Just looking at my bookshelves a while ago, I realised I had quite a good selection of books about a particular preserved aircraft. The other day I bought the CWH Lancaster book, and it got me thinking – I wondered how many there were out there, and what people thought of them.
(To limit it a bit, I’m thinking of a book that is about ONE aircraft that survives today – rather than type histories etc. But feel free to post!)
I’ve just given them stars – from ***** = good, * = why bother.
In no particular order, and from memory:
“The Last Flying Boat”. Peter Smith. About Short Sunderland G-BJHS as it was then. **** Very good, one of my fave aircraft of course.
“One of Our Aircraft is no longer missing”. By ? About the Loch Ness Wellington at Brooklands. *** Heavy, but historically fascinating
“Black 6”. Russ Snadden. About Messerschmitt 109G-6 ‘Black 6’ *****. Puts you there in the restoration team. What a battle!
“The Forgotten Bomber”. Graham Warner. About the first ARCo Blenheim restoration. ***** Where it all started for me. Makes you realise what a restoration takes. Well written too. What was the sequel book called? (Not Graham’s magnum opus on the Blenheim type…)
“Mynarski’s Lanc”. Bette Page. About the original and the commemorative Lancasters of Andrew M, and the CWH. Looks good, not read it yet. (As it’s to hand, it’s Stoddart, Boston Mills Press, ISBN 1 55046 006 4, on discount at CWH – http://www.warplane.com)
“The Last Lanc” By ? The story of bringing Lancaster NX611 back to England from Aus. ***** A cracking read, the dodgy landings, the fights on the way over, and that it really felt like ‘the last Lanc’ make it a gripping read. Will they make it?
“Excallabar III” Walter Boyne? The story of the restoration of Charles Blair’s P-51 racer for the Smithsonian. ****. Fascinating insight into (believe it or not) colour matching.
And I’m sure there’s more. Please feel free to help me fill the gaps above, inc publishers…
Cheers / Salut,
By: Flood - 19th July 2004 at 20:25
Sorry – was just commenting that (as yet) all the individual preserved aircraft history books seemed to be very good: where are the bad ones?
Now if you had asked for individual pilots, squadrons, types, etc I might be hacking my brain to bits trying to remember where so-and-so’s biog was…;)
(That said, most preserved aircraft have led a fairly boring, mundane, and safe life: for every Spitfire that saw service on D-Day there has to be several dozen Mustangs that have seen nought but a few hours in military service on training units, for every S-Sugar there has to be a multitude of B25s which never got closer to the flak than they did in filming Hanover Street or Catch 22. Without wanting to hijack this thread most preserved aircraft rest on the laurels gained by siblings that are no longer with us; if these were not aircraft but men, men who all went through the same process to get them all to the same standard, but then served in training units and now, dressed out in real combat uniform, tried to make us think/believe that they had been there in person, well, what would we call those men?
Sorry – quiet tonight, is it not?)
Ahem. Can you think of any books specific to individual former Fleet Air Arm aircraft – living or dead?;)
Flood.™
By: JDK - 19th July 2004 at 19:54
C’mon Flood…
Typos, ‘heavy’ less than 5 out of 5. What more do you want? “We bought it & it were rubbish?”
Most are good, sometimes great, as they tend to be first hand accounts aimed at a very specialised market; unlike a lot of aviation books which can be dumbed down for hoped-for wider appeal.
Each to their own, old bean. I don’t have any serial number listings books, though I know a wet patch who does and very helpful he is with them too! 😉
Cheers / Salut
By: Flood - 19th July 2004 at 19:13
Do I detect a sneaking suspicion that all books about specific aircraft are excellent?;)
I do not have any books on specific, individual, aircraft – preserved, historic, or fictional. Sorry.
Flood.™
By: HP57 - 19th July 2004 at 18:03
The story of PL965, being Dutch how could I forget that.
There were also books on the restoration of PL983, written by Lettice Curtis
ML407.. something… by Hugh Smallwood
and MJ730, the CO’s query
Cees
By: DazDaMan - 19th July 2004 at 18:01
Birth of a Spitfire by Clive Du Cros – **** out of ***** (knocked one star off for some glaring grammatical errors!)
2nd TAF Spitfire by Hugh Smallwood – ***** out of ***** – it’s about ML407, need I say more?!
Spitfire in Blue by Hugh Smallwood – ***** out of ***** – an area of Spitfire ops I’d not read much about before, and about another of my favourite Spits! 🙂
By: Mark12 - 19th July 2004 at 17:59
‘Lost Squadron’ by David Hayes.
Tells the whole episode but focuses on ‘Glacier Girl’.
‘Spitfire in Blue’ by Hugh Smallwood.
Spitfire PL965/R.
Mark
By: HP57 - 19th July 2004 at 17:47
Some more
The whole nine yards: P-40 restoration in New Zealand
P-38 Lightning restored: the restoration of Jolting Josie by Fighter Rebuilders
Birth of a Spitfire: the building process of Clive du Cross’s Spitfire replica
Focke Wulf FW190 in detail: story about the reconstruction of Gunter Leonhards FW190 (partly original parts, partly FlugWerk)
Tirpitz, the Halifax raids: story of the Halifax raids on the Tirpitz and the discovery and recovery of W1048
Mustang restored by Paul Coggan: story of the restoration of Butch Schroeders F-6 Mustang.
Original airframes or not, these are books that are finished once started and re-read many times and will be in the futere.
There’s nothing more fascinating that reading the full story of a particular airframe, it’s story, discovery and restoration.
I hope they will write a book someday in similar fashion about the restoration of NA337 in the same style as the book on the restoration of Lanc FM213.
Cheers
Cees
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July 19, 2004 at 5:37 pm