Aviation Pioneers

Series · 5 books · 1999-2000

By Paul F. Crickmore, Hugh W. Cowin

Books in series

X Planes

Research Aircraft 1891-1970: A Unique Pictorial Record of Flying Prototypes, their Designers and Pilots

1999

The development of aviation inevitably included not only breakthrough moments of genius but also blind alleys, some of them deadly. Manned flight was bound to attract the attentions of the photographer, the exponent of a science which was itself in its infancy, and this collection of photographs collected from around the world, the majority of which have never been published, explores the failures as well as the triumphs. Sourced from Hugh Cowin's own 120,000-picture archive and from elsewhere, this book offers insights into aviation development in X-Planes unavailable anywhere else. The author's meticulous captioning provides the right degree of technological information - there will be something new even for the expert.

The Risk Takers

Racing & Record-Setting Aircraft: A Unique Pictorial Record 1908-1972

1999

This book focuses upon two distinct but complementary - and in certain cases overlapping - aspects of aviation. At the Reims Air Show in 1909, the American Glenn Curtiss and Frenchman Louis Bleriot vied with each other for the speed record and Henry Farman won the distance prize. The first official air races were held in 1911. Why 'The Risk Takers'? There were a staggering 32 aviation fatalities in 1910; CS Rolls (co-founder of Rolls-Royce) was the first to perform a non-stop return crossing of the English Channel; but his Wright Flyer would break up in mid-air a month later. This book illustrates and analyses all such pioneering achievements in precise technical detail.

German and Austrian Aviation of World War I

A Pictorial Chronicle of the Airmen and Aircraft that Forged German Airpower

2000

It comes as quite a shock to find out just how many German and Austrian aircraft types were developed during, and deployed in, the Great War. This volume illustrates and analyses every single type, featuring aces such as the Red Baron, Theodore Osterkamp with his Fokker EV, and Hermann Goering.

Lockheed's Blackworld Skunk Works

U2, SR-71 and F-117 A Unique Pictorial Record

2000

Never before have three military jets from the same manufacturer extended the boundaries of technology like this dynamic trilogy. Truly pioneering aircraft, their operational deployment has had a profound impact on world events spanning more than four decades. This book explains the circumstances surrounding their design and production and how Skunkworks designers and test pilots overcame challenges in their development. In addition to an authoritative text and brief bios of key personalities, a unique collection of meticulously chosen and previously unpublished photographs help map out the roles these aircraft have played in an ever-changing world, from the downing of Francis Gary Powers in the Soviet Union to the U2's part in the Cuban missile crisis; from the SR-71's operations in Vietnam and Libya to its task monitoring the collapse of the Warsaw Pact; from the F-117's stunning success in Operation Desert Storm to its day-and-night bombing of the Balkans in 1999.

Allied Aviation of World War I

2000

This title details every aircraft type that saw action in World War I. It encompasses a story of courage and technical innovation, focusing on some of the characters of the war and providing an overall account of allied aviation.

Authors

A self-confessed aviation obsessive, Hugh Cowin failed to be deterred from his aeronautical interests despite living through the 15-month Luftwaffe blitz on Liverpool during 1940 and '41. Cowin's first historical feature on an obscure US Navy racing aircraft of the mid-1920s was published while he was still in the RAF (1951 to 1963). In the more technical sphere, Cowin launched and exclusively produced Flight International's monthly Systems feature during the first half of the 1970s, along with many of their weekly Avionics pieces. While his day-job involved in aerospace/defence programme analysis and forecasting, Cowin still managed to produce a number of books, including the pocket-sized Observers Warship, produced essentially as a readily portable aid for his own use. Cowin remained an active pilot until late 1979, after which his non-passenger flying has been confined largely to photographic sorties. Regarded for their insight and veracity, Cowin's books and features have always shunned the use of 'jargonese', preferring plain English and simple explanations where required. Thanks to his late-1942 decision to star gathering photographs of aircraft and the people behind them, he also now has an enviable image archive from which to illustrate his works. Of late, Cowin has embarked on an illustrated Directory of Jet & Rocket Aircraft. Covering well over 600 manned machines and streching back to June 1928, this a task guaranteed to keep him occupied for a while yet.