Westland Lysander Manual 1936-44 (all marks): An insight into owning, flying and maintaining the RAF's famous World War 2 'cloak-and dagger' spy plane

Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

by Edward Wake-Walker

Conceived in the mid-Thirties for the RAF as an Army co-operation and liaison aircraft, Westland Aircraft designed and built the rugged high-wing monoplane Lysander with a fixed, spatted undercarriage. It had an exceptional field of view for both pilot and observer, and was armed with two forward firing machine guns and a machine gun fired from the rear cockpit.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Edward Wake-Walker worked for 28 years with the RNLI, the final 16 as public relations director. His other books on the RNLI and its history are Gold Medal Rescues (1992), Lost Photographs of the RNLI (2004) and The Lifeboats Story (2007), and he is an honorary adviser to the RNLI Heritage Trust. He lives in Dorset.

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2014, 'Westland Lysander 1936-46 (all marks)' is a novelty Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual about the iconic army co-operation aircraft used by the RAF in WW2. The book looks briefly at the development and operational use of the type before embarking on a well illustrated examination of preserved examples. The WW2 operational details concentrate on its use in clandestine operations, after swiftly glossing over its near disastrous use in France in 1940. Nevertheless, a fascinating sketch of a charismatic aircraft type.