Aerei Fairey: libri illustrati di storia e guide

Fairey 1915-60

One of the many ingredients required for creating a great aircraft company is the ability to diversify, and this was just one of the strengths that would keep the Fairey Aviation Company in business from 1915 through to 1960.
Like so many other aircraft manufacturers of the day, it found its feet by taking on sub-contract work, and, while this was being carried out, it began to build on its own aircraft portfolio. Fairey did not just sit back and produce aircraft in line with specifications, they designed new features that would be incorporated in all aircraft in the future.
The company's greatest, and most surprising, success story came about when the ubiquitous Swordfish, affectionately known as the 'Stringbag' entered production in 1936.

The company's venture into rotary wing aircraft would eventually become its undoing, despite huge technical achievements being achieved in a very short space of time. Soaked up by Westlands in 1960, the legacy of the company's final aircraft, the Rotodyne, still lives on today, and only now, in the 21st Century, is the world really ready for such a fantastic machine.
This book explores the fascinating history of the company and the aircraft it produced.

Dettagli del libro

Formato:	160 pagine, 24.5 x 17 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	riccamente illustrato
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Collana:	Aviation Industry
ISBN:	9781802823776

Fairey Rotodyne

The Fairey Rotodyne was a large British compound helicopter designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company and intended for commercial and military applications. It was considered to be one of the iconic aviation projects of the 1950/60s and a bright future was planned for the aircraft.
Widely accepted to be a revolutionary design, it was economically viable, fast and capable of vertical take-off and landing from city centre heliports. However despite the proven feasibility of this bold concept, the Rotodyne project was terminated in 1962 due to escalating development costs and unresolved technical issues.

This book seeks to fill a gap in aviation literature on the history of the Rotodyne, an aircraft ahead of its time. David Gibbings is a retired RAF engineer/navigator and flight test engineer for helicopters and aircraft. He worked on the Rotodyne with Fairey and subsequently was a Flight Test Engineer with Westland.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	David Gibbings
Formato:	160 pagine, 24.5 x 17 x 1 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	illustrato
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	The History Press Ltd (GB, 2009)
ISBN:	9780752449166

Fleet Air Arm Legends : Fairey Swordfish

Few aircraft encompass as many contradictions as the Fairey Swordfish - the legendary 'Stringbag' naval torpedo bomber was approaching antiquation at the start of the war yet struck mortal blows against some of the most powerful battleships in the Axis fleets.
Naval aviation historian Matthew Willis explores how modern technology such as radar kept the Swordfish effective in the early years of the war and enabled it to find and hit the Italian fleet at Taranto, and the Bismarck in the Atlantic, in circumstances where no other aircraft could have succeeded.

When it was finally superseded in its main role with the Fleet, the Swordfish fulfilled vital roles protecting convoys from the U-boat menace. The story of the Swordfish's service across the majority of theatres in WW2, from the hunt for the Graf Spee to the beaches of Normandy, is told here with never before- published accounts from veteran aircrews.
Includes 100+ historic photographs and unique images of the Royal Navy Historic Flight's preserved aircraft

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Matthew Willis
Formato:	116 pagine, 24.5 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	100+ foto in B&N e in colori
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Mortons Media Group (GB, 2022)
ISBN:	9781911658498

Stringbag - The Fairey Swordfish at War

This is a narrative account of the operations of the Fairey Swordfish throughout World War Two. The most famous of these was the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, crippling three battleships and damaging several other ships as well as the seaplane base and an oil storage depot.

The Swordfish played a prominent part in the Battle of Matapan and in the sinking of the Bismarck. Less happily, Swordfish were used in the unsuccessful and ill-prepared raid on the Germans at Petsamo and in the abortive attack on the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash in 1942.
Throughout the book, the text is interwoven with personal accounts by naval airmen.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	David Wragg
Formato:	218 pagine, 23 x 15.5 x 1.9 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	60 foto in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2020)
ISBN:	9781526790996

Swordfish - Fairey's Successful Torpedobomber

The Fairey Swordfish story is one of an aircraft initially frowned upon when it entered service in 1936, respected by the beginning of World War Two and deemed legendary by the time peace was declared.
The Swordfish was the only torpedo bomber Britain had in significant numbers at the beginning of the war and it would prove to be so much more. Designed with one role in mind, the Swordfish evolved into one of the most versatile of naval aircraft. Its slow speed, which was criticised from the outset, proved to be one of its strengths, especially when it came to anti-submarine work.
Affectionately nicknamed the 'Stringbag', the aircraft achieved an outstanding war record beginning with operations in Norway. The attack on the Italian harbour at Taranto that crippled the Italian Navy displayed what the aircraft was capable of and that it was clearly not be underestimated. The Swordfish also played an important role in the invasion of Madagascar, which kept the Japanese at bay early on in the war.

The bravery displayed by the aircrew during the attacks on the Bismarck is legendary, while equal, but fruitless, courage was exhibited during the ill-fated Channel Dash. The latter incident, in particular, not only says a lot about the aircraft, but also about the crews. They were under no illusion, being aware that the Swordfish was not the best aircraft they could have gone to war in, but they would fight in it to the death nevertheless.

Regardless, it outlived its operational replacement, the Albacore, by some years, mainly because the Swordfish was more suited to escort carrier and Mac-ship operations, a duty it carried out to the bitter end, protecting convoys far and wide. A new book edition of Aeroplane Icons: Swordfish, this book explores the history, creation, development and service of the Swordfish.

Dettagli del libro

Formato:	96 pagine, 24.5 x 17 x 2.4 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	160 foto in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Collana:	Historic Military Aircraft
ISBN:	9781802824810

The Fairey Battle - a Reassessment of its RAF Career

The Fairey Battle is best known for being one of the worst aircraft ever to serve in the Royal Air Force. On operations, it suffered the highest loss rate of any plane in the RAF's history, and the missions flown by its brave crews became a byword for hopelessness and futility.
Born out of muddled thinking, condemned before it even reached the squadrons, and abandoned after the briefest of operational careers, the plane seems to thoroughly deserve its reputation.

But was the Battle so useless? Why did it suffer such terrible losses? Was there nothing that could have been done to prevent the disasters of 1940?
A fresh look at the documents of the time suggest there was. They reveal a very different story of ignored recommendations and missed opportunities. It was the way the plane was used rather than fundamental flaws in the design that ensured its operational career was such a dismal failure.
It might even be argued that, in the desperate days of the summer of 1940, the Fairey Battle was exactly what Britain needed.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Greg Baughen
Formato:	192 pagine, 23.5 x 16.5 x 1.9 cm, copertina rigida
Illustrazioni:	57 foto in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Fonthill Media (GB, 2017)
ISBN:	9781781555859

The Man Who Built the Swordfish : The Life of Sir Richard Fairey, 1887-1956

Sir Richard Fairey was one of the great aviation innovators of the twentieth century. His career as a plane maker stretched from the Edwardian period to the jet age - he lived long enough to see one of his aircraft be the first to break the 1000mph barrier; and at least one of his designs, the Swordfish, holds iconic status.

A qualified engineer, party to the design, development, and construction of the Royal Navy's state-of-the-art sea planes, Sir Richard founded Fairey Aviation at the Admiralty's behest in 1915.
His company survived post-war retrenchment to become one of Britain's largest aircraft manufacturers. The firm built a succession of front-line aircraft for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm, including the iconic Swordfish.
In addition, Fairey Aviation designed and built several cutting-edge experimental aircraft, including long-distance record-breakers between the wars and the stunningly beautiful Delta 2, which broke the world speed record on the eve of Sir Richard's death in 1956.

Fairey also came to hold a privileged position in the British elite - courting politicians and policymakers. He became a figurehead of the British aviation industry and his successful running of the British Air Commission earned him a knighthood.
A key player at a pivotal moment, Fairey's life tells us much about the exercise of power in early twentieth-century Britain and provides an insight into the nature of the British aviation manufacturing industry at its wartime peak and on the cusp of its twilight years.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Adrian Smith
Formato:	480 pagine, 23.5 x 18.5 x 4.5 cm, copertina rigida
Illustrazioni:	25 foto in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd (GB, 2018)
ISBN:	9781788313360