Wings of the Weird & Wonderful
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Author: Eric "Winkle" Brown
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
ISBN: 978-1-902109-16-9
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Eric Brown is one of the best known British aviators, as he has flown an impressive catalog of aircraft from all over the world. This book is a compilation of the flight reports written by Eric Brown over the years, and it includes over fifty different aircraft from several nations. Included throughout the book are photos, profile illustrations, and cutaway drawings, although not every aircraft covered has all of these features.
The aircraft documented in this book include the Avro Lancaster, Avro Tudor, Bell Airacobra, Bell Airacomet, Bell Kingcobra, Boeing Flying Fortress, Brewster Buffalo, de Havilland Sea Hornet, de Havilland Sea Mosquito, de Havilland Sea Vampire, de Havilland Swallow, Douglas Boston, Fairey Gannet, Fairey Spearfish, General Aircraft GAL/56, Gloster E.28/39, Gloster Gauntlet, Gloster Meteor, Grumman Bearcat, Grumman Cougar, Grumman Hellcat, Grumman Tigercat, Grumman Wildcat, Handley Page Hampden, Hawker P.1052, Hawker Sea Fury, Hawker Sea Hawk, Horten IV, Lockheed Lightning, Martin Baker MB 5, Martin Marauder, Miles M.20, Miles M.29B Libellula, Mitsubishi Zero-sen, North American Mustang III, North American F-86 Sabre, North American AJ-1 Savage, Northrop P-61A Black Widow, Reid & Sigrist Desford, Saunders-Roe SR/A1, Short S.29 half-scale Stirling, Short Sturgeon, Sikorsky R-4B Hoverfly, Supermarine Attacker, Supermarine Seafang, Supermarine Seafire, Vickers Wellington VI, Vickers Windsor, Vultee Vengeance, Westland (Eagle) Wyvern, Westland Welkin, Westland Whirlwind, and Winter Zaunkönig.
As can be seen, the list of subjects is both broad and interesting, and reading Brown's personal recollections of what it was like to fly these aircraft really puts them in a different light. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.