Brian R. Baker
Reviews By Author
|
The Spanish Air Force From 1939 To The Present Day: Ejercito Del Aire Y Del EspacioPublished:
Historical BackgroundThis book deals exclusively with the creation and development of aviation in Spain beginning in the early twentieth century. It mentions pre-World War I developments, and then progress during the twenties. For some reason, the period of the Spanish Civil War, between Russian backed forces and Germany is mentioned in very little detail, with no photos of any of the aircraft involved in that war that were taken during the war. The Spanish were also slightly involved in the action on the Russian Front as allies to the Luftwaffe, and this is only slightly covered. Postwar developments were covered in much more detail, with lists of units, aircraft types, and even equipment used by the support units. These are mentioned and mostly illustrated with… more |
|
British Interwar AircraftPublished:
Historical BackgroundThis book provides an in depth account of developments in aviation by the Royal Air Force from 1918, the end of World War I, until about 1939, the beginning of World War II. At the war’s end, the British had the world’s largest air force, and the immediate postwar period saw the breakup of the RAF, with most of the aircraft being disposed of, and government taxing policies regarding aircraft producers preventing companies from developing more modern aircraft. In short, technological development was discouraged, and some producers eventually just went out of business, while others produced aircraft at a very slow pace. The result was that some aircraft built during the Great War, as it was called, served on many years thereafter, some surviving even until… more |
|
Airfix Model World: Basic Guide to ModelingPublished:
Historical BackgroundThe hobby of modeling has been around for almost as long as mankind, perfected in the later centuries by sailors aboard ships, who occupied free time by building ship models. In the twentieth century, with the development of airplanes and motorized vehicles, modeling expanded, with the appearance of kits made of wood, plastic, metals, and other materials. With this amount of activity, modeling became a popular activity, and publications and organizations began to appear throughout the world. The development of plastic kits probably began in England before World War II, and the use of models for military recognition training gave more people experience with the activity. American high school students build model airplanes for the military from plans… more |
|
Consolidated B-24 LiberatorPublished:
Historical BackgroundThis book presents a complete detailed history of the development and combat career of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber during World War II. It begins with the backgrounds of the designers, including Reuben Fleet, describing the early development of the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation during the twenties and thirties. When the U.S. Army leaders decided to develop a replacement for the Martin B-10 medium bomber, Boeing began development of what was to become probably the most famous bomber of the World War II period, the B-17 “Flying Fortress”. When war in Europe seemed to be approaching, Consolidated decided to develop another heavy bomber type, the B-24, using several innovations, including the “Davis Wing”, which had some aerodynamic… more |
|
Rockwell Commander 114A & 114BPublished:
HistoryThe Rockwell Commander was developed during the late sixties, its first flight being in 1970. It was intended to compete with the Beech Bonanza, Mooney M20, Piper Low Wings and high-performance Cessna products that were so common during that era. However, after production started problems occurred that resulted in modifications that made the airframe heavier and more complex. As these problems were solved, more powerful engines were installed, but production ended in 1980 with a total of 1306 being produced. The Models 112TC, 114 A, and 114B are the subject of this kit. As popular as the airplane was, I saw very few of them at local airports, and only photographed a couple of them over the past fifty years. Actually, I was surprised that anyone would produce a… more |
|
Pacific Profiles Volume Seven - Allied Transports: Douglas C-47 Series, South and Southwest Pacific, 1942-1945.Published:
Historical BackgroundThis book is part of a series of volumes on World War II in the Pacific, the author having published numerous titles dealing with American, Australian, New Zealand, and Japanese aviation activities during the war. He is Australian, and has lived in the areas under discussion, and is also a pilot, so has the background to treat the subject accurately. This particular volume discusses the Allied effort to provide air transportation in the South Pacific, identifying the units of the American, Australian, and New Zealand units. Of course, the Douglas DC-3 and C-47 variants were active in all areas where the Allies operated, and as well, the type had also been produced in Japan, with the type being operated in small numbers by the Japanese. These… more |
|
Lavochkin LA-5 Vol. IIPublished:
Historical BackgroundThis is volume 2 of a series of publications providing the history of the development of the Lavochkin La-5 series of fighters used by the Soviets and their allies during World War II, or what they called the Great Patriotic War. The author goes into great detail describing the technological development of the type, and its engine, providing very intricate details of what went wrong during developmental testing, and how the problems were either ignored or solved. For a reviewer such as myself, this information is completely understandable, but for a non-pilot, it might be a little over complicated. One thing the author could have done for his English speaking readers would have been to provide speeds, dimensions, and weights in the English systems,… more |
|
The Fairey Firefly - A Detailed Guide To The Fleet Air Arm's Versatile MonoplanePublished:
Historical BackgroundThe Fairey Firefly was originally conceived in the late thirties as a carrier based fighter for the Royal Navy. It was built as a two seater because the authorities felt that a single pilot would not be able to navigate and fly under combat conditions at sea. While other similar aircraft, notably the Defiant and Blackburn Skua and Roc had power operated turrets, the Firefly dispensed with these, and throughout the protracted development of the type, the rear gun was never adopted for widespread use. Performance, however, was exceptional, and the type was ready for limited service in 1942. Development was slow, and it never really made the grade as a carrier based fighter, although many variants were developed for specialized uses, including night fighter… more |
|
North American T-6 Harvard/TexanPublished:
Historical BackgroundThe North American AT-6 Texan was originally developed during the middle thirties as an advanced training monoplane. Earlier versions, designated BT-9through BT-9D, numbered slightly less than 300, were used as basic trainers. They had fixed landing gear 400 hp. Wright R-975’s, and many survived until the end of World War II. The earliest versions were designated BC-1, for “Basic Combat”, and nearly 300 were built before being reclassifies as AT-6, for “Advanced Trainer”. These had 600 hp. Pratt and Whitney R-1340’s, and engine which remained with the airplane for almost its entire life. Navy versions were called SNJ, and they were built until the end of the war, going up to SNJ-6. The Army Air Force AT-6 was built until the end of the war, slightly more… more |
|
Republic P-43 Lancer, Top Drawings, #122Published:
Historical BackgroundThe Republic P-43A “Lancer” was the immediate ancestor of the P-47 “Thunderbolt”, and was only produced in relatively small quantities at the beginning of World War II. Its immediate competitors for production contracts were the Lockheed XP-38, Bell XP-39, and Curtiss XP-40, all of which were produced in far greater numbers. However, Republic made up the differences when they produced the P-47, which turned out to be one of the best fighters of the war. The P-43A was powered by a supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 radial engine, and was armed with .50 cal. Machine guns, although lack of self sealing fuel tanks was a disadvantage. After Pearl Harbor, The AAF commanders decided that the P-43A would not be produced in numbers, and many of… more |