Technical

For 50 years after the Second World War the nations of the earth stood on the edge of nuclear warfare, with few doubting that should the Cold War turn hot, neither side could emerge victorious.

Witness the daring exploits and dangerous challenges that form the story of flight in this beautifully illustrated book, filled with rare photographs and historical documents. Celebrating 50 years since the first flight of the Boeing 747 and of Concorde, it describes the early pioneers, such as the Wright brothers and Alcock & Brown, as well as the highly skilled engineers developing aircraft today.

This is one of the new Icon titles from Haynes. The legendary Supermarine Spitfire receives the famous Haynes manual treatment with the full co-operation and authorisation of the Royal Air Force. Here is a unique perspective on what it takes to own, restore and operate a Spitfire, as well as an insight into the engineering and construction of this remarkable fighter aircraft. This highly detailed book is based around the Spitfire Mk IX at RAF Coningsby.

The twin-engine Vickers Wellington was one of the outstanding RAF bomber aircraft of the Second World War, as well as a capable maritime patrol aircraft and submarine hunter with Coastal Command. Centrepiece of this manual is Wellington Mk Ia, N2980, 'R' for Robert, one of only two surviving examples of the Wellington in the world and restored to display condition at the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey.

Wessex was one of the most versatile helicopters of the Cold War era.

Hundreds of thousands of classified documents were captured from Germany's aircraft manufacturers and aviation ministry at the end of the Second World War, including details of 'secret project' aircraft designs created by firms such as Arado, Gotha, Blohm & Voss, Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf.

Within this volume you will find a collection of real-life stories concerning incidents, accidents, events, decisions, mistakes, oddities, arguments and above all beautiful British aircraft from the cold war period. Each of the 17 pieces comes with a guarantee of painstaking research carried out by some of the finest aviation historians working around the world today.

The landing of Allied forces on the shores of Normandy on 6 June 1944 was the greatest amphibious invasion in history.

Once man had mastered the ability to fly, there came the desire to fly faster, higher and further with increased payloads. Some of the earliest experiments with air-to-air refuelling occurred in the 1920s and as long-distance record attempts progressed, Alan Cobham was in the thick of it. Cobham would later revolutionise air-to-air refuelling, initially with the ‘Grapple-line looped-hose’ system, along with the formation of Flight Refuelling Limited (FRL).