 | | The Auster, In British Military & Foreign Air Arm Service. Author Adrian M Balch 64 pages, 15 pages of Colour Profiles Over 150 many never seen before images
Stemming from the original American Taylorcraft design, the British Auster is arguably as well known and famous as the Tiger Moth, being built at the right time to provide a vital role during WW2 in the Air Observation Post role, spotting and reporting artillery positions, particularly during D-Day and through decades of post-war conflicts worldwide. Founded in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aero-planes (England) Limited, they made 1,604 high-wing Taylorcraft Auster monoplanes which were built during World War II for the armed forces of the UK and Canada. The type has proved to be versatile and adaptable to worldwide conditions being fitted with wheels, floats or skis as per the Trans-Antarctic Expeditions, which are all recorded within. This is another comprehensive Warpaint book by Adrian Balch, which covers the design and de-velopment of the Auster, highlighting the variants that were used in military service by the RAF, Army Air Corps and air arms around the world, culminating in the variants built by BEAGLE. Nearly 150 photographs, many rare and never seen before, illustrate the type in military service, supported by 13 pages of colour profile drawings and plans by artist Sam Pearson. More |
Aircraft books |
Catalogue | £17.00 | |
 | | Vickers Viking, Valetta & Varsity In Military Service. By Adrian M. Balch £19.00 56 pages
The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. After the Second World War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines, pending the development of turboprop aircraft like the Viscount. The Valetta was a military derivative of the Viking developed in transport and training variants for the Royal Air Force, while the Varsity was a versatile twin piston-engined aircraft developed from the Viking and Valetta but with a tricycle undercarriage and ventral pannier for bomb-aimer training, among other changes. It was brought into RAF service in 1951 for crew training as a replacement for the Wellington T.10.
This Warpaint relates the history of all three types, focussing on the military operators, as per the series title. It is profusely illustrated by 125 top quality photographs, nearly all in colour, from the author's extensive photograph archive and supported by excellent colour profiles and plans by Sam Pearson. More |
Aircraft books |
Catalogue | £19.00 | |
 | | Hawker-Siddeley 748 & Andover in Military Service. Author Adrian Balch 56 pages
Making its first flight on 24 June 1960 the prototype AVRO 748, G-APZV, became a very successful rugged replacement for the many DC-3 Dakotas flying around the world. In production, it became the second most successful British turboprop transport aircraft and was only superseded in numbers produced by those of the Vickers Viscount.
A total of 381 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft were built, including eighty-nine manufactured under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India, with production running from 1960 to 1988 for this successful turboprop airliner and its military variant, the Andover. The total included, thirty-seven Andovers for the RAF and RNZAF.
Over fifty military HS 748s were sold, seventy-two for the Indian Air Force, plus others for RAAF, Brazilian Air Force and others, making a substantial portion of the 381 total built, with many going to various air forces worldwide for roles like transport, navigation training and VIP transports. The HS748 was selected for the Royal Family as the Andover CC.2 and three of them served The Queen's Flight faithfully and reliably for over twenty years from 1964
There are other publications that focus on all the civil airlines that have operated the HS748, but as a Warpaint publication, this is the first time all those that saw military service with air forces around the world have been featured-and nearly all in over 160 top quality colour photographs with notes on colour schemes and markings. This is another quality Warpaint by author Adrian Balch, supported by accurate profile drawings by artist Sam Pearson and a must-have addition for aviation historians and modellers alike. More |
Aircraft books |
Catalogue | £18.00 | |