Old Aviation Books

[Fishtailed]

When looking for some information on the Fairey Gannet thread I dug out my copy of ‘Eagle Book of Aircraft’, as I remembered it had a cutaway colour plate of the aircraft. Leafing through it I realised what a fantastic book it was for a ten year old in the late fifties, and why I became an aircraft mad schoolboy. Its coverage of aviation, from George Caylee to space flight was excellent for the time, and now it is a good reference for the fifties. Does anyone else have a copy or share my views on the book. My original copy was lost, or disposed of when I married and moved out, but I discovered a copy at a car boot sale a few years ago and had to have it.
Another book I had around the same time I cannot find any reference on google to either the title or authors, was ‘How Planes Fly’ by (this could be wrong) Sidney E Vale and Wren. It was a softback with illustrations of a small boy being shown how to fly a Chipmunk. I think I got it from the BBC for entering a competition. Does anyone know of this book?

[jabberwok]

The Eagle Book of Aircraft was a wonderful volume. My pattern follows yours in that I lived with it, lost it and eventually found another many years later - in fact just last year. The content was broadly the same but some articles had changed so I presume it was an evolving work.

Excellent photographs combined with detailed articles marked it out as a good reference source. It was unusual in that it covered specific topics in detail - like the evolution of the Hawker 1049(?) into the Sea Hawk. As you rightly say it is a good reference now for (sigh..) 1950's aviation.

[Brian Abraham]

Still have the Eagle - a reward from school teacher for watering garden and feeding the chooks while he was on holidays. First published 1953, mine is a 54 revised edition. Still have others received as birthday, Xmas presents from that era as well - "The Wonder Book of the RAF", "The Wonder Book of Aircraft" and "The Boy's Book of the Air". How I used to pour over them all. Having now retired its some what strange revisiting the very books that were responsible for the path taken in life.