Aircraft History

The SU-27 was developed as an air superiority fighter by the Soviet Union in the late 70s in response to the F-15. It entered service in 1985 as the Flanker-B model, and is notable as the Soviet Union's first Fly-By-Wire aircraft. It is also regarded as being incredibly maneuverable, able to perform the Pugachev's Cobra maneuver, where the plane pitches vertical, losing speed while gaining little altitude, then pitching forward to level flight, potentially forcing pursuing aircraft to overshoot their target. The SU-27 has been used by multiple countries, and has spawned a great number of developmental evolutions, including a carrier-based version and a side-by-side, two-seat strike variant.

Background

The C-130 doesn’t need much introduction. It’s the mainstay transport aircraft for numerous nations, and has been serving the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1957. The newest C-130 is the C-130J, which incorporates many avionics upgrades, and most notably newer engines with six-blade props. The WC-130J is the USAF’s newest Hurricane Hunter, specifically designed to fly into the eyes of hurricanes to gather potentially life-saving data.

Eric Brown has flown more aircraft types and performed more carrier landings than any other person, dead or alive. That alone makes him a unique individual. In addition to that, he is actually a good writer. I’ve read several other of his books and I have found them very interesting, easy to read, and almost in the category of “page-turners.” This book is no exception.

This version is an extended edition of the original book, which was focused mainly in carrier-borne World War II airplanes. He added several carrier-based jet airplanes that he got to fly in his extended career, either in the post-war years or during his time at the US Naval Air Test Center.