Blades the Autobiography of a Rescue-Helicopter Pilot


Book Description

This four-part novel follows the life of a teenage boy over five years, taking him from Darwin, in Australia's tropical north, to California's wilderness. In "Street Kid," we meet 12-year-old Julian Moreland and his widowed father, Craig, a military helicopter pilot. Craig's decision to retire from the army and accept employment south in Melbourne as a civilian pilot turns to tragedy. Julian finds himself alone and homeless, until he saves the life of a baby girl and is taken in by her wealthy family. At age 17, and newly qualified as a helicopter pilot, Julian saves the lives of three more children, including two American boys lost in the mountains of southeastern Australia, in "High Country." He also meets the love of his life, Alison, the missing boys' sister. Invited to visit Los Angeles by the parents of the rescued boys, Julian finds himself flying helicopter missions during a wildfire emergency in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, saving even more lives. Meanwhile, love continues to blossom between him and Alison, his American sweetheart, in "California Dreaming." When Julian returns to Australia, his world begins to fall apart, as the traumas of his past catch up with him. It is only after a serious act of violence against a close friend, that Julian starts the long road back to controlling his life in "Aftermath."




The Official Illustrated History of RAF Search and Rescue


Book Description

In February 2016 the RAF's Search and Rescue Force (SARF) celebrated its 75th anniversary. In June that year the world-renowned and universally admired service was officially disbanded, despite attempts from many, including HRH Prince William, to save it as part of the RAF. This book is an official, fully illustrated, in-depth account of the SARF's rich and glorious history, from its origins in World War II through to its recent withdrawal. The book contains a foreword by HRH Prince William himself, plus action-packed and awe-inspiring photographs from the RAF's archive of photographs and exclusive interviews with former crewmembers, telling their own dramatic stories of derring-do. Officially endorsed by the RAF, An Illustrated History of the RAF Search and Rescue Force is the first, and probably the only, major book of its kind written on this subject. It is an essential purchase for anyone with an interest in military history, British history, the Royal Family and those who love stories of extreme and daring rescue missions.




USMC Vietnam Helicopter Pilots and Aircrew History, 2nd Ed.


Book Description

Capture the esprit de corps of the Marines in action during the Vietnam War. A documentation of the men, the crews, and the machines that flew the wartorn skies of Southeast Asia. Hundreds of dynamic photographs, maps, roster of Association members, and nearly 400 biographies with before-and-after photos of Marines make USMC-Vietnam Helicopter Association: Pop a Smoke a treasure chest of memories and history.







Rescue Pilot


Book Description

Naval aviator Dan McKinnon recounts the dramatic at-sea rescues conducted during his anything-but-peaceful peacetime service in the US Navy from 1956-1959. Rescue accounts include an ejected test-pilot; a crew member washed overboard their air carrier flight deck; and an amazing mission in the Red China Seas. The long shipboard assignments common to Navy history of time period are also portrayed along with details of flight training and survival training.







History and Evolution of Aircraft


Book Description

History and Evolution of Aircraft reviews the history of aviation from early history to the present day, including the evolution milestones of military aircraft, civil aircraft, helicopters, drones, balloons, airships, and their engines. It also provides the background and development of different types of aircraft, including manned and unmanned vehicles, aircraft carriers, fixed or rotary wings, air, sea, and amphibian flight vehicles. Covering current and developing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the book highlights the prospects of future flying vehicles including automotives and jetpacks. It follows the transition from piston to jet engines that include shaft-based engines (turboprop, turboshaft, and propfan), turbine-based engines (turbojet and turbofan), and athodyd engines (ramjet, turbo-ramjet, and scramjet). The book explores flight vehicles’ technological advancements and evolution, including their geometrical features and performance parameters. It will also include nine appendices resembling databases for all types of aircraft. The book will be a useful reference for academic researchers and aviation, aerospace, and mechanical engineering students taking aerodynamics, aircraft structures, aircraft engines, and propulsion courses. Aviation history enthusiasts will be interested in the scope of the content as well. Instructors can utilize a Solutions Manual for their course.







Britannica Student Encyclopedia


Book Description

Entertaining and informative, the newly updated Britannica Student Encyclopedia helps children gain a better understanding of their world. Updated for 2015, more than 2,250 captivating articles cover everything from Barack Obama to video games. Children are sure to immerse themselves in 2,700 photos, charts, and tables that help explain concepts and subjects, as well as 1,200 maps and flags from across the globe. Britannica Student is curriculum correlated and a recent winner of the 2008 Teachers Choice Award and 2010 AEP Distinguished achievement award.




Dangerous Days, the Autobiography of a Photojournalist


Book Description

This four-part novel follows the lives and adventures of three teenage boys, from Victoria, Australia, to the seat of government in Whitehall, England, during eleven turbulent months. In Storm Ridge, we meet 14-year-old Wesley, his best friend, Graham, and their worst enemy, Scott. A class hiking trip turns to disaster as Wesley, Graham and Scott are trapped on a snow-capped mountain with nine others and forced to lay aside their differences for a chance at survival. Months later, on a camping trip with Wesley's cousins, the three experience a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse with violent drug traffickers, in Paddle Hard. Emily, an exchange student from England, becomes the kidnapping target of foreign terrorists after a failed assassination attempt on her father in Paris. Guided by an aboriginal tribal elder, the boys follow her captors through the remote desert as they plan to rescue her before it is too late, in Outback Heroes. And when Wesley and Graham travel to England as Emily's guests, they're determined to discover how the terrorists were able to find Emily in the vast Australian outback. What's uncovered is an appalling, twisted history of cruelty, betrayal, and attempted murder as the Enemies Within are finally revealed. Author Bio: Author J. William Turner was born the youngest of three children in Reading, England. His family immigrated to south-eastern Australia during the mid-1960s where he attended school and began working for the Australian Commonwealth Public Service in Melbourne and Geelong. Dangerous Days is his second published novel.