Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler [Hardcover]

Bill Yenne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2009

Convair Deltas: From SeaDart to Hustler tells the compelling story of America's aerospace industry in its heyday, when manufacturers boldly took the initiative to explore futuristic new designs by actually building and test flying airplanes to determine how well they would work, if at all. Convair led the way in this area with America's only complete family of delta-wing aircraft that included America's first delta-wing jet, the one-of-a-kind XF-92 experimental prototype, the XF2Y-1 jet-powered seaplane, the XFY-1 Pogo turboprop vertical takeoff and landing fighter, the F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart supersonic missile-firing interceptors, and the revolutionary record-breaking four-engine B-58 Hustler the world's first Mach 2 strategic bomber. Noted aviation author Bill Yenne thoroughly documents Convair's quest to conquer the aerodynamic mysteries of the delta wing with stories of the dramatic struggles and technological breakthroughs that gave the world some of its greatest fighter and bomber aircraft.

Editorial Reviews

Review

All of this is enhanced by a super selection of photos and illustrations from a variety of sources, making it another outstanding Specialty Press presentation. It is a book that I can easily recommend to you and I know that once you start to read it, you will agree. -----Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, September 2009

Specialty Press is known for its quality aviation books and one of its most recent is a real stunner. This book is an essential item for any enthusiast interested in the continuing development of aeronautics. -----Air Classics, reviewed by George Hulett, December 2009

A thorough documentation, through text and photographs, of Convair's quest to conquer the aerodynamic mysteries of delta-wing aircraft. - --Air & Space, Feb/March 2010

Specialty Press is known for its quality aviation books and one of its most recent is a real stunner. This book is an essential item for any enthusiast interested in the continuing development of aeronautics. -----Air Classics, reviewed by George Hulett, December 2009

A thorough documentation, through text and photographs, of Convair's quest to conquer the aerodynamic mysteries of delta-wing aircraft. ---Air & Space, Feb/March 2010

About the Author

Bill Yenne has traveled far and wide to research his topics and shoot the photographs that have appeared in his books. He has flown in the jump seat of a B-52 and has worked with the legendary U.S. Air Force commander, General Curtis E. LeMay, to produce Superfortress: The B-29 and American Airpower in World War II, which Publisher's Weekly described as "an eloquent tribute." Yenne is the author of more than 75 non-fiction books on a wide variety of topics, from history, to popular culture, to transportation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers (August 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158007118X
• ISBN-13: 978-1580071185
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Yenne is the author of several novels and over three dozen books on historical topics, as well as having been a contributor to encyclopedias of both world wars. He has traveled throughout the world researching his books.

The "New Yorker" wrote of "Sitting Bull," his biography of the great Lakota leader, that it "excels as a study in leadership." This book was named to the number 14 spot among Amazon's 100 Best Books of the Year.

"Library Journal" observed that "enthusiastic World War II readers will be drawn to" his dual biography, "Aces High: The Heroic Story of the Two Top Scoring American Aces of World War II."

Recently, his book "Convair Deltas" was named as "Book of the Month" by "Air Classics," while his book "Tommy Gun" was named "Pick of the Month" by "Shooting Illustrated."

His book "Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint" was listed among the top business books of the year by "Condé Nast Portfolio Magazine," which rated Yenne's tome as its TOP pick for "Cocktail Conversation."

Yenne's "Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II," was praised by Walter Boyne, former Director of the National Air & Space Museum, who called it "a fast moving... page turner," and the "best book yet written on the saga."

The "Wall Street Journal" wrote, when reviewing his "Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West," that Yenne writes with "cinematic vividness," and says of his work that it "has the rare quality of being both an excellent reference work and a pleasure to read."

The author lives in San Francisco, California, and on the web at www.BillYenne.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars daggers, darts and hustlers, September 12, 2009

By 

A reader (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler (Hardcover)

Bill Yenne's new book, Convair Deltas, is a detailed but very readable look at F-102s, F-106s and B-58s. In addition to an interesting and informative writeup on the airplanes, Yenne includes a listing of every unit each type was assigned to. Best of all, however, is the terrific selection of photos. Many are full page and in color, from Convair and Air Force photographers. All of them are new to me.

This is the kind of book that other airplane books would like to be: lots of interesting information without being so dense that the reader's eyes glaze over in a few pages, filled with great photos.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive, Detailed Delta History, October 15, 2009

By 

Terry Sunday (El Paso, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler (Hardcover)

Delta-winged aircraft are largely just an interesting footnote in the annals of aviation history. As with so many other technological achievements, the Germans did it first in World War II with the far-out, unflown designs of Alexander Lippisch. After the War, Britain's AVRO "Vulcan" long-range bomber was perhaps the most distinctive delta-winged aircraft ever. The "Vulcan" was in service for many years in the Royal Air Force (RAF), and saw combat in the British-Argentine conflict over the Falkland Islands (or the Malvinas, depending on which side you were on). In the non-military arena, the Anglo-French Mach 2 "Concorde" airliner carried well-heeled jet-set passengers with speed, exclusivity and luxury until a fatal crash in 2000 in Paris permanently grounded the fleet. The United States has developed more delta-winged aircraft than any other nation, and one American company has built most of them---the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation.

"Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler" is an outstanding history of Convair's delta-winged aircraft. If you're familiar with the Specialty Press line of aviation and spaceflight books, you'll know what to expect. This volume does not disappoint. Renowned historian and military/aviation author Bill Yenne starts out with a 10-page history of Convair in its many corporate incarnations. He then jumps right into the full design and development stories of the fascinating delta-winged aircraft that the company produced over a span of nearly 25 years. They're all here: the XF-92A, the F-102 "Delta Dagger," the XFY-1 "Pogo" VTOL fighter, the F2Y-1 "Sea Dart" jet seaplane, the F-106 "Delta Dart" and the incredible B-58 "Hustler" supersonic bomber. Mr. Yenne gives comprehensive, detailed technical descriptions of each aircraft, describes their development and flight-test programs and then covers the operational histories of those that went into production. He includes hundreds of well-chosen black-and-white and color photographs (many of them rare images from his personal collection) and a few drawings of, for example, actual and proposed aircraft configurations, cockpit layouts, etc.

There's not much more to say about "Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler" other than to recommend it highly for every aviation enthusiast. It covers a specialized topic, to be sure, but an exceptionally interesting and important one. Mr. Yenne does a superb job of telling the tale of the groundbreaking aircraft that proved out an aerodynamic concept perhaps most famously embodied in today's Space Shuttle Orbiter. Their aerodynamic and structural advantages mean that delta wings will probably always be around, and here's the full story of their early, formative years in development, flight test and operations. This is very good stuff.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book, March 23, 2010

By 

Maureen Plekker "chinadoll158" (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Convair Deltas: From Sea Dart to Hustler (Hardcover)

I must say that I really enjoyed this book. There is so much about the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation Deltas that I didn't know. I especially liked the chapters detailing the development and testing of the B-58 Hustler, one of my all-time favourite aircraft. The photos throughout the book are really great and complement the text very well. I give this book four stars as I would have preferred a little more 'technical' detail; but that is just a personal choice and I am very pleased to have purchased it. I recommend this book to anybody who has any interest in the glory years of aviation ('50s and'60s) where aircraft development was at its peak.