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Sports Aircraft: Illustrated History Books & Guides

Explore the best illustrated books on sport aircraft. Discover the history, models and evolution of sport aircraft.

Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look, 1920s to the Present

A visual celebration of the wide and colorful variety of the world's light aircraft, old and new, organized from A to Z by manufacturer, this book illustrates more than 800 light aircraft types that are likely to be seen when visiting smaller airports and airfields across the globe.
The text explains how each type relates to other models from the same manufacturer and describes the differences between sub-variants, giving the numbers built. For some types, an indication is also given as to how many are currently active.

Pages of the book Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look (1)

Pages of the book "Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look, 1920s to the Present"

The aircraft fall into the following categories: mass production aircraft built in the thousands by major manufacturers such as Beechcraft, Cessna, De Havilland, and Piper; lesser-known but important production and homebuilt aircraft, typically built in reasonable numbers and likely to be seen at the local airfield; and finally, a selection of older aircraft that continue to be flown and cherished.

Pages of the book Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look (2)

Product details

Author:Ron Smith
Details:416 pages, 10 x 6.9 in (25.5 x 17.5 cm), hardback
Illustrations:849 b&w and color photos
Language:English
Publisher:Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2015)
ISBN:9780764348969
Book cover: Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look, 1920s to the Present | Schiffer

Classic Light Aircraft : An Illustrated Look, 1920s to the Present

Language: English

Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931

At the end of 1912, Jacques Schneider announced his intention to present an annual trophy for an international seaplane contest. There were only twelve Schneider contests, but these were major international events, which came to rival others in Britain, Italy, France, and the US.
Biplane seaplanes and flying boats predominated the early contests and some very advanced twin-float biplanes were among the winners as late as 1925. Of all contenders, it was the monoplane which was to become the symbol of the Schneider Trophy, when its Supermarine and Macchi designs reached the apex of seaplane -racing performance.

The final, winning combination of a Supermarine airframe and Rolls-Royce engine made a vital contribution to Britain's defence in 1940, in the form of the Rolls-Royce powered Hurricane and Spitfire.

This book gives a detailed account of the contests; the design, development, and achievements of both aircraft which took part and which failed to; and the advanced ? and sometimes unrealistic ? ideas behind the projects themselves.

An engineering apprenticeship at the Gloster Aircraft Company initiated Derek James' lifetime career in aviation. He went on to join the ATC, Royal Observer Corps, Royal Navy, RAF, SBAC, and Dowty Group, and is the author of 19 aviation books.

Product details

Author:Derek N. James
Details:368 pages, 9.25 x 6.1 in (23.5 x 15.5 cm), hardback
Illustrations:310 b&w photos
Language:English
Publisher:Fonthill Media (GB, 2015)
ISBN:9781781554180
Book cover: Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931 | Fonthill

Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931

Language: English

Haute voltige - Histoire mondiale de l'acrobatie aérienne

This book traces the genesis of aerial acrobatics from 1909 to 1939, through more than 350 photographs of the interwar meetings. A very complete and unpublished work, which also includes dozens of boxes and particularly detailed appendices.

Product details

Author:Alain Pelletier
Details:192 pages, 11.4 x 9 in (29 x 24 cm), hardback
Illustrations:350+ b&w and color photos
Language:French
Publisher:ETAI (F, 2014)
ISBN:9782726897683
Book cover: Haute voltige - Histoire mondiale de l'acrobatie aérienne | ETAI

Haute voltige - Histoire mondiale de l'acrobatie aérienne

Language: French

Faszination Ultraleichtfliegen

In recent years, ultralight aviation has emerged from the shadowy existence of earlier years and is currently overtaking conventional sport aviation.
This book combines magnificent images with interesting facts about ultralight aviation. Over 100 types - from the simplest to the high-end aircraft - are presented, as well as gyrocopters and so-called trikes. A must for anyone interested in ultralight aviation.

Pages of the book Faszination Ultraleichtfliegen (1)

Pages of the book "Faszination Ultraleichtfliegen"

Product details

Author:Hellmut Penner , Frank Herzog
Details:192 pages, 10.4 x 9.1 in (26.5 x 23 cm), hardback
Illustrations:7 b&w and 364 color photos
Language:German
Publisher:Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2011)
ISBN:9783613033320
Book cover: Faszination Ultraleichtfliegen | Motorbuch

Faszination Ultraleichtfliegen

Language: German

Kunstflugzeuge - seit 1957 (Typenkompass)

Many people consider aerobatic aircraft to be the pinnacle of general aviation, as they routinely exceed the limits of what the "normal pilot" can experience in their everyday life. This highly exciting class of aircraft is described by the well-known Red Bull Air Race pilot Matthias Dolderer.

Each type is presented with a photo, a historical description and a technical sheet.

Product details

Author:Matthias Dolderer
Details:128 pages, 8.1 x 5.5 in (20.5 x 14 cm), paperback
Illustrations:176 color photos
Language:German
Publisher:Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2013)
Series:Typenkompass
ISBN:9783613033962
Book cover: Kunstflugzeuge - seit 1957 | Typenkompass | Motorbuch

Kunstflugzeuge - seit 1957

Language: German

IFR kompakt - Das Wissen zum Instrumentenflug

IFR stands for "Instrument Flight Rules" and refers to flying exclusively according to instruments. It is the top class in private aviation and the entry into a "serious" pilot career.
Without an instrument rating, you can only fly according to visual flight rules, which severely limits your flying options.

This volume by the experienced flight instructor Winfried Kassera is based on the EASA syllabus for IFR training and prepares you specifically for the exam. All important topics, such as instrument knowledge, meteorology, air law, etc., are presented in detail.

Product details

Author:Winfried Kassera
Details:400 pages, 9 x 6.7 in (24 x 17 cm), hardback
Illustrations:extensively illustrated
Language:German
Publisher:Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2019)
ISBN:9783613040915
Book cover: IFR kompakt - Das Wissen zum Instrumentenflug | Motorbuch

IFR kompakt - Das Wissen zum Instrumentenflug

Language: German

Ultraleichtfliegen kompakt - Das Grundwissen zur UL-Lizenz

Ultralight flying has experienced enormous growth in recent years: streamlined training, lower costs and modern aircraft make this form of flying interesting and affordable!
A completely new weight class (600 kg) and, more recently, electric motors are pointing the way to the future of private aviation.

In this extensively updated and expanded new edition, the reader will learn everything he needs for the UL license. The content is prepared in an educationally optimal way, offers countless tips, examples, memory aids and mnemonics for learning the theory and is based on the official exam questions!

Product details

Author:Winfried Kassera
Details:336 pages, 9 x 6.7 in (24 x 17 cm), hardback
Illustrations:380 photos and drawings in color
Language:German
Publisher:Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2020)
ISBN:9783613043121
Book cover: Ultraleichtfliegen kompakt - Das Grundwissen zur UL-Lizenz | Motorbuch

Ultraleichtfliegen kompakt - Das Grundwissen zur UL-Lizenz

Language: German

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