Results by title
54 books match the query 'Aviation' and 8 start with w
Warplane 04
Brewster BuffaloNico Braas
Amsterdam University Press, 2017
One of the lesser-known fighter aircraft of World War II was the Brewster Buffalo, or, using the U.S. Navy designation system, the F2A. By some historians the Buffalo is regarded as an outright failure, but this is a rating this stubby little fighter did not deserve.
This book presents an overview of the development and operational use of the Buffalo with many photos including a number not published before.
This book presents an overview of the development and operational use of the Buffalo with many photos including a number not published before.
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Warplane 05
Fokker C.XEdwin Hoogschagen
Amsterdam University Press, 2017
Designed in 1933, the elegant looking Fokker C.X was outdated from the start. The type was intended as strategic reconnaissance plane but was not suited for this task. More modern, twin-engine types had claimed this specialized role. Instead, the biplane served well as short range scout and light bomber.
The C.X is a little-known member of the Dutch Fokker stable. Just like the D.XXI this biplane served in the air forces of two little neutral countries on the eve of World War II. Both fought gallantly in a war of David versus Goliath proportions, and the complete operational history of the type spans a total of 25 years. In retrospect, the C.X was the last fighting biplane type built by Fokker and the company's last pre-war military type to survive.
The C.X is a little-known member of the Dutch Fokker stable. Just like the D.XXI this biplane served in the air forces of two little neutral countries on the eve of World War II. Both fought gallantly in a war of David versus Goliath proportions, and the complete operational history of the type spans a total of 25 years. In retrospect, the C.X was the last fighting biplane type built by Fokker and the company's last pre-war military type to survive.
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Warplane 06
Convair B-58 HustlerNico Braas
Amsterdam University Press, 2017
When the B-58 Hustler bomber entered service in 1958 it was a very futuristic looking delta wing bomber, creating a lot of sensation. Intended as a successor of the B-47 Stratojet it could reach twice the speed of sound.
However, problems occurred during the development process and costs risings went so out of control that the whole project was almost cancelled a few times. Strategic Air Command was initially against ordering the B-58 for service, not only because of its complexity but also since they saw no advantage of a Mach 2 bomber over other types. Despite this the B-58 entered service at S.A.C. in 1960. It would have a relatively short operational career.
However, problems occurred during the development process and costs risings went so out of control that the whole project was almost cancelled a few times. Strategic Air Command was initially against ordering the B-58 for service, not only because of its complexity but also since they saw no advantage of a Mach 2 bomber over other types. Despite this the B-58 entered service at S.A.C. in 1960. It would have a relatively short operational career.
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Warplane 07
Weis WM.21 SólyomEdwin Hoogschagen
Amsterdam University Press, 2017
When Hungary got involved in World War II, the WM-21 Sólyom (Falcon) was the only Hungarian designed and manufactured plane in service with the Hungarian Royal Airforce. It was in widespread service as reconnaissance plane starting from 1938 onwards. In June of 1941, the machines failed to make an impression, mainly because of accidents and technical issues. The planes were diverted to the training role and were still used as such by May 1945.
The Sólyom story starts in 1927, with the Fokker C.V, of which the Hungarian Royal Airforce had acquired 76, mostly built under license by Manfred Weiss (WM). WM improved the C.V, which resulted in the WM-16, with 18 built in two variants. This WM-16 paved the way for the WM-21, of which 128 examples were built.
The Sólyom story starts in 1927, with the Fokker C.V, of which the Hungarian Royal Airforce had acquired 76, mostly built under license by Manfred Weiss (WM). WM improved the C.V, which resulted in the WM-16, with 18 built in two variants. This WM-16 paved the way for the WM-21, of which 128 examples were built.
[more]
Warplane Plus 01
A17 - The Complete History of the Northrop Attack Planes and Its Export DerivativesSantiago Rivas
Amsterdam University Press, 2023
The Northrop Corporation offered the single engined Gamma 2F attack plane to the US Army Air Corps in October 1934. After modification work this type evolved into the highly innovative A-17 attack aircraft of which 110 aircraft were ordered. Northrop integrated all modern aircraft technologies of the day, such as all metal monocoque construction, two pitch propeller, flaps and dive brakes into the design, combined with forward firing machine guns fitted in the wings, a respectable bomb load, high speeds and admirable flying range. It eclipsed all other attack types then in service.
This book offers an overview of an iconic aeroplane. The authors, all specialists in their field, have compiled a comprehensive story and gathered more than 350 photographs, colour profiles and maps, thus offering a fascinating view at an aircraft type linking the ‘Golden Age of aviation’ days with the dark years of World War Two.
This book offers an overview of an iconic aeroplane. The authors, all specialists in their field, have compiled a comprehensive story and gathered more than 350 photographs, colour profiles and maps, thus offering a fascinating view at an aircraft type linking the ‘Golden Age of aviation’ days with the dark years of World War Two.
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We Are the Union
Democratic Unionism and Dissent at BoeingDana L. Cloud
University of Illinois Press, 2011
In this extraordinary tale of union democracy, Dana L. Cloud engages union reformers at Boeing in Wichita and Seattle to reveal how ordinary workers attempted to take command of their futures by chipping away at the cozy partnership between union leadership and corporate management. Taking readers into the central dilemma of having to fight an institution while simultaneously using it as a bastion of basic self-defense, We Are the Union offers a sophisticated exploration of the structural opportunities and balance of forces at play in modern unions told through a highly relevant case study.
Focusing on the 1995 strike at Boeing, Cloud renders a multi-layered account of the battles between company and the union and within the union led by Unionists for Democratic Change and two other dissident groups. She gives voice to the company's claims of the hardships of competitiveness and the entrenched union leaders' calls for concessions in the name of job security, alongside the democratic union reformers' fight for a rank-and-file upsurge against both the company and the union leaders.
We Are the Union is grounded in on-site research and interviews and focuses on the efforts by Unionists for Democratic Change to reform unions from within. Incorporating theory and methods from the fields of organizational communication as well as labor studies, Cloud methodically uncovers and analyzes the goals, strategies, and dilemmas of the dissidents who, while wanting to uphold the ideas and ideals of the union, took up the gauntlet to make it more responsive to workers and less conciliatory toward management, especially in times of economic stress or crisis. Cloud calls for a revival of militant unionism as a response to union leaders' embracing of management and training programs that put workers in the same camp as management, arguing that reform groups should look to the emergence of powerful industrial unions in the United States for guidance on revolutionizing existing institutions and building new ones that truly accommodate workers' needs.
Drawing from communication studies, labor history, and oral history and including a chapter co-written with Boeing worker Keith Thomas, We Are the Union contextualizes what happened at Boeing as an exemplar of agency that speaks both to the past and the future.
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Weis WM.21 Sólyom
Edwin Hoogschagen
Amsterdam University Press, 2023
When Hungary got involved in World War II, the WM-21 Sólyom (Falcon) was the only Hungarian designed and manufactured plane in service with the Hungarian Royal Airforce. It was in widespread service as reconnaissance plane starting from 1938 onwards. In June of 1941, the machines failed to make an impression, mainly because of accidents and technical issues. The planes were diverted to the training role and were still used as such by May 1945.
The Sólyom story starts in 1927, with the Fokker C.V, of which the Hungarian Royal Airforce had acquired 76, mostly built under license by Manfred Weiss (WM). WM improved the C.V, which resulted in the WM-16, with 18 built in two variants. This WM-16 paved the way for the WM-21, of which 128 examples were built.
The Sólyom story starts in 1927, with the Fokker C.V, of which the Hungarian Royal Airforce had acquired 76, mostly built under license by Manfred Weiss (WM). WM improved the C.V, which resulted in the WM-16, with 18 built in two variants. This WM-16 paved the way for the WM-21, of which 128 examples were built.
[more]
Wings of Gold
An Account of Naval Aviation Training in World War II, The Correspondence of Aviation Cadet/Ensign Robert R. ReaWesley Phillips Newton
University of Alabama Press, 1987
Wings of Gold makes a unique contribution to the history of naval aviation. The book sets out the day-to-day experiences and reactions of a cadet who went through the aviation training program at its peak during World War II. An emphasis on training is missing in almost all books dealing with that conflict; in this book, it is the focus. In contrast with official histories, this is an account of how training did occur, rather than how it was intended to occur. It chronicles failures as well as successes, frustrations and achievements. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to the history of naval aviation training, the authors recount the personal experiences of an individual cadet preparing for war, based on wartime letters written by cadet Rea to his family. The letters are open and candid, and they provide an insider’s look at the conditions and nature of the Naval Aviation Training Program in the 1940s.
Millions of Americans underwent military training during World War II, and contemporary historians and readers have begun to recognize the significance and value of primary sources related not only to combat but also to training and preparedness.
Millions of Americans underwent military training during World War II, and contemporary historians and readers have begun to recognize the significance and value of primary sources related not only to combat but also to training and preparedness.
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