Aircraft Books - USA - History, Types and Construction

American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft - An Illustrated History

This work is a comprehensive, heavily illustrated history of the many flying boats and amphibious aircraft designed and built in the United States.
It is divided into three chronological sections: the early era (1912-1928), the golden era (1928-1945), and the post-war era (1945-present), with historical overviews of each period.

Within each section, individual aircraft types are listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer or builder, with historical background, technical specifications, drawings, and one or more photographs. Appendices cover lesser known flying boat and amphibian types as well as various design concepts that never achieved the flying stage.

Author:	E.R. Johnson
Specs:	384 pages, 26 x 17.5 x 2.3 cm / 10.25 x 6.9 x 0.91 in, paperback
Illustrations:	391 photos and drawings
Publisher:	McFarland & Co Inc (USA, 2010)
ISBN:	9780786439744

The Helio Courier Ultra C/Stol Aircraft - An Illustrated Developmental History

Its maneuverability impresses pilots and laymen alike. Its design, which makes it capable of extreme controlled / short takeoff and landing (Ultra C/STOL), attracted the almost instant interest of the United States military. Developed through collaboration between Dr. Otto Koppen of MIT and Dr. Lynn Bollinger of Harvard, the Helio Courier was designed to be one of the safest, most versatile aircraft ever produced - and lived up to this claim in ways that even in some cases exceeded the designers' expectations.

This book gives the reader a comprehensive developmental history of the Helio Courier, one of the most remarkable planes in the annals of aviation. It begins by discussing the progenitors of the Helio Courier and the drive behind developing an aircraft with such unprecedented safety and flight capabilities.
Then, starting with the Helio's inception in the late 1940s, this volume follows the aircraft through drawing board, prototype and post-production stages. It examines the role the plane played in military operations in Vietnam and various covert operations since. The final chapter looks at the possible future of the aircraft.
Sources for this intensively researched history include interviews from former Helio company officials, independent archival data, news articles and FAA type design specifications.

Author:	Frank Joseph Rowe
Specs:	244 pages, 25.5 x 18 x 1.8 cm / 10 x 7.1 x 0.71 in, paperback
Illustrations:	115 b&w photos
Publisher:	McFarland & Co Inc (USA, 2013)
ISBN:	9780786477197

Spirit of St Louis Manual - Ryan monoplane (1927) - Insights into the design, construction and operation

When Charles Lindbergh landed near Paris on 21 May 1927, less than 34 hours after his departure from New York, he became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The amazing personal story of Lindbergh and his epic flight in Ryan monoplane Spirit of St Louis are told.

The book covers the design and construction of the original aircraft, including full technical details of its airframe and engine; and the story of building the flying replica Spirit of St Louis by SOS2 in the USA in the 21st century, illustrated with a wealth of rare photographs.

Author:	Leo Marriott
Specs:	192 pages, 28 x 21.5 x 1.5 cm / 11 x 8.5 x 0.59 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Haynes Publishing (GB, 2018)
Series:	Haynes Aircraft Manual
ISBN:	9781785211676

▶  More information on the Haynes Aircraft Manuals

Jet City Rewind : Aviation History of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest

From the dawn of human flight to today, Seattle has hosted flying history from dirigibles and fabric biplanes to jumbo jets, from epic pioneering flights to innovative companies making world travel routine.
This book recaptures that historical awe and connects it with a sense of place.

These subjects may span decades of existence or represent a single day's events. Some are inspiring places of creativity and innovation, some are grim accident sites. All have some significance to the story of flight in the region.

Do you know the exact spot of the first airplane flight in the area? How about where The Boeing Company began? Where did the top secret XB-29 prototype crash during its urgent WWII test program? Where did the first non-stop flight across the Pacific end?

This book will answer those questions and many more as we dig into the aviation archaeology of the "Jet City" and its surroundings.

Author:	Timothy A. Nelson
Specs:	144 pages, 21.5 x 24 x 2 cm / 8.5 x 9 x 0.79 in, hardback
Illustrations:	200 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2016)
ISBN:	9780764351068

Alaska and the Airplane : A Century of Flight

Alaskans were introduced to the airplane as early as 1913, when town officials in Fairbanks invited stunt flyers James and Lilly Martin to fly over the local baseball park on July 4.
Because many areas are only accessible by air, this enormous state is still defined today by aviation so that aviation and Alaska have formed a very special symbiosis that is unique both in the world of geography and flying. The 49th state has 6 times as many pilots and 16 times as many aircraft per capita in comparison to the contiguous United States.

This publication celebrates the 100th anniversary of this remarkable relationship. It looks at aviation through historical photos, artifacts of flight and other ephemera: objects that are unique to flying in Alaska and that impressively convey stories of triumph, tragedy and survival.
In an extraordinary fashion, they foreground the changes flying brought to life on the ground, guiding the reader from the early days through times of war and industrialization, to the beginning of the second century in the air.

Author:	Julie Decker, Jeremy Kinney
Specs:	128 pages, 24.5 x 24.5 x 2.1 cm / 9.7 x 9.7 x 0.83 in, hardback
Illustrations:	105 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Braun Publishing AG (CH, 2013)
ISBN:	9783037681411