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15 opere 103 membri 15 recensioni

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Comprende il nome: Tommy Thomason

Opere di Tommy H. Thomason

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This book is another Specialty Press title written by an aviation enthusiast for aviation enthusiasts. In its 275 pages Tommy Thomason give us the benefit of his years of experience in the aerospace industry coupled with a deep passion for the subject of naval aviation.

The book unfolds in roughly chronological order through a preface, an introduction, 15 numbered chapters, an appendix, glossary, endnotes, a suggested reading list, and an index. The volume is profusely illustrated with photographs, many never before or seldom published. The photographs are supplemented by excellent drawings made from primary sources by the author himself.

The 2008 book is about the first four generations of jet-powered U.S. Navy carrier-borne fighters, starting from the first flight of the McDonnell FH-1 Phantom in 1945 to the first flight of the great McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II in 1958. Within that relatively short 13-year span, all involved with naval aviation endured the trials and tribulations of embracing new engine technology and aerodynamic concepts coupled with the launching and landing of all this high technology from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The Navy was profuse in supplying its select group of aircraft manufacturers with enough money and contacts to ensure that there was some success, although most of the aircraft discussed in the book suffered through some setbacks and even outright failure.

This book is best read by those with some familiarity with aviation history and technology, although the book's numerous illustrations really help explain the points Thomason is trying to make. Even those readers with extensive knowledge of aviation history would benefit by this read.

Enjoy!
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
Adakian | 4 altre recensioni | May 31, 2021 |
I don't have that much more to add to the other reviews that have been posted though I would say that this work is a more coherent study than the author's companion book on naval strike aircraft, which while not bad, sometimes felt like a summary of the relevant monographs from Steve Ginter's "Naval Fighters" series.
½
 
Segnalato
Shrike58 | 4 altre recensioni | May 2, 2020 |
Bought to replace a missing volume this is pretty much a standard NF with one noticeable exception. The author uses 22 pages to explain the contemporary philosophies and issues to explain why Navy became interested in a liquid cooled engine along with an epilogue covering what happened with liquid cooled engines and the Navy after the XFL-1 was disposed of.
Overall for your 56 pages you do get an excellent overview of shipboard fighter procurement from 1937 to 1940. Interspersed throughout are a few tables and performance graphs that are pretty interesting and may open a few eyes to the actual altitude and speed performance of the XFL-1.
There are plenty of high-quality photographs for the modelers and the nuts and bolts types along with sufficient text covering the development and flight testing. One aspect that’s missing here compared to the average NF series is the lack of technical drawings that are generally reproduced from various BuAer/NavAir sources. In this case the photographs are more than likely adequate for modelers.
For the modelers, one minor flaw (not the fault of the author.) is the panel shot on page 33 is missing the tach below the vertical speed indicator and the clock. The photos on the following page show the tach in both photo’s and the clock in one photo.
This is a profusely illustrated, excellent history of the XFL-1 that is recommended without reservation for anyone interested in Naval Aviation, and modelers.
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
jetcal1 | Feb 29, 2020 |
The Ultimate Chance Vought F7U-1 Cutlass Book

This volume is a bit of an odd duck within the Naval Fighters series. The significant amount of text within this volume changes it from the typical monograph typical of the series into a bonafide book. That is not say the book isn't well illustrated. The photographs and other illustrations are up to the usual standards of the publisher.
Mr. Thomason authored a tour de' force with this book as it is the ultimate reference on F7U-1.
(I have NF Vol. VI and the book by Mr. Gardner. I was a skeptical about this volume as it essentially appeared to be redundant in view of the old Naval Fighters Volume VI. Needless to say, after leafing through it, I bought it. This volume is superb.)
I believe the author intended to describe the state-of-the-art during the time period the Cutlass was designed and if so, achieved his goals admirably. Having the background knowledge at hand makes it much easier for the reader to understand why this ambitious program failed.
The areas of coverage include (In no particular order.):
NavAir design philosophies
Materials technology
Engine development
Afterburner development
Aerodynamics
Launch and recovery issues
Design and development of contemporary aircraft
Proposed variants
Typically when reading about an aircraft that was plagued by development difficulties there is very little text devoted to the underlying issues that created the problem. Not so with this book. Mr. Thomason describes the philosophies that created the problem. For example the discussion on afterburners touches on both the technical problems and the philosophy at NavAir about afterburners that created the problems.
The result is a well balanced look at the F7U-1 from a contemporary as well as modern view point. The quality of this book is so high, that for the first time in a NF series book, I wished a bibliography had been included.
This is one of the finest NF/Air Force Legends series books I have purchased. It is an exceptional value. Strongly recommended!
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
jetcal1 | Apr 21, 2019 |

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Statistiche

Opere
15
Utenti
103
Popolarità
#185,855
Voto
½ 4.7
Recensioni
15
ISBN
15

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