From Library Journal
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The book is arranged alphabetically by manufacturer and then by name or designation (e.g., Bell UH-1 Iroquois, Bell V-22 Osprey). There are 325 entries, each with a black-and-white photograph of the aircraft and a listing of performance, power plant, armament, and service dates and a brief narrative detailing the development, deployment, and eventual retirement of the machines. Often mentioned in the narratives are production figures, records, unique features, model variants, and opinions on the success or failure of the aircraft. The reference is very current, mentioning such recent aircraft as the Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Lighting II, which is scheduled to be deployed in 2005.
Two bibliographies are included. The first lists books and articles on specific aircraft and is arranged by manufacturer. The second is a bibliography of more general titles. An appendix lists aircraft by function, such as "Air-Sea Rescue" and "Fighter." According to the preface, aircraft that performed several different functions are listed under each relevant category, but we found some discrepancies. For example, the entry for the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo describes it as a fighter and a reconnaissance craft, but in the appendix it is listed only under "Fighter." A second appendix is a chronological listing of aircraft by historical period, such as "World War I, 1917^-1918 " and "Contemporary, 1976^-2000." The third appendix is a list of about 45 aircraft museums throughout the U.S. and Canada. The lack of an index makes it hard to locate specific entries for specific aircraft such as the B-52 without knowing the manufacturer.
There are literally hundreds of reference books on military aircraft. Many are specialized by time period, country, type of plane, or service branch. Less comprehensive and technical than the standard Jane's All the World's Aircraft, Warbirds is an up-to-date, well-designed resource that will be popular in high-school, public, and academic libraries.
