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Airliners In Australian Service Vol 1: Eric Allen

Like few other countries in the world, Australia has relied heavily on aircraft and airliners in the development of the civil transport infrastructure. Airliners in Australian Service is the first in a two-book set that details the histories of the major airliners that established and serve Australia’s airlines and world-respected air transport system. Airliners is based on Australian Aviation’s highly successful In Australian Service column, which was published throughout the 1980s. Reader surveys consistently found the column to be one of the most popular in the magazine, and so the articles have been turned into book form. However, Airliners is far from a simple rehash of the old articles. Each chapter has been thoroughly revised since first published and is up to date to mid-1995, with in many cases new information and documents unearthed since original publication incorporated into the text. The text describes the development history of each airliner, before detailing in depth their service use in Australia. Each aircraft type is also liberally illustrated with photographs (many in colour), a number of which have never before been published. The photographic content also gives good coverage to the lesser-known operators, many of which have since folded or have been merged. Airliners also features the original, specially commissioned artwork by noted aviation artist, Matthew Tesch, who also illustrated the popular Air Disaster series of books by Macarthur Job. The text, photographs and drawings are backed up by tables on most types listing the individual aircraft’s registrations, owners, and the all-important dates of delivery and disposal. Volume 1 details a diverse and fascinating collection of airliners including flying boats, biplanes, and modern jetliners. Chapters detail the Short Empire Class flying boats, Avro Lancastrian, Boeing 707, DHA-3 Drover, Douglas DC-2, DHC Beaver and Otter, Airbus A300, Bristol Freighter, DH.86, DC-3, DH.84 Dragon, Fokker Friendship, DH.104 Dove, Boeing 767, and Shorts Sandringham and Sunderland. Airliners is available at most major newsagencies (in softcover only), or direct from Aerospace Publications, PO Box 3105, Weston Creek ACT 2611, ph (06) 288 1677, fax (06) 288 2021, for $24.95 including postage for softcover, or $34.95 for hardcover, inc p&p, or refer advert on page 46 of this issue.

Flying Squadrons Of The Australian Defence Force: Steve Eather

For the first time ever this book deals with the histories of every single aircraft squadron to have been formed within the Australian Flying Corps, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm and the Australian Army Aviation Corp. As such, Flying Squadrons of the ADF is a comprehensive history of Australia’s military air arms from World War 1 through to the present day. The book features detailed descriptions of each squadron’s establishment, operations, notable wartime missions and feats, successes and failures, and prominent personalities. Tables at the end of each unit history detail that squadron’s aircraft types operated, and its bases of operations (including dates). As well as being a much-needed reference source on the individual units’ histories and operations, reading through Squadrons gives a very good impression of the extent of the size and the type of operations Australia’s military aviation units have been involved in, and the scope of Australia’s participation in almost every major conflict of this century. Uniquely, Squadrons puts into perspective the scale of Australian air operations, which was out of all proportion to Australia’s relatively small size. Australia’s more famous squadrons, such as the RAAF’s 1, 10, 75 and 467 Squadrons, Navy’s 805 Squadron and Army’s 16 Squadron, are given the in-depth coverage they deserve, while informative yet concise histories cover short-lived units. Flying Squadrons of the ADF is only available direct from Aerospace Publications, PO Box 3105, Weston Creek ACT 2611, ph (06) 288 1677, fax (06) 288 2021, for $22.95 including postage for softcover or $3