Aerei Bell : libri - storia, costruzione e impiego

Bell P-39 Aircobra in Italian Service

L'autore spiega in modo chiaro e preciso la storia operativa cronologica del Bell P-39, descrivendo le missioni dei piloti durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
Il testo è bilingue, inglese e italiano, e si rivolge sia agli appassionati di storia dell'aviazione che ai modellisti, ai quali è dedicato un intero capitolo con un articolo dettagliato sulla costruzione del kit Eduard in scala 1/48. La sezione finale tratta di mimetizzazione, insegne e dati tecnici del velivolo.

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P-39 Airacobra - Bell Fighter in World War II (Legends of Warfare)

Il Bell P-39 Airacobra era dotato di un motore centrale, di un robusto carrello d'atterraggio triciclo e di un cannone da 37 mm montato sul muso. Sebbene innovativo, mancava di prestazioni in alta quota rispetto a caccia come lo Spitfire, l'Hellcat e il Mustang. Di conseguenza, fu ampiamente respinto dalle squadriglie britanniche e americane.
Tuttavia, l'Unione Sovietica adottò ampiamente il P-39, utilizzandolo efficacemente contro la Luftwaffe.
Questo libro fornisce una storia fotografica dettagliata di tutte le varianti dell'Airacobra, compresi i prototipi, le versioni da addestramento, i modelli di produzione dalla C alla Q e il P-400.

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P-39 / P-400 Airacobras vs A6M2/3 Zero-sen : New Guinea 1942 (Osprey)

After the huge advances made in the early months of the Pacific war, it was in remote New Guinea where the advance of Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) A6M Zero-sen fighters was first halted due to a series of offensive and defensive aerial battles ranging from treetop height up to 30,000 ft.

Initially, the IJNAF fought Australian Kittyhawks, but by May 1942 they had fought themselves into oblivion, and were relieved by USAAF P-39 and P-400 Airacobras. The battles unfolded over mountainous terrain with treacherous tropical weather.
Neither IJNAF or USAAF pilots had been trained for such extreme conditions, incurring many additional losses aside from those that fell in combat.

Using specially commissioned artwork and contemporary photographs and testimony, this fascinating study explains how, despite their initial deficit in experience and equipment, the Airacobras managed to square the ledger and defend New Guinea.

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Bell X-2 (Osprey)

Even before the spectacular success of its X-1 rocket-powered aircraft in breaking the `sound barrier', the adventurous Bell Aircraft Corporation was already pushing ahead with a parallel project to build a second aircraft capable of far higher speeds.

The X-2 (or Model 52) explored the equally uncertain technology of swept-back wings. Now common in modern conventional fighter aircraft, the Bell X-2 was revolutionary in using this type of airframe to probe Mach 3 and research the effects of extreme aerodynamic friction heat on airframes.

Although both X-2s were destroyed in crashes after only 20 flights, killing two test pilots, the knowledge gained from the programme was invaluable in developing aircraft that could safely fly at such speeds. Using stunning artwork and historical photographs, this is the story of the plane that ultimately made the Lockheed Blackbird and Concorde possible.

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Bell X-1 (Osprey)

In 1947, no one knew if it was possible to break the 'sound barrier'. The Bell X-1 was the tiny, rocket-powered craft that finally broke it. It was the result of innovative designers and engineers turning their attention from the pioneering jets of World War II to a new task - an aircraft designed purely to fly faster than sound.
Legendary pilots rallied to the cause, with World War II ace Chuck Yeager piloting the X-1 when it finally achieved supersonic flight in 1947, the first manned craft to reach such speeds.

With historical photographs and meticulously researched digital art, Peter Davies traces the whole career of the pioneering Bell X-1, from its early development through to the influence it had on military and civilian jets in the second half of the 20th century.

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Cobra! - The Bell Aircraft Corporation 1934-1946

A comprehensive, meticulously researched and fully documented history of Bell Aircraft Corporation and their piston engine fighters built during the Great Depression and through World War II.

While the story centers on techincal aspects of the various fighters, significant attention is also devoted to those key individuals who conceived, built and flew these innovative designs.
In addition to aircraft development, Cobra! surveys the combat use of the P-39 and P-63 fighters in the hands of American, French, Italian, and Soviet pilots.

The story continues after World War II when a number of Bell surplus fighters were successfully modified for air racing.

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