AIRCRAFT VERSUS AIRCRAFT: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 to the Present [Paperback]

Norman Franks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

As soon as the first aeroplane had proved its value in war it became a target, and the fighter pilot was born. This book tells the story of the men and the aircraft in which they fought, from the rudimentary beginnings of tactics to the sophisticated technology of the present day.

Using diagrammatic paintings and pinpoint line artwork, the author illustrates the often complex manoeuvres of air combat, and tells the stories of fighter aces such as Baron von Richthofen, Albert Ball, Saburo Sakai, "Sailor" Malan and Joseph McConnell. The book includes strategy and tactics from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Falklands and the Gulf.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Grub Street (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902304047
• ISBN-13: 978-1902304045
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,946,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book of air combat for general readers, September 6, 2000

By 

"cobrachen" - See all my reviews

This review is from: AIRCRAFT VERSUS AIRCRAFT: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 to the Present (Paperback)

This is a very good book covered the air combat history and tatics from WW1 to Gulf War. With charts and pictures, readers can find very usful information of the aircrafts, weapons, tatics plus background stories of each campaign and time period.

Since this books covers a wide range of time line, this is good for general readers who want to get comprehensive knowledge of air combat or readeds who just start reading materials in this field. For those who have more knowledge of air combat, this may not be the best for more depth of each time period.

Although with good coverage and materials, revision of typo is required if this book is going to be published again. Some of them are really obvious and may misdirected readers.

For summary, this is a good book for general readers' collection.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining book for fans of air combat and tactics, January 17, 2000

By 

T. Whigham (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: AIRCRAFT VERSUS AIRCRAFT: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 to the Present (Paperback)

This is a very entertaining book for fans of aviation, air combat, and tactics to use in flight simulators. Lots of pictures and diagrams, printed on glossy paper, easy to understand and follow, this book is a good primer for those who are looking to improve their air combat skills in flight simulators. It follows the history of air combat from WW1 to today's modern jets, and for each conflict it highlights the tactics used by pilots as they match their plane against the enemy. Norman Franks selects particular dogfights in each war to serve as examples of how fighter pilots put their aircraft's strengths to good use when battling in the skies. Speed, maneuverability, guns, durability ... all of these are taken into account.

This book knows its audience - mainstream America - and seeks to entertain and educate at the same time. Its a good book to keep around and appeals to fans of aviation of all ages.