My Throne A Cockpit by Owen Williamson

$19.99 NZD

Category: Aviation | Reading Level: Near Fine

When your office is the cockpit of a topdressing aeroplane, it's hard not to think of your seat as a throne. As your daily commute takes in the grandeur of the mountains, the beauty of the sunrise and the sight of the world going about its business below, ...

Classic Planes by Ivor Wilkins

$85.00 NZD

Category: Aviation

New Zealand has long held a passion for its aviation history - the bravado, ingenuity and trailblazing spirit says a lot about who we are. Classic Planes celebrates that legacy, from the first fledgling beginnings to the present day. With eloquence and colour, bestselling author Ivor Wilkins itraces the story of planes in New Zealand, beginning with the exploits of Richard Pearse and shining a light on other local pioneers, Jean Batten and Tim Wallis among them. He also examines the machines from bygone eras, celebrating those who lovingly restore planes in the modern day, and revels in our ongoing love affair with winged wonders. Tiger moths and taperwings comingle with staggerwings, spitfires, mosquitoes and Mustangs, all figures of our airborne past. In Classic Planes, breathtaking new photography is complemented by archival imagery, revealing a truly special and important celebration of planes and people. As the author notes in his preface- 'love is in the air' . . . ...Show more

Spitfire by John Nichol

$26.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

THE SUNDAY TIMES NON FICTION BESTSELLER   'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane.' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter Boys.   'A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine. By focussing on the men (and women) who flew the Spitfire , John Nichol has brought a fresh and powerful perspective to the story. And by recording their bravery, humility, camaraderie, tragedy and sheer joy in flying their beloved Spits he has done them - and us - a valuable service' Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607   'As the RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a thrilling and often moving tribute to some of its greatest heroes.' Jon Dennis, Mail on Sunday magazine.   'A stirring portrait of a piece of aviation art in motion flown by the bravest of the brave. Nichol's Spitfire is still a sky-borne prima ballerina that kicks like Bruce Lee.' RAF News   'A superb and compelling book. Brilliantly written with some incredible and astonishing stories; it is gripping, moving, emotional and sometimes humorous - just perfect' Squadron Leader (Ret) Clive Rowley, former Officer Commanding RAF Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight   'A superb journey through the remarkable tale of that British icon, the Spitfire. Brilliantly and engagingly written, this is the most readable story of the aircraft and her pilots that I have ever had the pleasure to read in a period spanning some forty-odd years of personal study and research. Truly stunning.' Andy Saunders, Editor, Britain at War Magazine.   The perfect complementary narrative to the bestselling memoir by Geoffrey Wellum - First Light.   Achtung, Spitfire The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so loved today?   In late spring 1940, Nazi Germany's domination of Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach since the fall of France, Adolf Hitler was convinced that Great Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast, confident his Messerschmitts and Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn't planned for was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend - the Spitfire.   Bestselling author John Nichol's passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the Spitfire's deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa and the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit.   Here are edge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts of battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in battle-ready condition. Nichol takes the reader on a hair-raising, nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you want to stand up and cheer. ...Show more

On a Wing and a Prayer: The Race that Stopped the World by Diane Websdale-Morrissey

$38.00 NZD

Category: Aviation

In 1934, Melbourne's Lord Mayor announced a London-to-Melbourne air race to celebrate his city's centenary. The audacious plan captured imaginations across the globe: newspapers and magazines everywhere were filled with it; the world's pilots scrambled to get sponsorship; and the organisers scrambled t o get the rules straight and permission to fly in foreign air space.Sixty-four entrants from eleven countries signed up, but only twenty planes eventually took off on 20 October 1934. The winner arrived in Melbourne seventy-one hours later--but three planes crashed and two pilots died in the attempt. The world followed the progress and applauded the winners, Britain's Grovsenor House (outright) and The Netherlands' Uiver (on handicap), but the real climax of the story is the astonishing efforts by the town of Albury in saving the Uiver as it battled through a fierce thunderstorm with no navigational aids, guiding the tiny plane to an emergency landing in the middle of the town with the most quick-thinking, imaginative response to its terrifying predicament. This heroic race, considered the greatest single sporting event in the history of aviation, is a tale of eccentric characters, daring deeds and sublime courage. Di Websdale- Morrissey's page-turning account will have readers holding their breaths, just as the world did eighty-five years ago. ...Show more

How Airliners Fly : A Passenger's Guide by EVANS JULIEN

$39.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

The Spitfire: An Icon of the Skies by Philip Kaplan

$89.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

The magnificent Vickers Supermarine Spitfire, together with its able partner the Hawker Hurricane, saved Britain from Nazi invasion in the summer of 1940 and irrevocably changed the course of the Second World War. This new book from Philip Kaplan celebrates one of history's most important weapons in a g lorious new light. A British national icon, the Spitfire is the best-known symbol of the war years for generations of Britons. From the deep, haunting growl of its Rolls-Royce engine, to the elegant style of its elliptical wing, it is perhaps the most famous and revered combat airplane ever built. Kaplan investigates just what it is that fuels the Spitfire's compelling mystique. During wartime, it held an unrivaled reputation amongst Allied and Axis airmen. Today, it continues to hold aviation enthusiasts in thrall. Kaplan highlights the immeasurable contributions of Spitfire designers Reginald J. Mitchell and Joseph Smith, test pilots Jeffrey Quill, Mutt Summers and Alex Henshaw, and ace Spitfire pilots including Al Deere, Sailor Malan and Pierre Clostermann. All added to the legend of this lovely, but deadly, little fighter. The origin and evolution of the plane are tracked, and the story of the marvelous Merlin engine that powered so many Spitfires through those challenging war years and beyond is brought to life. Kaplan considers the phenomenon of the burgeoning warbird movement, a worldwide effort to restore, preserve and display scores of Spitfires and many other military aircraft types for hundreds of thousands of air show visitors the world over. There are only a few airworthy Mark I Spitfires today and this book centres round the Mk Ia AR213, whose total restoration to flying status was completed in 2008\. Much of its colourful background is described, as is the experience of flying it, in the words of both Tony Bianchi and Jonathan Whaley, who have flown it for many years and, arguably, know it better than anyone. In this, the eighth decade of Mitchell's brilliant fighter, Spitfire: An Icon of the Skies is dedicated to the craftsmen and women who built it. ...Show more

The Men Who Flew the Halifax by Martin W. Bowman

$69.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

This is the story of the air war over Western Europe, much of it told by the Halifax pilots and air crew who took part. It spans the period between 1942 and 1945 and covers the encounters between the Luftwaffe and the air forces of Britain and the Commonwealth.Many unique experiences are recounted conce rning the daily bombing raids that were hurled against Hitler's war machine. The author has sought the experiences of RAF and German fighter pilots, who explain how they stalked their prey before pouncing to catastrophic effect.This book contains vivid accounts of some of the most heroic actions in the history of air warfare. ...Show more

I Have Control - A Pilot's View of Changing Airliner Technology by Keith Spragg

$47.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

Between 1967 and 1997 Keith Spragg progressed from the greenest new co-pilot on a piston-engined Vickers Viking to a fully qualified jet captain.  He then went on to become an experienced pilot trainer and examiner.  The story of that journey, told in I Have Control, is a personal one but is a lso part of the wider story of airline development.  Keith witnessed many changes and it was not only the aircraft that changed; the training, attitudes and culture of airline pilots themselves were transformed over that period. Under the day-to-day demands of disrupted rosters and unsociable hours, the moments of humour and the need to squeeze as much fun as possible out of every day, the significance of these changes was not always obvious.  Now, with time to reflect, the small boy's fascination with flight lives on.  While the job changed, the rewards, the comradeship and the sense of privilege continued.  But now Keith asks tough questions about the application of technology.  Is the modern flight deck fit for purpose?  Have we sacrificed skill on the altar of technology?  How should the industry respond to the prospect of artificial intelligence and pilotless airliners? ...Show more

The Vickers Viscount: The World's First Turboprop Airliner by Nick Stroud

$59.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

By some margin the most successful British medium-range airliner ever produced, the world-beating Viscount was a sublime combination of Vickers state-of-the-art post-war design and Rolls-Royce s cutting-edge power-plant technology, both companies being at the very peak of their powers during the type s genesis and evolution. Tracing its origins back to the wartime Brabazon Committee, the Viscount was one of several designs from various British aircraft manufacturers produced to fulfill the committee s specifications for a fast, economical short- to medium-range airliner to satisfy the demands of the burgeoning post-war civil aviation market, which was predicted to grow at a healthy rate over the following decades. Vickers chief designer and Managing Director George Edwards was quick to respond, the result being the Dart turboprop-powered Vickers V.630, which made its first flight in July 1948, despite its future looking uncertain after British European Airways having twenty examples of ordered its chief rival, Airspeed s Ambassador, six months before. The Viscount nevertheless entered full service with BEA in 1953, much to the relief of its manufacturer, orders flooding in thereafter from numerous airlines and air forces all over the world. Ultimately, some 200 individual airlines, companies and organisations in more than eighty countries operated the dependable and, crucially, development-friendly Viscount over its long and distinguished career. This book tells the full story of the world s first turboprop airliner, from its Brabazon Committee beginnings, through its early flight trials programme and entry into service, to its almost unassailable position as the world s number one medium-haul turboprop, including its astonishing breakthrough in the USA, where it single-handedly broke the big American manufacturers stranglehold on the airliner market. The type s military career is also covered, as is its construction; also included in this volume are details of the numerous variants produced and those of the 444 built still surviving as exhibits today, along with twenty-four superb artworks by world-renowned aviation illustrator Juanita Franzi. ...Show more

Many a Close Run Thing by Tom Enright

$39.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

A New Zealand squadron leader, flying-boat captain and airliner pilot on a life of aerial adventure Though rarely seen above the small sheep farming town called Ranfurly in Central Otago in the 1940s, Tom Enright developed a fascination with planes from an early age. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force as an engineer in 1951 and was sent to England at just 16 to attend the revered Royal Air Force college in Cranwell, graduating as a pilot. He returned to New Zealand to join the Vampire fighter squadron in Ohakea and became a member of the RNZAF aerobatic team, before becoming chief flying instructor at Wigram air base. Later Tom spent time flying an old Sunderland flying boat to isolated communities in the South Pacific, often to the upper limits of the Sunderland's endurance, picking up victims of tetanus, taking KFC to the Cook Islands, and flying into secret US airbases. This is his story of the thrills, near-misses and high-altitude drama of a pilot ace. ...Show more

Boeing 707 Group: A History by Graham M. Simons

$89.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

The Boeing 707 family - that includes the forerunner Model 367-80, the KC-135 series of military transports and the slightly smaller Model 720 - was the pioneer of the sweptback wing, incorporating podded engines borrowed from the B-47 military bomber. It was the aircraft that many regard as the design that really ushered in the Jet-Age. This new book from the established aviation historian Graham Simons examines the entire course of the Boeing 707 s history, charting an impressive design evolution and illustrating the many ways in which the 707 s legacy continues to be felt to this day. In laying the foundation for Boeing's preeminence on the word s jetliner market during the 1980s and 90s, the 707 paved the way for future innovations in both civilian and military fields and Graham Simons has put together an image-packed history that records the historic and landmark milestones of this iconic aircraft type. ...Show more

A Spitfire Girl - One of the World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots Tells Her Story by Mary Ellis; Melody Foreman

$44.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

We visualise dashing and daring young men as the epitome of the pilots of the Second World War, yet amongst that elite corps was one person who flew no less than 400 Spitfires and seventy-six different types of aircraft and that person was Mary Wilkins.Her story is one of the most remarkable and endeari ng of the war, as this young woman, serving as a ferry pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary, transported aircraft for the RAF, including fast fighter planes and huge four-engine bombers. On one occasion Mary delivered a Wellington bomber to an airfield, and as she climbed out of the aircraft the RAF ground crew ran over to her and demanded to know where the pilot was! Mary said simply: I am the pilot! Unconvinced the men searched the aircraft before they realised a young woman had indeed flown the bomber all by herself.After the war she accepted a secondment to the RAF, being chosen as one of the first pilots, and one of only three women, to take the controls of the new Meteor fast jet. By 1950 the farmer's daughter from Oxfordshire with a natural instinct to fly became Europe's first female air commandant.In this authorised biography the woman who says she kept in the background during her ATA years and left all the glamour of publicity to her colleagues, finally reveals all about her action-packed career which spans almost a century of aviation, and her love for the skies which, even in her nineties, never falters.She says: I am passionate for anything fast and furious. I always have been since the age of three and I always knew I would fly. The day I stepped into a Spitfire was a complete joy and it was the most natural thing in the world for me. ...Show more