Combat Aviation discussion
What are you currently reading?
date
newest »
newest »
Korean Combat: The Four Freedoms Betrayed, a Fighter Pilot's Diary by David E. Leue.
Began reading this book 2 days ago. It reads more as of a memoir in which the author -- who had been a career naval aviator -- flew F4U Corsairs off of aircraft carriers during the Korean War. The book spans from the time the author graduated from high school in 1945, went to university to study engineering under the Navy V5 program, trained as a fighter pilot, and was deployed to Korea with a carrier air group during the early phase of the conflict.
Get the book Devotion by my friend Adam Makos, same subject, great true story.
2 weeks ago I finished Harrier Boys From the Cold War Through the Falklands 1969-1990. Lovely details.
jeand99 wrote: "Reading America's Secret MIG squadron. Read 60%. Nice!"You might also look for Red Eagles, on the same topic. A good read.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Thank you. I didn't read that one. As far as I can tell the book of Peck is more a book of an insider.
I recently read "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" by Ted W. Lawson. I picked up this book after a pilot I was interviewing for a school project recommended it to me. The book was great, and I can't wait to watch the movie!Also, thanks for those deHavilland book recommendations. I'll be sure to check them out!
For anyone who's looking for a good aviation title to read, I regularly post reviews on my blog.They're organized by category into titles on Aeronautical Engineering:
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/search...
Aviation History:
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/search...
U.S. Air Force:
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/search...
China's air force (PLAAF):
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/search...
and the Israeli air force (IDFAF):
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/search...
As an aeronautical engineer by training, my leaning tends to be either towards the more historical, or technically inclined resources (rather than the purely photographic essays), or pilot accounts. I also try to be fair in my assessments - three-stars is average, four-stars for a good book, and five-stars for an exceptional book. I'm not afraid to give out two-star reviews where they're warranted (although if I truly come across a one-star book, I'm probably too embarrassed to admit that I bought it).
Lavi: The United States, Israel and a Controversial Fighter JetI might add that my own book also received its first review on Amazon: 5-stars.
http://www.amazon.com/review/RLOZGUC1...
Extraordinarily Well-Done
This book is essentially two excellent books in one. The first half covers the rationale for the Lavi and US-Israeli decision-making process. The second half superbly treats the technical aspects of the Lavi. In general, the material is presented in an widely-accessible and informative manner, and is an absolute pleasure to read.
The Diary of a Hurricane Pilot in the Battle of France: Francis Blackadder of 607 Squadron by Robert Dixon
Truly a fascinating book about the experiences of a Royal Air Force fighter pilot flying Hawker Hurricanes against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of France in the late spring of 1940.
Combat Aviation
Books mentioned in this topic
The Diary of a Hurricane Pilot in the Battle of France: Francis Blackadder of 607 Squadron (other topics)Lavi: The United States, Israel and a Controversial Fighter Jet (other topics)
America's Secret MIG squadron (other topics)
Harrier Boys From the Cold War Through the Falklands 1969-1990 (other topics)
America's Secret MIG squadron (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Dixon (other topics)David E. Leue (other topics)
Leonard H. Rochford (other topics)
Kenneth Lane Glemby (other topics)
Jack Herris (other topics)
More...
I reviewed a book called Israeli Air Force de Havilland Mosquito by Shlomo Aloni on my blog site this past October:
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/2015/1...
Not a bad book, but very short. It splits the text between English and German (it was a German publishing company that came out with the book). I know that there's not a lot out there dedicated to de Havilland aircraft, so sometimes you have to accept what you find, even if it's shorter than what you might have liked.
There's also a smattering of de Havilland aircraft in Tony Butler's volume, British Secret Projects, which I also reviewed in October:
http://john-golan.blogspot.com/2015/1...
A much longer and more satisfying volume, but the de Havilland projects make only a cameo appearance.
Hope that helps.