, Ohio, secured their place as the most famous names in aviation history when, on December 17, 1903, they made the first powered, controlled, and sustained heavier-than-air flight. But their success over the cold and windswept Carolina dunes that day has overshadowed their many other accomplishments before and after that historic flight. The Wrights' progression from theory to analysis to ground-testing components and wing shapes, and then to flight-testing kites, gliders, and their first powered aeroplane, marked the world's first successful 'X-Plane' research and development programme. They established a template all subsequent aircraft have followed, one still relevant in the era of hypersonic flight and drone research. This book traces the Wright Brothers' story, from their first success on that cold December day throughout their glory years to their eventual eclipse by other aviators. It explores in detail the process that lead them to their pioneering craft and their many subsequent achievements over the following years, and highlights their enduring importance in the age of modern flight.




A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force


Book Description

Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.




The Development of Military Night Aviation to 1919


Book Description

Examines the development of military night aviation from its origins through the 1st World War. Places emphasis on the evolution of night flying in those countries which fought on the Western Front, namely France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.




Decades of Rebellion


Book Description

"This book covers the events mentioned above in considerable detail... little has been published on the subject and this book provides a look into how turbulent the 20s were for Mexico." - ModelingMadness.Com In the decades before Mexico joined the Allies in the Second World War, Mexican military aviation saw a rapid growth and intense involvement in rebellions, internal strife, and in operations against armed banditry. Aviation was introduced to military service in Mexico during the Revolutionary period of 1910–1920 and the bloody showdown between the subsequent president Don Venustiano Carranza and General Victoriano Huerta. Based on this experience, a strong military aviation service was understood to be an important element for maintaining internal security and was subsequently deployed at almost every opportunity. Mexican military aviation helped defeat several armed uprisings, often through little more than its psychological impact upon the insurgents and the civilian population. In at least one instance, an armed rebellion sought to obtain aircraft of its own and to recruit foreign mercenary pilots to counter the government’s aircraft. Three decades of small yet intensive combat operations not only proved to be a baptism of fire for many early Mexican aviators, but also played a crucial role in forming nearly all of the commanders that went on to lead the Mexican Air Force during the Second World War. The Decades of Rebellion mini-series examines the use of air power in Mexico’s internal strife from the 1920s up until the 1940s. This first volume focusses upon the rebellions of the 1920s and includes the fall of Carranza, Cantu’s rebellion in Baja California, De La Huerta’s rebellion and the uprising of the Yaqui people, as well as giving a comprehensive overview of the Mexican Military Aviation Service in this period. Decades of Rebellion Volume 1: Mexican Military Aviation in the Rebellions of the 1920s is richly illustrated throughout with original photographs and includes the @War series’ signature colour artworks with profiles of many unusual aircraft types employed in Mexico at that time.




Ideas and Weapons


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The First Air War


Book Description




American Military Training Aircraft


Book Description

The U.S. did not become the world's foremost military air power by accident. The learning curve--World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and more recently the war on terror--has been steep. While climbing this curve, the U.S. has not only produced superior military aircraft in greater numbers than its foes, but has--in due course--out-trained them, too. This book provides a comprehensive historical survey of U.S. military training aircraft, including technical specifications, drawings and photographs of each type of fixed and rotary-wing design used over a 98-year period to accomplish the first step of the learning process: the training of pilots and aircrews.