P-40 Warhawk Pilot's Flight Operating Manual [Paperback]

Periscope Film.com (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2006

Flown by the American Volunteer Group in China known as the "Flying Tigers", the P-40 Warhawk earned a reputation for its toughness in combat. Facing odds of 6 to 1 in most combat situations, AVG pilots relied on their skill, daring and their aircraft's superior diving speed to achieve victory. By war's end the Tigers had destroyed more than 1200 Japanese planes, with another 700 listed as probables. Their own losses came to 573 aircraft. Originally printed by the U.S. Army Air Force for pilots transitioning to the P-40, this flight manual contains detailed information about one of history's great planes. Originally classified as "restricted", the manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Some color images appear in black and white, and some pages have been slightly reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Curtiss P-40 was a U.S. single-engine, single-seat, low-wing, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft which first flew in 1938, and was used in great numbers in World War II. Over 13,500 P-40s were produced.

Between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played a critical role with Allied air forces in five major theaters around the world: China; the Mediterranean Theater; the South East Asian Theater; the South West Pacific Area, and in Eastern Europe.

P-40s first saw action with British Commonwealth air forces in the Desert Air Force, in August 1941. The RAF's No. 112 Squadron was the first to fly Tomahawks in North Africa. The squadron copied the famous shark mouth markings under the spinner from Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 110 Zerstörer units, and the logo was later adopted by the Flying Tigers in China.

The P-40 performed extremely well in the China-Burma-India Theatre, scoring high kill ratios against Japanese craft throughout the war. The P-40 remained in use in the CBI until 1944 and was reportedly preferred over the P-51 Mustang by some U.S. pilots flying in China.

At least 40 US Pilots reached Ace status flying the P-40 in the China-Burma-India Theatre.

The American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) were integrated into the USAAF as the 23rd Fighter Group. The unit continued to fly P-40s (of newer models) until the end of the war, racking up a high kill-to-loss ratio.

From the Author

One of a series of historic flight manuals reprinted by Periscope Film, all of which are sold on Amazon.com Other titles include: SR-71 Blackbird, X-15 Rocket Plane, P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning, TBM / TBF Avenger Torpedo Plane, B-29 Superfortress Bomber, B-17 Bomber, YB-49 Flying Wing, B-24 Liberator Bomber, P-61 Black Widow Night Fighter, and Vought F4U-4 Corsair.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (May 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141169371X
• ISBN-13: 978-1411693715
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,609,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Really, really cool original training manual for P-40 Warhawk, July 1, 2006

By 

FullFathomFive (Kings Harbor, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P-40 Warhawk Pilot's Flight Operating Manual (Paperback)

This is one terrific gift! I've been a modeler for a long, long time and I always love to have detailed references for my kits. This is one special book in that regard, as it has cockpit views of the plane and what's really neat, you can read all about the performance of the Warhawk and how you were supposed to fly it. It's absolutely fascinating to flip thru this!! I've been a fan of this plane since I was a kid and "Baa Baa Blacksheep" was a show on television. I was simply glued to the screen! Not to mention the John Wayne "Flying Tigers" film which was filled with P-40s. What a unique plane with such a unique history -- and this book really does put you in the pilot's seat. It's the exact manual the men who flew it used to acquaint themselves with this warbird! I highly recommend it.