Book review.
Mar. 17th, 2010 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pathology_docTitle: US NAVAL AIR SUPERIORITY - Development of shipborne jet fighters 1943-1962, by Tommy H. Thomason.
Okay, first the declaration of conflicts of interest - I know the author, if only in the sense that we are fellow travellers on this incredibly geeky site, and I could at any moment, if I so chose, send him an e-mail or PM saying "Your book sucked" or "Great job, mate, keep it up".
That being said, I think this is one of the best reads I've had in the airplane field for a while. What you see is what's described on the cover, beginning with the decision by the US Navy that it had to have fighters as good as any available to land-based services (i.e. jets), and the technical ins and outs (without any heavy mathematics) as to why some very intelligent people thought this might not be possible (corollary: 'with then-current technology').
The best and most interesting thing about the book is the way Thomason interweaves the development of the various aircraft (from the smashing successes to the embarrassing and sometimes horrific failures) with the aircraft carriers from which they flew, how improvements and changes (particularly the ever-increasing size and weight) to the aircraft were met by improvements and changes to the aircraft carriers, and how related techniques (particularly in-flight refuelling) eased the problems significantly.
While he sings the praises of US naval fighter development, he's not afraid to give credit where credit's due (many of the operational and design features that made carrier aviation more pleasant are openly acknowledged as British inventions). Nor is he afraid to detail the complete and utter failures in the story, and the knock-on effects that the failure of a component (most particularly the J40 engine, but there are others) can have on a variety of aircraft programmes (with potentially dire consequences to the fleet's ability to defend itself) that are designed around the component.
The evolution of the individual designs is described in detail, together with notes on how armament, radar, engines etc. were integrated (or in some cases failed to be integrated) with the designs and even the consequences of fitting some of this equipment to performance and reliability. It's this plus the integrated story of carrier → aircraft → carrier development and the discussion of operational limitations that had to be overcome which makes the book a winner, and something more than just a hagiographic paean to the story of Cold War carrier jet development. There is, for example, an entire chapter devoted solely to carrier design development and another devoted to safety improvements. The diagrams and pictures are excellent.
This book is well worth the money.
Okay, first the declaration of conflicts of interest - I know the author, if only in the sense that we are fellow travellers on this incredibly geeky site, and I could at any moment, if I so chose, send him an e-mail or PM saying "Your book sucked" or "Great job, mate, keep it up".
That being said, I think this is one of the best reads I've had in the airplane field for a while. What you see is what's described on the cover, beginning with the decision by the US Navy that it had to have fighters as good as any available to land-based services (i.e. jets), and the technical ins and outs (without any heavy mathematics) as to why some very intelligent people thought this might not be possible (corollary: 'with then-current technology').
The best and most interesting thing about the book is the way Thomason interweaves the development of the various aircraft (from the smashing successes to the embarrassing and sometimes horrific failures) with the aircraft carriers from which they flew, how improvements and changes (particularly the ever-increasing size and weight) to the aircraft were met by improvements and changes to the aircraft carriers, and how related techniques (particularly in-flight refuelling) eased the problems significantly.
While he sings the praises of US naval fighter development, he's not afraid to give credit where credit's due (many of the operational and design features that made carrier aviation more pleasant are openly acknowledged as British inventions). Nor is he afraid to detail the complete and utter failures in the story, and the knock-on effects that the failure of a component (most particularly the J40 engine, but there are others) can have on a variety of aircraft programmes (with potentially dire consequences to the fleet's ability to defend itself) that are designed around the component.
The evolution of the individual designs is described in detail, together with notes on how armament, radar, engines etc. were integrated (or in some cases failed to be integrated) with the designs and even the consequences of fitting some of this equipment to performance and reliability. It's this plus the integrated story of carrier → aircraft → carrier development and the discussion of operational limitations that had to be overcome which makes the book a winner, and something more than just a hagiographic paean to the story of Cold War carrier jet development. There is, for example, an entire chapter devoted solely to carrier design development and another devoted to safety improvements. The diagrams and pictures are excellent.
This book is well worth the money.