IF YOUR INTEREST in aviation is purely civil and does not embrace things which go bang in the night this is the encyclopaedic directory you have long been waiting for. No UK price was notified but while it is almost as comprehensive, in its more restricted field, as Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft it is clearly much more affordable with the additional advantage of not threatening to break your foot should you drop it. Each type included, either fixed-wing or rotary, gets one column on a two-column page headed by a single colour picture but, unlike Jane’s no three-view general arrangement drawing. It is the fourth edition of what has become a respected biennial quick reference on the world’s civil aircraft and, on my perusal, does not seem to have any significant omissions. If the format described suggests that a whole family like the Boeing 747 gets no more coverage than a little puddle jumper like the Cessna 150/152, let me put your mind at rest–the commercial Fat Alberts which have run into numerous variants get multiple columns, each devoted to a significant derivative. The C150/152 gets only one, though the C172 line does better. The text for each type averages 600-700 words and gives basic dimensional and performance data together with development and production history. Mr Frawley has compressed a great deal of information into a handy format but, oddly, apart from the native country, gives no address or location for any m…
IF YOUR INTEREST in aviation is purely civil and does not embrace things which go bang in the night this is the encyclopaedic directory you have long been waiting for. No UK price was notified but while it is almost as comprehensive, in its more restricted field, as Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft it is clearly much more affordable with the additional advantage of not threatening to break your foot should you drop it.
Each type included, either fixed-wing or rotary, gets one column on a two-column page headed by a single colour picture but, unlike Jane’s no three-view general arrangement drawing. It is the fourth edition of what has become a respected biennial quick reference on the world’s civil aircraft and, on my perusal, does not seem to have any significant omissions.
If the format described suggests that a whole family like the Boeing 747 gets no more coverage than a little puddle jumper like the Cessna 150/152, let me put your mind at rest–the commercial Fat Alberts which have run into numerous variants get multiple columns, each devoted to a significant derivative. The C150/152 gets only one, though the C172 line does better.
The text for each type averages 600-700 words and gives basic dimensional and performance data together with development and production history. Mr Frawley has compressed a great deal of information into a handy format but, oddly, apart from the native country, gives no address or location for any manufacturer.
Unlike Jane’s, Reggie S Potter could even stuff this book beneath his anorak, if not in his pocket, on his next airport visit if he so desired. At home it will be a convenient source of reference to have beside you as you digest Pilot.
No directory of any kind makes a good read as such and some of the text could have been better written. The Shorts 330 is described as ‘above fuselage mounted’ wing design.
Funny, I’d thought that for almost a century anglophone aviation had been getting away simply with ‘high’.–Bob Rodwell.
