0 Items- Home >
- Aviation Records in the Jet Age: The Planes and Technologies Behind the Breakthroughs
Since aviation's early years, pilots, designers, and manufacturers have sought to break world records for notoriety or technical advancement, which captivated the public. This book tells of famous record-breaking flights throughout history, focusing on the exciting time following World War II when new speed, altitude, and endurance records were broken on an almost-routine basis. Supplementing these stories are detailed explanations of the technological innovations that made those record-breaking aircraft possible.
From swept wings to afterburning turbojet engines, and "Coke-bottle" fuselages to high-altitude pressure suits, aviation progress has always been measured with breakthrough advances in the technology of flight. This book, written by a former crewmember of the triplesonic SR-71 Blackbird, takes you through the annals of aviation history with spellbinding stories of world-record flights and explanations of how advanced technology played a pivotal role in making these records happen.
Illustrated with excellent archival photographs and technical illustrations, this book explains in detailed, but easy-to-understand, terms how specific advances in aircraft design such as powerplants, aerodynamics, flight control systems, instrumentation, and life-support systems led to ever-improved record-breaking aircraft. The appendix serves as a handy reference guide that documents world speed, altitude, and distance records as well as the legendary aircraft and pilots who flew them.
Pages: 192
Size: 10 X 10 (inches)
Format: Hardback
Illustrations: 47 color, 228 b/w
Publisher: Specialty Press
ISBN: 9781580072304
Product Code: SP230
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Aviation Records through World War I
Chapter 2: The Golden Age of Progress (1919–1939)
Chapter 3: Dawn of the Jet Age (1940–1945)
Chapter 4: Breaking the Sound Barrier (1946–1956)
Chapter 5: Jet Airliners and Mach 2 Fighters (1954–1962)
Chapter 6: Mach 3 and Beyond: Supersonic Cruise (1962–1976)
Chapter 7: The Digital Age: Efficiency Trumps Speed and Altitude (1976–1996)
Chapter 8: Where Have All the Records Gone?
Glossary
Appendix One: Speed Records
Appendix Two: Altitude Records
Index
Reviews
-
IPMS/USA
-
(Posted on 4/22/2017)"I really appreciated William A. Flanagan's book and his ability to weave in aviation technological developments into the record breaking achievements. What really makes this book a good, easy read is the detail that he is able to provide both from a technical standpoint and the clarity that he presents this information so that it is easy to comprehend."
-
Cybermodeler Online
-
(Posted on 8/13/2017)"Specialty Press has produced an entertaining and informative popular history. Make it your introduction to the fascinating field of aerospace records."
-
Aviation History
-
(Posted on 10/11/2017)"This book hits full stride and never lets up."
William A. Flanagan
Lt. Col. William A. Flanagan was inspired to his Air Force career by a childhood trading card of the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing. He flew combat missions in F-4 Phantoms during the Vietnam War, and NATO Cold War missions in Europe. As a test pilot, Flanagan was assigned to the Lockheed task force modifying the SR-71 Blackbird, and later became the 14th aviator to fly Northrop's B-2 Stealth Bomber, the direct descendant of the YB-49 Flying Wing on that childhood trading card. He is now retired from the Air Force.
