Fighting Cockpits: In the Pilot's Seat of Great Military Aircraft from World War I to Today - Hardcover

Nijboer, Donald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760349568 ISBN 13: 9780760349564

Publisher: Zenith Press, 2016

Synopsis

What was it like to sit in the pilot's seat and take control of a P-51 Mustang in World War II? What about an F-14 Tomcat at the height of the Cold War? Or a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor today? The cockpits of these fighter and bomber aircraft are revealed in Fighting Cockpits.

Showcasing more than 50 of the world's most famous combat cockpits from early World War I aircraft to present-day fighters, this book includes more than 200 rich color photos from photographer Dan Patterson, as well as detailed history about combat cockpit development from aviation expert and historian Donald Nijboer.

Presented in large-format, you'll be blown away by studio shot spreads of views from the cockpits, vintage photographs of the aircrafts in action, and modern photography of surviving crafts. This book will complete any history buff or aviation enthusiast's library.

Aircraft include:

Wind in the Wires: Nieuport 28, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, Bristol F.2, Fokker Dr.I, Sopwith Camel, Sopwith Triplane, AEG G.IV, SPAD VII, Halberstadt CL.IV, Fokker D.VII

The Rise of the Monoplane: Martin MB-2, Hawker Hind, Fiat CR.32, Boeing P-26 Peashooter, Curtiss F9C, Sparrowhawk, Vought SB2U Vindicator, Westland Lysander, PZL P.11

World War II: Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, North American P-51 Mustang, Handley Page Halifax, Vickers Wellington, Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Wurger, Fairey Firefly, Fiat CR.42, Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, Heinkel He 219 Uhu, Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, Arado Ar 234 Blitz

Cold War to the Present: North American F-86 Sabre, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Grumman A-6 Intruder, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, Hawker Siddeley Harrier, McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15 Eagle, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, Mikoyan MiG-29, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter

About this title

About the Author:

Donald Nijboer is an aviation author, historian, a documentary writer/producer, as well as a college instructor and Smithsonian speaker. His articles have appeared in Flight Journal, Aviation History, and Aeroplane Monthly. Donald lives in Toronto, Canada.

Dan Patterson is an accomplished photographer who has excelled in the fields of portraiture, architecture, and aviation. His work has been featured in 23 books, and in 2003 he received the first annual Harry B. Combs Award from the National Aviation Hall of Fame for Excellence in the Preservation of Aviation History. The National Portrait Gallery in London selected five of his portraits of British aviators to be included in their permanent collection. In addition, he has served as an aviation lecturer for the Smithsonian Journeys program. Dan lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Review:

"This is a very intelligent and extremely rewarding book.  It informs and it really looks fab." - War History Online

"...his amazing book, Fighting Cockpits, is packed with wonderful photos, amazing details, and insightful comments from pilots who've flown everything from the Sopwith Camel to the B-17 to the long-awaited F-35."

- WIRED.com

"Fighting Cockpits... places the reader inside the cockpit of these incredible machines."

- Business Insider

"What aviation fan, historian or participant does not wish to sit in cockpits of historical aircraft? To become part of its space? To be ensconced within its environment? Fighting Cockpits delivers this and much more."

- Travel for Aircraft (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

"Nijboer's new book offers a fascinating take on the development of such technology. With high-resolution color photos of more than 50 historic cockpits by photographer Dan Patterson , "Fighting Cockpits" successfully gives even a casual reader a real feel for what facing the elements, adversaries and crude technology actually meant for World War I-era pilots. Perhaps "Fighting Cockpits" is most impressive for reminding us that the continuing development of military aircraft technology may have paradoxically kept us out of a third world war."

- Forbes.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Zenith Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0760349568
• ISBN 13: 9780760349564
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224