Aerei Hughes: libri illustrati di storia e guide

AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter (Pilot's Flight Operation Instructions)

Developed and deployed in a short time due to the pressure of the Vietnam War, Bell's AH-1 Cobra performed well; but Army planners believed a better attack helicopter would be needed in the next war. In 1976, Hughes Helicopter's YAH-64A prototype bested the Cobra in firepower, performance and range, and won the competition to replace it.
It would be 1982 before production commenced, but eventually over 1100 would be produced including the advanced AH-64D Apache Longbow. Dubbed the Apache, the AH-64 is a four- blade, twin-engine, tandem-cockpit design with tailwheel landing gear.
The AH-64 features double and triple-rendundant systems that ensure maximum survivability in combat, and an awesome array of weapons that can include Hellfire missiles and a 30mm M230 Chain Gun that can be slaved to the pilot's head movements via a helmet mounted display (IHADSS).

The Apache first saw combat during the invasion of Panama in 1989, and conducted the first attack of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, flying into Iraq to destroy enemy radar systems. AH-64s are credited with destroying over 500 tanks during that conflict.
They continued their service in Bosnia and Kosovo, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The AH-64 is now also deployed by the United Kingdom, Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Japan and other air forces worldwide.

Created by the Army for the AH-64A version of the Apache, this unclassified pilot's flight manual runs over 600 pages, and contains chapters about aircraft systems and procedures. It is reprinted here in its entirety.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Headquarters Department of the Army
Formato:	656 pagine, 25.5 x 20.5 x 3.3 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	riccamente illustrato con foto e disegni
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Periscope Film (USA, 2011)
Collana:	Pilot's Flight Operation Instructions
ISBN:	9781935700678

Howard's Whirlybirds : Howard Hughes' Amazing Pioneering Helicopter Exploits

Howard Hughes, magnate del cinema, pioniere dell'aviazione e abile politico, ha sempre affascinato il pubblico con il suo mix di segretezza, stile di vita sfarzoso e riservatezza. Le aziende responsabili di importanti progressi tecnologici spesso diventano nomi familiari.
Un'eccezione è rappresentata dalla Hughes Helicopters, l'azienda pionieristica di Howard Hughes nel settore degli elicotteri, un nome ormai caduto nell'oblio. Eppure, la maggior parte degli scolari di tutto il mondo ha sentito parlare del prodotto di punta dell'azienda: l'elicottero Apache.

Hughes rese popolare l'elicottero leggero da addestramento, produsse in serie il primo elicottero leggero da osservazione a turbina, aprì la strada alla ricerca sulla propulsione degli elicotteri a ciclo caldo e, infine, sviluppò l'elicottero d'attacco più avanzato al mondo, che fu acquistato ed entrò in servizio con il Regno Unito.
Ecco come sono stati sviluppati alcuni degli elicotteri più innovativi al mondo. Il percorso, che va dalla Seconda Guerra Mondiale fino alla metà degli anni '80, vi mostrerà perché i contratti per gli aerei militari della Hughes sono stati oggetto di un attento esame da parte del governo statunitense.

La storia è ricca di racconti di scoperte tecnologiche rivoluzionarie e audaci voli di collaudo, resi possibili da un piccolo team di ingegneri e piloti coraggiosi.

Scritto da un esperto tecnico e addetto ai lavori del settore, "Howard's Whirlybirds: Howard Hughes' Amazing Pioneering Helicopter Exploits" è una visione affascinante e alternativa del fenomenale pioniere, con fotografie e materiale inediti che affascineranno lo storico dell'aviazione e militare, così come il lettore occasionale e l'appassionato di cinema.

Donald J. Porter è un affermato scrittore di aviazione, che in passato ha collaborato con Tab Books e McGraw Hill. Precedentemente, ha ricoperto il ruolo di responsabile tecnico presso Hughes Helicopters, lavorando ai programmi OH-6A e Apache durante il periodo di massimo splendore dell'azienda.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Donald J. Porter
Formato:	240 pagine, 23.5 x 15.5 cm, copertina rigida
Illustrazioni:	30 foto in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Fonthill Media (GB, 2013)
ISBN:	9781781550892

Hughes HK-1 (H-4) Flying Boat Manual

The legendary H-4 Hercules was designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended to defeat the German U-boat threat, the plane was intended to be a super transport that could ferry 750 troops from the USA to Europe, and serve as an aerial ambulance on the return flight. Owing to wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum, the prototype Hercules was built using laminated birch wood. Although company CEO Howard Hughes hated it, the name "Spruce Goose" was coined for the plane and it stuck.

The Hercules would be the largest flying boat ever built, and one of history's largest and most expensive planes. Many questioned the practicality of the aircraft, and after the war ended and the project was roundly criticized as a boondoggle. To silence the critics, Howard Hughes decided to prove the plane could fly. On November 2, 1947 he and a crew of 21 conducted a series of taxi tests with the plane. On the last test, the plane became airborne for a brief time and flew just under two miles at an altitude of roughly 70 feet. It would never fly again, but Hughes had silenced his critics.

This Hughes Flying Boat Manual was originally prepared for the U.S. Government's War Department, and made available through the Freedom of Information Act. It provides an overview of this massive plane's design and operation for the pilot and flight crew, and puts you right in the cockpit of one of history's great planes.
Please note, because this document originated from an archival copy, legibility can vary.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	U.S. War Department
Formato:	170 pagine, 25 x 20.5 x 1 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	illustrazioni in B&N
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	CKE Publications (USA, 2009)
ISBN:	9781935327783

The Apache in European Service

The Apache helicopter is a revolutionary development in the history of war, designed to hunt, take out and destroy up to 256 targets in less than five minutes. Highly manoeuvrable and heavily armed, the combat-proven Apache is the primary attack helicopter for many countries worldwide and is feared by many armed forces as well as terror groups in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

With its armour, sensors and heavy-duty weaponry, the Apache is a formidable opponent on the battlefield. It is a deadly combination of strength, agility and firepower. In The Apache in European Service, Darren Willmin explores the immense flying capabilities and the weaponry systems of the Apache that serves with the British, Greek and Royal Netherlands forces.

Willmin's superb photographs capture the fundamentals of the Apache both from the ground and in the air. This unique collection will appeal to everyone with an interest in this truly amazing helicopter.

Dettagli del libro

Autore:	Darren Willmin
Formato:	96 pagine, 23.5 x 16.5 x 1 cm, brossura
Illustrazioni:	184 foto in colori
Lingua:	inglese
Editore:	Fonthill Media (GB, 2016)
ISBN:	9781781554449