Cessna Warbirds: A Detailed and Personal History of Cessna's Involvement in the Armed Forces (Paperback)

by Walt Shiel (Author) "In 1911, Clyde Vernon Cessna, a 31-year-old farmer/mechanic from Rago, Kansas, became fascinated with the embryonic technology of aviation..." (more)
Key Phrases: normal liftoff speed, thrust attenuators, limiting airspeed, Cessna Warbirds, Kansas Aviation Museum, Pickett Collection (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A superb reference for warbird enthusiasts of any time period. -- Warbirds, June 1996

A true military aviation enthusiast's delight...I recommend [it] without reservation to anyone interested in Cessna aircraft in military service. -- Airpower Journal, Winter 1997

An informative and entertaining book that should enjoy a wide audience. -- Flight, April 1997

First-person reminiscences from those who flew the Cessna warbirds lift the book beyond mere catalogued facts and figures. -- Pilot, November 1996

This just has to be the definitive work on Cessna’s military aeroplanes. -- Flightpath, August-October 1996

Product Description
This landmark book by former Air Force pilot and internationally-known aviation author Walt Shiel, provides the complete and rarely-told story of the 12,000+ Cessna aircraft that have served in the US military and in armed forces around the world. Cessna Warbirds blends hard technical information about each aircraft with personal anecdotes by the pilots who flew them. Over 400 photos, many in color, illustrate the aircraft and their operational use. Read about amazing feats accomplished by ordinary men with extraordinary courage when these aircraft were flown in hot conflicts around the world. This book is perfect for anyone who has flown military aircraft, is interested in military aviation, owns of flies Cessna aircraft, or experiences a military Walter Mitty episode whenever they take to the skies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 329 pages
• Publisher: Slipdown Mountain Publications LLC; 1st edition (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879825252
• ISBN-13: 978-1879825253
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #779,758 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE WAITING IS OVER, READ ABOUT CESSNA'S MILITARY AIRCRAFT, January 25, 2000

By	Ed Whitson (Yuba City, California) - See all my reviews

I have waited a lifetime for someone to come forward with the dedication to Cessna Aircraft's military history. I am looking forward to reading in depth about Cessna's different models. Walt Shiel was a pilot, I was a mechanic, we were both involved, at different times, with the airplane that took fuel and converted it to noise. Long loved by the people who worked on and flew them, I am referring to the Cessna T-37. Walt has done an excellent job in preparing this book. Long past due, Cessna deserves the credit due its involvement with all phases of pilot and navigation training. Without Cessna, there would be no military pilots to fly the warbirds that often take all of the credit. And Walt derserves the credit for bringing this to light. I will cherish and use his book. Thank You Walt

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Easy Reading For Aviation Enthusiasts, December 18, 1999

By	Frank Hamilton (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews

Cessna Warbirds : A Detailed and Personal History of Cessna's Involvement in the Armed Forces by Walt Shiel is a great book detailing the military application of Cessna aircraft, including one Cessna helicopter. Cessna Warbirds is a pleasant blend of hard fact and personal anecdotes from the author and numerous military pilots interviewed while writing this book. It was fun to read about how the same planes I have flown in civilian aviation were used in military applications. It was also interesting to see how the planes were altered to fit their intended service.

Shiel's writing is clear and his anecdotes are relevant and, when appropriate, thoroughly amusing making what could have been a dry list of figures a very human story that's easy to relate to. Because Cessna Warbirds contains specifications and histories for each Cessna aircraft used in a military fashion this book is a great reference source as well. It is obvious to anyone who has read either this book or any of Sheil's many articles on military aviation that he is a thorough researcher who is immersed in his subject. Reading the author's bio, I can think of few people who are better qualified to write this book. I can't recommend this book highly enough to anybody who is interested in aviation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference on a little publicized subject, February 13, 2008

By	W. Alcott (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Shamefully, I passed on picking up Cessna Warbirds when it first appeared, and only purchased it recently when the price hit bargain basement levels! This is the best single source reference on military Cessnas. While some aircraft have been given more detailed coverage elsewhere (such as the T/A-37 and O-1), it's great to see information in print on types such as the O-2, U-3 and T-41.

The first hand accounts make for an interesting read, and a different perspective than most titles in this genre. The book has plenty of detail - I love the note from the O-2B manual advising pilots to carry spare D-cell batteries for the onboard tape recorder, used to broadcast propaganda. Those looking for extensive photos may be disappointed - while the book is well illustrated, the photo reproduction is not great. The photo captions suffer from a number of errors, for example a RoKAF O-1 is labelled as belonging to Nationalist China; however this does not detract from the overall quality of the book.

Highly recommended.