Jim WinchesterCritiques

Not quite the book I was expecting, but that might be a comment on the nature of the incident in question, as on December 5, 1965, pilot Douglas Webster rolled tail-first off the carrier "Ticonderoga" while participating in an exercise involving an actual atomic weapon. In barely a minute the pilot, the plane, and the weapon were lost, with the event, as was typical for the period, being suppressed.

From there, Winchester gives you a grab bag of supporting stories, this book being a biography of Webster, a chronicle of the carrier "Ticonderoga" (particularly her war cruise of 1965-66), an examination of the operational theory of the nuclear arsenals carried on the U.S. Navy's carriers, the publicity impact of what happened once the incident was finally uncovered, and a coda about the lingering impact.

As for what the U.S. Navy made of this whole event, it did lead to a certain tightening of procedures in terms of deck-handling of aircraft on carriers. One consistent theme in Winchester's chronicle is the high level of physical menace on a carrier during an operational deployment.

So, not the most scintillating book I've ever read, but it was certainly informative.½

A fascinating look at some of the bloopers in the aircraft industry. Some aircraft were commercially unsuccessful, some no longer met military requirements, some definitely should not have left the drawing board. The aircraft presented run the gamut from bogus concepts to planes with power problems to construction disasters, among other flaws. The World s Worst Aircraft takes a detailed but light-hearted look at these flying disasters.

Fueled by the desire to conquer the unknown, the aviation industry has creates some of the most remarkable and spectacular aircraft ever to fly, including rocket-powered spacecraft, vertical take-off aeroplanes, giant transporters and experimental rotorcraft. This title details 150 of these incredible and unusual aircraft, from the early years of aviation to the present day, exploring their capabilities, features and development.

Good book, but little detail

This is a detailed look at over 70 of the most significant and successful fighter and attack aircraft ever produced, from the Sopwith Camel to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Arranged chronologically, each aircraft is illustrated with color photographs and profile artworks, while a detailed specification panel gives full technical details including dimensions, speed, range, and armament.

nuclear weapons, US Navy,

An incredibly detail-packed book that taught me lots of cool stuff about planes I thought I already knew a lot about. And dozens of planes I'd never heard of. Very tiny print (the way I like it), expertly-chosen illustrations, and concise summaries.½

A Chronology of Aviation by Jim Winchester is a well written, nicely illustrated volume taking us from the very beginning of man’s leaving the ground to early 2013. I personally like the way Winchester laid out the book with the history being presented in two ways: a nicely written narrative format, along with the typical ‘timeline’ listings down the right side of the pages.

Jim Winchester is a prolific author of aviation titles and has also appeared in many periodicals as well. His knowledge shines through the pages of A Chronology of Aviation and Winchester’s writing style will appeal to everyone from the neophyte aviation fan to the serious historian.

The book’s large format allows for detailed photographs interspersed with the text and although not a thick volume, the content nicely covers all the major flying machines from balloons to the F-35.½

Not as interesting as his other reference book, [b:Civil Aircraft|1538750|Civil Aircraft|Jim Winchester|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1184905816s/1538750.jpg|1530905], but definitely a good inclusion to your 'reference books' shelf.

Funny at times and technical at some. This is the kind of book you would spend sometime with when you don't want to read anything serious.

Best reference book about Civil Aircraft of the world that I have read. I still refer it whenever I want to know anything about any civil aircraft. A must have book for aviation enthusiasts or even for someone highly curious like me.

There are many reference books out there on World War-II aircraft. This is one of the better ones.

A good look into the aviation world of concept aircraft. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of work that goes into the R & D that eventually leads into the development of a new aircraft.

A fun reference book of 'bad' aircraft. From 20 wing monstrosities (more must be better, right?) to flying cars and early VTOL attempts, the planes range from total disasters to concept planes that just didn't make it. If you are a fan of airplanes, this is a good reference to have, if just for a chuckle or two.

A quick fix for aviation buffs, the AMA (American Military Aircraft) provides a brief yet surprisingly detailed explanation and comparison of aircraft from early World War to post millennium time periods. The guide is no Jane's handbook in terms of sheer number of catalogs, but AMA's richly illustrated diagrams, navigability, and reliability provides a good mental refreshment for late-night studies.½

This is, to my knowledge, the *third* book (all by different authors) to carry this title . . . after one by James Gilbert published in the early 1980s ]and another written a decade later by Bill Yenne. Of the three, Winchester's covers the widest range of failed designs, but offers the least discussion of each type. Its greatest value is its definition of "worst," which corresponds roughly to "least successful" and thus includes aircraft that worked alright but were designed for poorly conceived niches (jet flying boats? parasite fighters?), were left behind by the rapid advance of technology (the hapless Douglas Devastator and Fairey Battle of WWII), or were testbeds for failed concepts (nuclear-powered bombers, Mach-3 airliners). Airplane enthusiasts will get a good laugh out of this book, but it also underlines the fact that the history of technology is *not* a steady, linear "march of progress" . . . always a valuable lesson.

INDEX; PHOTOGRAPHS