Zvezda ZVE6218

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Czechoslovak pilots in Battle of Britain

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Airlift Force RAF Transport Command 1948-1967 By Colin Ovens Consider, for a moment, these three Royal Air Force Command titles:- "Royal Air Force Bomber Command"- a name that, for many, may generate imposing images of Wellingtons, Halifaxs, Stirlings, Lancasters, Mosquitos, Lincolns, BAC/EE Canberra s, and the V-Bombers; "Royal Air Force Fighter Command"- a Command title that readily conjures up exciting images of Hurricanes, Spitfires, Tempests, Meteors, Vampires, Hunters, and Lightnings; "Royal Air Force Coastal Command"- a renowned name that may prompt dramatic over-water images of Sunderlands, Beaufighters, Mosquitos, Catalinas, Liberators, and Shackletons. Now, consider the title "Royal Air Force Transport Command"... to many readers this may prompt images of huge formations of Dakotas, disgorging paratroops over Normandy, Arnhem, or the Rhine; others will have a recollection of the Berlin Airlift. On the other hand, many of us will recall seeing, and ignoring, the occasional Argosy, Beverley, Bristol Britannia , Hastings, Comet, or, perhaps, a VC-10, in the static park at a Battle of Britain Open Day, while they aimed their cameras at the Hunters, Gloster Javelins, Lightnings, V-Bombers, or Shackletons on show- these were the exciting defenders of these isles; and those others..? "They're just superannuated airliners", as a school-friend airily dismissed Transport Command's contribution to a Battle of Britain Open Day, at RAF Biggin Hill in the mid-1960s, when we two were teenagers. 92 pages perfect bound

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Battle of Britain Decals RAF Spitfire 1940 Markings: Squadron code letters Fin flash variants Fuselage roundel variants Under wing roundel variants Jagdgeschwader 2 1940 Markings: Staffel numbers and emblems Gruppe emblems Staff emblems

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Building the Supermarine Spitfire The iconic Supermarine Spitfire, the most strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain along with the Hawker Hurricane, served in every theatre of the War and was produced in more variants than any other British aircraft. The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch machine guns. The airplane was a direct descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6, set a world speed record of 357 miles per hour in 1929. Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938. A more radical design than the Hurricane, the Spitfire had a stressed-skin aluminum structure and a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that, in combination with the Merlin's efficient two-stage supercharger, gave it exceptional performance at high altitudes. The version of the Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain was powered by a Merlin engine. Faster than its formidable German opponent the Bf-109 at altitudes above 15,000 feet and just as manoeuvrable, Spitfires were sent by preference to engage German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were credited with more 'kills,' but it can be argued that the Spitfire's superior high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory. Meanwhile, Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven by progressively more-powerful Merlin's. The eight 0.303-inch machine guns gave way to four 0.8-inch automatic cannons, and by war's end the Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone, powered by Merlin's of up to 1,760 horsepower. Though outperformed by the German Fw-190 on that aircraft's introduction in 1941, the Spitfire restored parity the following year and eventually regained the advantage. It remained a first-line air-to-air fighter throughout the war. Spitfires were used in the defence of Malta, in North Africa and Italy, and, fitted with tail hooks and strengthened tail sections, as Seafires from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June 1942. Spitfires helped to provide air superiority over the Sicily, Italy, and Normandy beachheads and served in the Far East from the spring of 1943. Fighter-bomber versions could carry a 250 or 500lb bomb beneath the fuselage and a 250-pound bomb under each win One of the Spitfire's most important contributions to Allied victory was as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft from early 1941. Superior high-altitude performance rendered it all but immune from interception, and the fuel tanks that replaced wing-mounted machine guns and ammunition bays gave it sufficient range to probe western Germany from British bases. n late 1943 Spitfires powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines developing as much as 2,050 horsepower began entering service. Capable of top speeds of 440 miles per hour and ceilings of 40,000 feet, these were used to shoot down V-1 'buzz bombs.' During World War II, Spitfires were exported in small numbers to Portugal, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, and they were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe. When production ceased in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been produced, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered versions. Fighter versions of the Spitfire were withdrawn from RAF service during the early 1950s, while photo-reconnaissance Spitfires continued in service until 1954. In Model Aircraft 'Extra Special' #6, the biggest book of this series some 22`Spitfire build projects will be included, in a 'how-to' format, and continue this fantastic series modelling guides from MA Publications, the new name in scale modelling.

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Vought SB2U Vindicator by Steve Ginter with Joe Weathers, Jr. 248-pages, 89-color photos, 22-duotone photos, 506 b&w photos and 25-drawings. The Vought SB2U Vindicator Scout Bomber was the Navy's second production carrier monoplane to fly after the Douglas TBD and for a time was the fastest aircraft in the Navy's inventory. The extremely clean aircraft was a unique blend of the old stick-and-rudder fabric covered construction and that of the new all-metal monoplanes that followed. About half the aircraft was metal skined and half fabric covered and each fuselage structure was individually hand made from steel tubing. The SB2U was built in three models. The very simular SB2U-1 and SB2U-2 for the US Navy, and the long range SB2U-3 for the Marines. Aircraft were also supplied to France and the United Kingdom and are covered in the book. Equipped with folding wings and capable of carrying a 1,000 lb bomb, they were in service from 1938 to 1943. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Navy Vindicators had all been assigned to the Atlantic fleet, but the Marine SB2U-3 were on the East Coast and at Pearl Harbor and aboard the Lexington for delivery to Midway. The VMSB-241 Vindicators at Midway saw the planes only combat on 4-to-6 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway and Henderson Field was named after the squadron CO who lost his life during the squadron's attack on the Japanese fleet on 4 June. Maj Hendersons replacement Maj Norris was also lost on 4 June during the squadron's 2nd attack. On 5 june, Capt Fleming was also lost during his attack on the cruiser Mikumo, for which he received the Medal of Honor for his actions. This book has extensive first person narative from Vought test pilots and USN/USMC pilots as well as the French V-156-F commander gathered by Joe Weathers in 1966 through 1974 when their minds were still sharp and their memories strong. All of which are gone today. A truly interesting read.

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F-16 Fighting Falcon US Part 1 US Versions by Andy Evans Real To Replicas Red series Number 1 The Real to Replica book series presents, as the title suggests, a publication that has both historic references, aircraft details, colour artwork and modelling projects on a particular aviation subject. Titles will include subjects from World War I through to present day and written by renown authors. F-16 Fighting Falcon Part 1: US VERSIONS by Andy Evans The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it has evolved into a highly successful all-weather multirole aircraft, and over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the USAF, improved variants continue to be built for export customers, up to and including the latest F-16V 'Viper' version. The Fighting Falcon's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while manouvering, an ejection seat reclined thirty-degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of the relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system, that helps to make it an agile aircraft. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and eleven locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment and can carry fuselage mounted conformal fuel tanks and a variety of targeting pods and ECM equipment. The F-16's official name is 'Fighting Falcon', but 'Viper' is most commonly used by its pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the 'Colonial Viper' starfighter on the TV show Battlestar Galactica which aired at the time the F-16 entered service. In addition to active duty in the US Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the 'Thunderbirds' aerial demonstration team, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of over twenty-five other nations. The initial production-standard F-16A flew for the first time on 7 August 1978 and its delivery was accepted by the USAF on 6 January 1979, entering USAF operational service with the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB in Utah on 1 October 1980. The US Air Force, including the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, flew the F-16 in combat during Operation 'Desert Storm' in 1991 and in the Balkans later in the 1990s. F-16s also patrolled the no-fly zones in Iraq during Operations 'Northern Watch' and 'Southern Watch' and served during the wars in Afghanistan (Operation 'Enduring Freedom') and Iraq (Operation 'Iraqi Freedom') from 2001 and 2003 respectively and Air Force F-16s took part in the intervention in Libya. In this book, Part 1 of the F-16 story, we will look at the origins of the F-16 and its service with the US Air Force and US Navy, as well as the different variants, proposed versions, test platforms and sub-types of the aircraft. Part 2 of the F-16 story will look at the International Versions and their operators and both will include colour artwork and how to model the F-16 in popular scales. [General-Dynamics Lockheed-Martin]

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Combat Chronicles of the Northrop P-61 'Black Widow' (soft back) Dramatic first-hand accounts by the pilots, radar observers, and gunners who saw combat aboard the first dedicated U.S. night fighter in World War II fill this unique volume, the first in Squadron/Signal's new Combat Chronicles series. Combat Chronicles books bring you action-packed, eye-witness war stories, interviews, and first-hand reminiscences from the front lines. In this premier volume we hear from the crews who rode the 'Black Widow' into battle all over the world. The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 and the Battle of Britain in 1940 left no room for doubt that the United States needed quickly to come up with a specialized night fighter to confront the totally new face of air combat. Northrop was able to come up with designs for a new, specially designated night fighter and a contract for what was to become the P-61 'Black Widow' was signed on 11 January 1941. After the first production aircraft rolled off the assembly line in October 1943, the P-61 went on to operate in the European, Pacific, China-Burma-India, and Mediterranean Theaters of the war. Experience World War II as it was seen by the men in the cockpit of this history-making radar-equipped night interceptor. Illustrated with 152 photographs, 112 pages.

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Convair (Consolidated Vultee) B-36 'Peacemaker' Conceived when the Americans thought that the stuttering British candle would be snuffed out by Germany, the Consolidated Vultee, Convair, B-36 was intended to take the air war to Europe from the Continental USA. Fortunately Britain hung on and caused the cancellation of the invasion due to the stalwart efforts of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. As global war developed the B-36 programme was put on the back burner as other needs were more pressing. Eventually the B-36 would resume this time as a high altitude long range nuclear delivery platform. Numerous versions entered service with USAF covering both the bombing and reconnaissance versions, both undertaking overseas deployments in support of their intended missions. Continued production of the B-36 caused a great rift with the U.S. Navy whose first super carrier was cancelled to pay for more B-36's that the Admirals regarded as redundant. It would be the emergence of the reliable turbojet engine that would spell the end of the B-36 as a front line aircraft as both the Boeing B-47 and B-52 bombers would quickly see the types demise. Outside the needs of Strategic Air Command there were other uses for the B-36 airframe, one would be used to transport a B-58 Hustler fuselage/ wing assembly for structural testing, another would become the NB-36 and carried a working nuclear reactor aboard whilst the final throw of the dice saw the type developed into the YB-60 eight engined bomber in competition with the B-52. The basic design threw up one more off shoot, the XC-99 transport that saw a new fuselage married to the original wings and fittings plus the original tail feathers, as a unique one off the XC-99 survives in preservation. This book is written by Kev Darling and is superbly illustrated by Richard J.Caruana.

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RAF Update 2013-2015 (13) Some very attractive and colourful Anniversary schemes. Eurofighter EF-2000A Typhoon FGR.4 ZJ925/DXI XI(F) Sqn 100th Anniversary. Wg. Cdr C. Layden with black fin RAF Coningsby; Typhoon FGR.4 ZJ946 EB-A 41(R) TES Sqn Flt Lt D. Forbes RAF Coningsby standard scheme; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK315 41(R) Sqn 100th Anniversary Wg.Cdr S.A.Berry RAF Coningsby Typhoon FGR.4 ZK344/H II(AC) Sqn Wg. Cdr R.G. Elliott RAF Lossiemouth standard scheme; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK342 6 Sqn with desert camouflage on fin and spine Wg.Cdr.Mike Baulkwill RAF Lossiemouth 2014; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK343/BX 29 Sqn black fin with Squadron logo Flt.Lt. Noel Rees RAF Coningsby 2014; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK348/FN 1Sqn Wg.Cdr.Mark R.Flewin RAF Lossiemouth; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK308 TP-V 29 Sqn D-Day stripes; Typhoon FGR.4 ZK349 GN-A 29(F) Squadron Flt Lt B. Westoby-Brooks RAF Coningsby in markings carried by Hurricane of 249 Sqn flown by Flt Lt E.J.B.Nicholson VC, the only VC in the Battle of Britain. Typhoon FGR.4 ZK353 /BQ 29(F) Sqn 100th Anniversary. Flt Lt Jonny Dowen with ruby red fin, RAF Coningsby; Tornado GR.4 ZA412 617 Sqn 70th Anniversary Wg.Cdr.D.S.Arthurton/Fg.Off R.D.Hartley RAF Lossiemouth Tornado GR.4 ZA461 XV(R) Sqn 100th Anniversary. Wg. Cdr Jon Nixon/Sqn Ldr Conan Mullineux with red fin RAF Lossiemouth; Tornado GR.4 ZA456 9 Sqn 100th Anniversary. Wg. Com I.J. Sharrocks/Flt Lt A.H.Lock black fin RAF Marham Please note this decal is 1:144 scale and NOT 1:48 scale as reviewed in Scale Aviation Modeller. [Eurofighter EF-2000A Typhoon]

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