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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1806.PDF
970 FLIGHT THE AERONAUTICAL BOOKSHELF . . . used to crew regularly for the women pilots of the A.T.A.Miss Volkersz herself learned to fly under the pre-war Civil Air Guard Scheme. In 1940, with A.T.A., she graduated in ninemonths from Tiger Moths to Hurricanes, found the Spitfire "the perfect ladies' aeroplane" and later ferried five Typhoons in asingle day. She was also the first woman to ferry a jet fighter. Since the war, she has flown Tempests to Pakistan and towedtargets for anti-aircraft practice—which last occupation occasioned the classic heartcry from one U.S. gunner: "ForGod's sake, fellas, don't shoot. There's a blonde in that kite." The Sky and I ends with a justifiable complaint that peacetimeaviation has found little room for the ex-A.T.A. women who served it so well. But one wonders how kindly the average airlinepassenger would regard the idea of a woman driver up front; and, in any case, military flying will absorb fewer pilots everyyear now that the missile age is upon us. Which brings us to Rockets and Guided Missiles, in whichJohn Humphries has aimed at producing a semi-technical survey of rocket technology and possibilities for engineers and tech-nicians without prejudicing more general readership. This is a difficult objective, and his endeavours to attain it are not assistedby the fact that his book gives the impression of having been written several years ago; most of the missiles he describes andillustrates are of German wartime design, and one searches in vain for mention of even the Nike, Falcon or Sparrow, which arenow by no means new. Well-illustrated chapters on the charac- teristics and applications of the various types of solid and liquid-propellant rocket motors are the best part of this book. Turning finally from space to spice, one must congratulateW. D. Pereira on the delicate manner in which he changes the subject when the test pilot in his novel, Time of Departure,dashes off to pick the proverbial bluebells in the wood with a pretty secretary-—to emerge happily married a few pagesfurther on. In fact, it is good to read a first novel which is full of the kindof people one would welcome as friends. At the top of the list is Lord Heron, born in a poverty-stricken back street and now,through hard work and good sense, the head of the great Hartley- Gifford Group. His adopted son Anthony is the type of youngman who should be available to take over every aircraft company from the ageing pioneers who founded it, and even his less-admirable wife and the hard-headed businessman Ericson reveal unexpected qualities before the end of the story. Time of Departure is not brimming over with plot, the themebeing the development of a "flying wing" inter-continental air- liner which incorporates boundary-layer bleed to give almostvertical take-off and landing. It sounds technical, but is not, although the author never puts a foot wrong so far as accuracy isconcerned. In any case the aircraft is secondary to the people whose lives it shapes as they create and test it, and the result isa heartwarming little cameo. J.W.R.T. "Fifty Years of Brooklands," edited by Charles Gardner.William Heinemann, Ltd., 99 Great Russell St., London, W.C.I. Illustrated. Price 25s."Raiders Approach," by S/L. H. T. Sutton, O.B.E., D.F.C. Gale and Polden, Ltd., The Wellington Press, Aldershot, Hants.Illustrated. Price 21s. "Famous Airports of the World," by John Stroud, and "FamousAir Routes of the World," by Harold Champion. Frederick Muller, Ltd., 110 Fleet Street, London, E.C.4. Illustrated. Price8s 6d each. "Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 1907-1954," by BruceRobertson. Harleyford Publications, Ltd., Harleyford, Marlow, Bucks. Illustrated. Price 45s. "Lonely Warrior," edited by Victor Houart. Souvenir Press,Ltd., 94 Charlotte Street, London, W.I. Illustrated. Price 18s. "The Sky and I," by Veronica Volkersz. W. H. Allen and Co.,Ltd., 43 Essex St., London, W.C.2. Illustrated. Price 12s 6d. "Rockets and Guided Missiles," by John Humphries, B.Sc.(Eng.). Ernest Benn, Ltd., Bouverie House, Fleet St., London, E.C.4. Illustrated. Price 30s."Time of Departure," by W. D. Pereira. Robert Hale, Ltd., 63 Old Brompton Road, London, S.W.7. Price 10s 6d. PRESENT INDICATIVE: Smoke? Yes, it is a nice presentation cabinet for a Christmas gift—and the cigarettes deserve it: 150 State Express 555s, price 32s. The books? A good assortment here: "Balloons," published by the Ariel Press at 25s limp or 35s linen boards, " Aircraft Camouflage and Markings 1907-1954" (Harleyford Publications, Ltd.) 45s; "Fifty Years of Brooklands" (published by Heinemann in association with Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd., and reviewed in the article above) 25s; "High-Speed Flight" (Hutchinsons) 30s. The model Supermarine 535 represents one style of work for the industry by Westway Models, Ltd., London, W.3. The Starfighter? Another present, but, like the 535, not for general sale: it came from Lockheed to "Flight."
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