Frank Carlson Library

The stories behind more than 50 secret projects undertaken by the famed Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on behalf of the US Armed Forces, DARPA, and the CIA - all illustrated with official Skunk Works photography and commissioned artworks. Hatched in June 1943 after a special request of the US Army Air Forces to develop a turbojet-powered fighter to counter growing German threats, Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has gone on to develop remarkable aeronautical...

France has been called the cradle of aviation by many- a fact that cannot be disputed, although some have tried. By the end of the 19th century, she led the world in lighter-than-air flight. Any concern about heavier-than-air flight was dismissed as inevitable, and France would achieve it in due course. By the time Blériot bravely enquired 'Which way is England?' the country was ready to redress any perceived shortfall. Besides leading European aviation,...

Confrontations between Libya, and the USA and France reached their highest point in the period between April 1986 and early 1989. In response to a Libyan-instigated and supported series of terror attacks against US citizens and interests in Europe, in April 1986 the USA launched Operation El Dorado Canoyon – a series of raids against carefully selected targets in Libya. Simultaneously, the USA and France bolstered the military of the Chadian government,...

On 27 April 2005, an aircraft lifted away from the runway of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport under the power of six massive Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbofan engines. It carried a six-man crew, it was making its first flight, and it was making history. For this was the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world. Airbus Industrie was a latecomer to the commercial airliner market, and initially struggled to win orders away from the well-established...

'Two Up' is a collection of aviation anecdotes and photographs covering five decades and going, back to the brothers' early fascination with aircraft in the sixties. It includes a wealth of insider information from two brothers, who spent their working lives in the aviation industry… From the sixties both Smith brothers have spent their life, leisure and working time in and around an industry that has seen, phenomenal changes over the last fifty...

A exciting new biography of America's first lady of flight. As a tomboy growing up in Kansas, Amelia Earhart delighted in trying new and risky things, once even building a roller-coaster in her grandparents' backyard. In her 20s she fell in love with flight while watching an aerobatics exhibition and grew even more enthralled when she took her first airplane ride. At age 24 she earned her pilot's wings and 1928 took part in the transatlantic "Friendship"...

In the 21st century - the age of the budget airline - where quick and reliable air travel is available to a large segment of society, it seems hard to comprehend that it is less than 250 years since the first human took to the skies. Although the wing of the bird seemed like the most obvious natural mechanism to attempt replicate, it was actually contained hot air, as demonstrated by the Montgolfiers and their balloon that gave birth to the era human...

Air travel is one of the safest modes of travel when we take into account the distances and freedom that it allows us. And yet, we still remain obsessed with aviation disasters. What caused these accidents? Whose fault was it? In her series of books, Why Planes Crash, Sylvia Wrigley investigates the worst aviation disasters of the twenty first century. Why Planes Crash: 2001 is the first of the series. Wrigley has put together eleven of the most...

This book helps you prepare for the FAA oral and practical exam to earn the FAA's Aircraft Dispatcher certificate. Aircraft dispatchers are a critical link in air safety and a viable career option for many aviators. This exciting career path is experiencing tremendous growth, placing dispatchers in high demand as the worldwide increase in air travel continues. The FAA Practical Exam for Aircraft Dispatcher is equivalent in size and scope to the Air...

Poised for takeoff on that hot morning in April 2005, the Airbus A380 had the purposeful, powerful presence of a giant predatory bird. With its enormous gulled wings, imperiously tall tail, and broad, domed forepeak, it looked ready to take on the world. And along the way, it has had plenty of supporters-and critics. No civil airliner since the supersonic Concorde has aroused such emotion, such fascination, and such cause célèbre. To a confident...