Trumpeter TU06248

McDonnell-Douglas AV-8A/C, AV-8S and TAV-A/S Double Ugly! Books " Fox Two! CAMO: The Modellers' to Aircraft Finish & Markings USMC HARRIERS: The McDonnell-Douglas AV-8A/C, AV-8S and TAV-A/S in World Wide Service 1971 - 2006 (USMC, Armada Espanola and Royal Thai Navy) by Angelo Romano with Michael Grove Sized A-4 landscape, softcover, English text and captions, 108 pages of content, over 190 hitherto unpublished images mainly in colour, 8 colour profiles From the content: " Introduction " VMA-231 'Ace of Spades' " VMA-513 'Flying Nightmares' " VMA-542 'Tigers'VMAT-203 'Hawks' " Naval Air Test center (NATC) " NASA " Armada Espanola " Royal Thai Navy " AV-8A/C Camouflage & Markings

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Grumman S-2F/S-2 Tracker and WF-2/E-1B Tracer Part Two. 248-pages, 608 B&W photos, 16 color photos, 201 squadron and station patches. The book covers the operational history of the aircraft in squadron service including the reserves and training squadrons and as a squadron utility and command aircraft at Naval Air Stations and facilities. It is authored by Douglas Siegfried, Tailhook Association Archivist and former S-2 pilot, and Steve Ginter.

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Douglas A-4C/L Skyhawk In Navy Service by Steve Ginter 192-pages, 16 in color. Book contains 70-illustrations, 389 b&w photos, and 50-color photos. Book six in the Naval Fighter Series on the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk covers the A-4C/L in Navy service. It covers the technical aspects of these aircraft and squadron histories including squadron patches. Previous books in the series are: NF-49, USN A-4A/Bs; NF50, USMC/USMCR/USNR A-4A/Bs; NF-51, USN A-4E/Fs; NF52, USMC A-4E/Fs, and NF82, USN/USMC Two-Seat Skyhawks. The A-4C was the most numerous version of the Skyhawk built (636). It also saw more combat service during the Vietnam war than any other A-4 version, completing 44 of the 111 deployments to Vietnam made with the Skyhawk. In 1970, the A-4C was given a second lease on life when 100 were upgraded to A-4Ls. These were to equip the attack squadrons of the newly reorganized reserves and their two Air Wings. The A-4Cs were given the A-4Fs electronics and hump and thus emulated the A-4Fs. After usage in seven reserve squadrons, these A-4Ls were used by the VC/utility squadrons into the late 1970s.

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Boeing F4B Biplane written by retired Navy Captain Richard S. Dann. With 408 b&w photos and 24 drawings filling its 160-pages. After three years of intensive research, author Richard S. Dann has finally produced the definitive history of the Boeing F4B, the Navy's iconic Golden Age fighting plane. The Boeing F4B, a favorite of pilots who flew it, still draws interest of hobbyists and historians alike, primarily due to the striking paint schemes worn by these aircraft during their service. Boeing, a company in existence since 1916, had produced a number of fighter aircraft for both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Derived from the company's successful PW-9 series for the Army, Boeing developed what can be considered the first truly successful carrier fighter with their FB series. First flown in 1925, the FB set the stage for the development of several follow-on aircraft for the Navy, namely the F2B and F3B. These aircraft were manufactured using state-of-the-art techniques, being constructed with welded tube fuselages and wooden wing structure, with fabric covered surfaces. These standard construction methods were also used in the Boeing Models 83 and 89, which were built on speculation, tested by the Navy in 1928 and subsequently purchased as the XF4B-1. Sufficiently impressed with their performance, the Navy ordered 27 F4B-1s with deliveries commencing in 1929. A second version, the F4B-2 was developed with improvements over the initial model and also put into production with 27 built. As the decade of the 1930s began, the use of traditional construction techniques of welded tube fuselages gave way to airframes manufactured using lightweight aluminum alloys. Use of semi-monocoque, stressed skin aluminum offered lighter airframes and subsequently, higher performance. In the F4B series, this was first seen on the company-funded Model 218 prototype, which bridged the gap between the earlier and later versions of the F4B. The later versions of the F4B, the F4B-3 and F4B-4 were partially constructed of aluminum alloys as first used on the Model 218 in place of steel tubes, offering high strength and light weight. Just 21 F4B-3s were built before Boeing switched production to the F4B-4, of which 92 were built. Boeing's F4B dominated U.S. Navy fighter and some bomber squadrons from 1931 to 1935, with the last squadrons of F4Bs transitioning in 1938. As F4Bs were phased out of front-line service, they were turned over to the training command, and later, as unmanned aerial targets used for training shipboard anti-aircraft gunnery crews as part of Project FOX. The last F4Bs were withdrawn from service in 1942. The first half of this 160-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F4B. Each version from F4B-1 to F4B-4 is covered, as well as the Boeing Model 218, which served as the prototype for the F4B-3 and F4B-4. 408 photographs and 24 drawings provide an in-depth study of each version. Much of the data for this section comes from period test reports and specification documents. In addition, a history of each airframe is provided, including squadron assignments, mishaps, strike dates, final disposition and total hours of flight time, if known. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F4B as well as other Navy/Marine Corps commands that operated the type. Also included is a history of the Boeing Models 256 and 267, export variants that were sold to Brazil and the F4B-4A, which consisted of P-12s given to the Navy. Just two F4Bs found their way to civilian operators, and their civilian use is also included in this book. The final chapter dedicated to the aircraft discusses eight new-build Boeings that have been under construction in Gardnerville, Nevada since 1993. The first of these aircraft is expected to fly in late 2023 or early 2024. As with nearly all Ginter books, the final chapter is devoted to model kits. In the latest book of Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters series, you'll find many interesting facts you may not have known about the F4B.

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World Class DIAMONDBACKS. A Pictorial History of Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102) by Angelo Romano US NAVY SQUADRON HISTORIES No. 306 ISBN-13: 978-1-7349727-3-3 Soft bound (NF306) Originally designated Fighter Squadron 102 (VF-102), the DIAMONDBACKS of Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102) were established on 1 Jul 1955 in Jacksonville, Florida. The first aircraft to carry the distinctive DIAMONDBACK markings was the McDonnell F2H Banshee, a twin-engine fighter-bomber with four 20mm internal cannons. The DIAMONDBACKS' inaugural deployment took place on-board the USS RANDOLPH (CV-15), in July 1956. After this deployment, the squadron transitioned to the Douglas F4D-1 Skyray. In 1960, the DIAMONDBACKS moved to NAS Oceana, Virginia, and transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II. This marked the beginning of a 20-year association with the Phantom. In Jun 1981, the DIAMONDBACKS bade farewell to the Phantom and transitioned to the Grumman F-14A Tomcat. The Tomcat's design provided the pilot and RIO with a formidable air-to-air radar and weapons system. The long-range AWG-9 radar and its multiple track, multiple launch capable AIM-54 Phoenix missile system, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewindermissiles, and the six-barrelled 20mm cannon, comprised the Tomcat's weapons suite. With the addition to the Tomcat of the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) in 1982, the DIAMONDBACKS added the tactical aerial photo reconnaissance mission to their traditional fighter role. In 1992, VF-102 and the Tomcat entered the critical air-to-ground mission area, thus solidifying the DIAMONDBACKS' role as a strike fighter squadron, and leading the way into the 21st century. In 1994, the DIAMONDBACKS transitioned to the re-engined F-14B and, with the installation of the Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod in 1998, they added the precision strike mission to their capabilities. In 2002, VF-102 was assigned to Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and transferred to NAS Lemoore, California to transition to the Navy's newest strike fighter, the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. In March 2002, the DIAMONDBACKS were redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102). After completion of the transition to the Super Hornet, VFA-102 moved across the Pacific to Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, to join Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5), the Navy's only forward deployed air wing and part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF). Since then, the DIAMONDBACKS were assigned respectively to the following FDNF carriers: USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63), USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73), and USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76). Pages: 284 Size: 8.5 X 11 (inches) Format: Soft bound Illustrations: 741 color and 124 B&W photos, 52 color profiles, 82 patches Publisher: Ginter Books

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Douglas C-74 Globemaster By Nicholas M. Williams, 104 pages (88 in b&w, 16 in color), 141 b&w photos, 35 color photos, 22 illustrations. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 brought U.S. Army Air Corps strategists to the realization that a new global transport was needed to carry large loads over great distances. The Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California, also quickly saw this need and design studies were begun immediately on an expanded version of the company's DC-4. The "C-74 Project Group" adopted a design philosophy to produce a "no frills" transport able to accommodate at least two of the Army's T-9 tanks, two 105mm Howitzers, or two angle dozers. Douglas contacted the Air Corps early in 1942 to determine their interest and a letter of intent was issued in March 1942 for procurement of the Model 415A, now designated the C-74. A contract of over $50 million was signed in June 1942 for fifty airplanes. To speed its delivery to operational units, the C-74 was designed to be released without the benefits of an experimental or prototype model, all aircraft being designated as C-74s with design features following conventional "state-of-the-art" practice. Originally, powered by Wright R-3350 engines, a decision was made in March 1943 to switch to the new, mammoth Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major. The first C-74 was rolled out in July 1945 from the Douglas Long Beach factory. At rollout, the C-74 was the largest land-based transport in the world with a wingspan of 173 feet, length of 124 feet, and gross weight of 145,000 pounds. Able to carry 125 passengers, the C-74 was called the Globemaster as its 11,100-gallons of internal fuel gave it a maximum range of over 7,000 miles, enabling it to circumnavigate the world with only two refueling stops. In its final form, the C-74 was a remarkably efficient airplane, using a semi-laminar flow airfoil for its wings with a full-span flap arrangement. The pilots were enclosed by two teardrop-shaped, double-bubble canopies that provided them with a 360-degree view. Douglas had every intention of adapting the C-74 into a civil airliner once hostilities had ended. In 1944 Pan American World Airways ordered 26 examples of the civil version, the DC-7, for a route expansion program into Latin America. However, further development of this DC-7 design increased its gross weight to 162,000 pounds and the unit cost to $1.4 million and Pan American cancelled its order in October 1945, opting for smaller transports. The first C-74, 42-65402, made its maiden flight from Long Beach in September 1945, but with the end of World War II, most of the C-74 production order was cancelled and only 14 Globemasters were built. Unfortunately, during contractor demonstration flights the second Globemaster crashed. The fourth C-74 was subsequently diverted for static tests and its components tested to destruction at Wright Field, Ohio. Beginning in September 1946, the remaining twelve C-74s were flown for the next nine years by the Army Air Forces' Air Transport Command and the U.S. Air Force's Military Air Transport Service. Once in service, the C-74 Globemaster, based first in Memphis, Tennessee, then Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida, finally at Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama, set many records for tonnage carried. In November 1949, a C-74 flew the Atlantic to England with a record 103 passengers aboard. One Globemaster set several records during the Berlin Airlift, averaging over 38,000 pounds of cargo and setting a new Airlift Task Force utilization record by flying 20 hours in a 24-hour period. Until one C-74 was converted to the prototype C-124A and the Globemaster II became available, the C-74 was the only Air Force transport capable of carrying outsized cargo. After the C-74's retirement from service in 1955, several were purchased surplus and began flying for a contract air carrier, Aeronaves de Panama, hauling prize cattle from Denmark to the Middle East, horses to Singapore, and ships' parts and vegetables throughout Europe. Unfortunately, after the tragic crash in 1963 of one C-74 in Marseilles, France, the airline suspended operations and its C-74s eventually were scrapped. Today, no examples of this record-setting transport exist. This monograph of the C-74 Globemaster is written by Nick Williams, an award-winning author of over two dozen articles published in the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society and publications in the U.K. Nick has written two previous books in Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters series as well as his 1999 book published in the U.K., "Aircraft of The Military Air Transport Service 1948-1966". His new book on the C-74 is the result of nearly fifty years of research, containing comments from several of the C-74's engineers as well as former Douglas and Air Force pilots.

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Re-printed! The McDonnell F-4A/F-4B/F-4N/F-4J/F-4S & RF-4B Phantom US Navy and Marine Corps Versions By Andy Evans 84 Pages Full Colour The iconic F-4 Phantom is one of the most recognisable aircraft ever produced. Initially built for the US Navy, its multi-role abilities as an interceptor, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform were quickly adopted by the Marine Corps and first entered service in 1961. So impressed with the Navy's new aircraft, the US Air Force also ordered the Phantom, and production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history, and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War. A total of forty-five F-4As were built, however, none saw combat, and most ended up as test or training aircraft. The USN and USMC received the first definitive Phantom, the F-4B which was equipped with the Westinghouse APQ-72 radar, a Texas Instruments AAA-4 Infrared search and track pod under the nose, an AN/AJB-3 bombing system in 1961 and VF-121 'Pacemakers' taking the first examples at NAS Miramar. The F-4J improved both air-to-air and ground-attack capabilities and deliveries began in 1966 and ended in 1972 with 522 built. It was equipped with the Westinghouse AN/AWG-10 Fire Control System (making the F-4J the first fighter in the world with operational look-down/shoot-down capability), a new integrated missile control system and the AN/AJB-7 bombing system for expanded ground attack capability. The F-4N (updated F-4B) with smokeless engines and F-4J aerodynamic improvements started in 1972 under a Navy-initiated refurbishment program called 'Project Bee Line'. The F-4S model resulted from the refurbishment of 265 F-4Js with J79-GE-17 smokeless engines, an AWG-10B radar with digitised circuitry for improved performance and reliability, a Honeywell AN/AVG-8 Visual Target Acquisition Set or VTAS (world's first operational Helmet Sighting System), avionics improvements, airframe reinforcement and leading-edge slats for enhanced manoeuvring. With the introduction of the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet, by 1987 the last F-4Ss were being retired from deployable USN squadrons, and on 25 March 1986, an F-4S belonging to the VF-151 'Vigilantes' became the last active-duty US Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier, in this case the USS Midway. On 18 October 1986, an F-4S from the VF-202 'Superheats', made the last-ever Phantom carrier landing while operating aboard USS America, and in 1987 the last of the Naval Reserve-operated F-4S aircraft were replaced by F-14As. The last Phantoms in service with the Navy were QF-4N and QF- 4S target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Center at NAS Point Mugu. Likewise, in the early 1980s, US Marine Corps Phantom squadrons began to transition to the F/A-18 and in January 1992, the last Marine Corps F-4S Phantom was retired by the 'Cowboys' of VMFA-112 at NAS Dallas, after which the squadron re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets. This is the first of a five book collectable series that will build into a comprehensive library on the F-4 Phantom in US Navy and Marine Corps Service, US Air Force Service, European Operators, Middle Eastern Operators and Asian Operators. Each book has comprehensive historic information on each Phantom variant, its operators and combat roles, with colour profiles and full model builds included. This will be a must have series for the Phantom aficionado and modeller alike.

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Sopwith Pup by Matthew Willis (Hall Park Books Limited) By Matthew Willis The Sopwith Pup, as it is unofficially but universally known, was one of the first true British fighter aircraft, and one of the most significant of the First World War. It played a key part in maintaining control of the skies over the Western Front during and after the RFC's toughest period, Bloody April, 1917. Its superb flying qualities kept it competitive as ever-faster and more powerful opposition appeared, and it played an unglamorous but important role in the defence of the UK against zeppelin and heavy bomber attacks, and was fundamental to the development of ship-based aviation. With the very well-established categories of military aircraft that are familiar today, it is hard to comprehend the world in which the Pup was born, where these clear delineations did not exist. Certainly the idea of the fast, agile single-seat fighter was barely thought of when the Pup's outline was first chalked on the floor of the experimental workshop at Sopwith's Kingston-upon-Thames premises in 1915. The new aircraft was known as the 'Sparrow', was powered by a 50hp Gnome rotary. Test pilot Harry Hawker took the aircraft to Brooklands and amazed trainee RFC pilots by flying it under the bridge across the Byfleet Banking. It was fully aerobatic and capable of a speed just shy of 85mph despite the low engine power. It is unclear whether Sopwith intended the machine to form the basis of a military aircraft but in any event, its performance and handling, even on such low power, must have recommended it for that purpose. The 'Sparrow' therefore became the progenitor of the aircraft that would become the 'Pup'. It was around the time of the prototype's first appearance that the Pup seems to have gained its popular name. Brigadier-General SeftonBrancker, then the RFC's Director of Air Organisation, is reputed to have remarked, on seeing the prototype Scout beside its larger sibling at Brooklands, 'Your 1 Strutter has had a pup!' For all its value as a front line fighting aeroplane, the Pup had a potentially even greater impact on the development of naval aviation; in particular, the sometimes tortuous path of launching aircraft from, and returning them safely to, ships at sea. Moreover, the Pup became one of the more successful operational aircraft in this fledgling area of combat. This is the first WWI title in the series and includes all the usual Warpaint features historical text, modellers glossary, colour artwork by Richard Caruana and a three page colour walkaround by author Matthew Willis.

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Grumman F-14 Tomcat By Charles Stafrace. The US Navy embarked on the VFX fighter programme when it became obvious that the weight, engine and manoeuvrability issues plaguing F-111B, the naval variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defence fighter whose primary role was intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier battle group. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the US Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft that were not required by the Navy. Grumman came up with a solution in the form of their F-14 Tomcat, a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing aircraft. But what made the Tomcat head and shoulders above all other fighters was its AWG-9 weapons control radar married to the superlative AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile. The Tomcat was all the US Navy required, and the F-111B episode was soon forgotten. The F-14A was the first version of the Tomcat, and it entered US Navy service in 1972 with VF-1 and VF-2 and first deployed overseas on USS Enterprise in 1974, gradually replacing the later versions of the F-4 Phantom on the US carriers' decks. The F-14A served only with one foreign air force, the Imperial Iranian Air Force which, after the 1978 revolution, came to be known as the Iranian Islamic Iranian Air Force. The Tomcat's role in Iran's war against Iraq from 1980 to 1988 is explained in detail. The Iranian, in its locally-improvised versions, is still in service. The F-14A version of the Tomcat inherited not only the AWG-9/AIM-54 system from the ill-fated F-111B but also its troublesome TF30 engine. In the US Navy it was only when the F-14B was re-engined with the more powerful and more reliable F-110-GE-400, as was also the F-14D, that the Tomcat really showed its true potential in the air. The Tomcat went on to serve on all US carriers of the Forrestal and Kitty Hawk Class of carriers and on all nuclear powered carriers built until 2006, the year when the Tomcat was retired from service. During the years it spent on deck, the Tomcat, in its F-14A, F-14B and F-14D versions, participated in all US interventions of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Horn of Africa, and distinguished itself not only as an interceptor fighter, but later also as a ground support and reconnaissance aircraft when the need for these two new roles were needed and when equipped with the LANTIRN and TARPS systems. The Tomcat's story was immortalised by the Hollywood production that made 'Tomcat' and 'Top Gun' household names, but in real life the Tomcat was truly a confirmed 'MiG-killer' and a 'Sukhoi-killer' in encounters with hostile Libyan opposition. Its exit from the US Navy scene in 2006 was a controversial one, as the aircraft was still considered a valuable asset to the fleet. However, its astronomical maintenance hours per flight hours and its ageing systems compared with the newer F/A-18 Hornet worked against it. All this is explained in detail in this new Warpaint title, a 124-page account of America's most famous fighter of recent times, that contains no fewer than 280 photos, ten pages of colour profiles, scale plans, fourteen information tables and a text that give exact details of every squadrons, details of all deployments with carrier, CVW, dates and destination, conversions to later versions, and many other information as now expected from titles by author Charles Stafrace, supported by superb artwork by John Fox.

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Douglas SBD Dauntless By Kev Darling The Douglas SBD Dauntless earned itself a reputation as a great dive bomber even though its antecedents were very much of pre-war origin. Many nicknames were given to the SBD during its time in frontline service, my own personal favourite is 'slow but deadly'. The original concept was developed by Jack Northrop with some help from Ed Heinemann. The resultant aircraft, the BT-1, had quite a few faults that would be rectified when the SBD-1 appeared. Very much a pre-production model the remainder of this first contract was completed as the SBD-2 and had few improvements over the earlier machines. It took the appearance of the SBD-3 to create a more warlike machine that incorporated self sealing fuel tanks, armour plating and improved armament. Each version thereafter showed some improvement , the final version, the SBD-6, being the best of all. The USAAF also used a version of the Dauntless, this being the A-24 Banshee. The only difference between the two models was the lack of naval equipment for carrier operation otherwise it was the same. Unfortunately by the time the SBD-6 appeared the frontline career of the Dauntless was over. However, the Dauntless and its land equivalent the Banshee had other careers with the Royal Navy, the French Air Force and Navy, Chile and Mexico.[ SBD-2 SBD-3 SBD-4 SBD-5 SBD-6]

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Grumman F6F Hellcat. Even before Pearl Harbor the U.S. Navy realised that it would be hard for its existing fighters, the F2A Buffalo and F4F Wildcat, to deal with Japan's shipboard fighters, especially the A6M Zero. The situation was such that in June 1941 the U.S. Navy placed orders with Grumman 's 'Iron Works' for the F6F Hellcat before the first prototype had even flown. It was the right decision for Grumman 's new fighter, although much larger and heavier than the Zero, proved to be the latter's nemesis, so that the American fighter's better fire-power, sturdiness, range and speed more than matched the Zero's agility. Its entry into service was also timely, for the much- awaited F4U Corsair suffered from a flawed carrier deck capability, so that the Hellcat remained the main carrier fighter of the U.S. Navy throughout the rest of the Second World War and established air superiority in the Pacific. Indeed, in barely two years of war it destroyed no less than 5,271 enemy aircraft of the 6,477 claimed by the U.S. fighters, attaining a fantastic kill-to-loss ratio of 19.1:1, and fully deserving the nickname of 'Ace-Maker'. It certainly was the most important Allied shipboard fighter of that world conflict. The Hellcat was used also by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, during the war, while in the postwar period it saw service with the French Aeronavale, which used them in Indochina, as well as with the Uruguayan Navy, the latter flying them until 1961. [F6F-3 F6F-5 F6F-3N F6F-5N]

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McDonnell F3H Demon. The McDonnell F3H Demon naval fighter is chiefly remembered for the controversial delays and troubles suffered by its jet engine powerplants. The original J40 was a failure and brought the end of the original F3H-1 series but the J71 engine in the revised F3H-2, although not perfect, did help in the development of a decent service aircraft. Begun as an interceptor, Demon was a large and heavy single-seat fighter, it could reach supersonic speed in a dive with ease and one of the later versions became the Navy's first all-weather missile-firing fighter. In the air the Demon handled beautifully. The aircraft never took part in a major conflict but was on hand aboard U.S. Navy carriers between 1958 and 1965 in case any of the crisis situations of that period turned into a major conflict. In fact by 1965 the Demon had been present in the front line for longer than any previous U.S. Navy jet fighter. Despite such a shaky start and the "dark days" of its early versions, the Demon was ultimately a success.

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