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Books : Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference) |
- Automotive... in war.A must also for automotive and racing engineers. The roots of actual racing engines and technology... 60 years ago.
Rating:
- too expensiveThis book has been highly touted, but does not live up to its hype. Any number of books are as interesting, and much cheaper. "A History of Aircraft Piston Engines" (Smith) comes to mind, as well as many of the books by Bill Gunston. Don't buy this book without seeing it first. For the same money you can get two or three other books that will together contain much more information. However, it is a very good one-volume source on the subject.
Rating:
- "Allied Aircraft Piston Engines" solid work that fills important niche in WW2 aviation historyWhile there are hundreds if not thousands of books devoted to World War II military aviation, only a handful cover with any detail the critically important aspect of aero engine development. This is one of the few books available on this topic and Graham White generally does a good job covering in detail the principal (as well as obscure) British and American aircraft engines. White begins his book by describing some of the challenges faced by aircraft piston engine designers before diving headlong into the specific histories and technical aspects of key British and American engines. His descriptions of each engine are highly technical and he displays his talents as an engineer and mechanic in terms of his detailed description of engine parts and systems. White also brings us back to the bigger picture with vivid descriptions of the personalities who played a role in the design and manufacture of each engine as well as descriptions of the aircraft that used them.
White admits that by only covering British and American (as opposed to Axis) engines he is only telling "half" of the aircraft engine story, and one hopes that White chooses to take up the challenge of telling this other half in a future second book. In the meantime, some areas where White's book falls short include a much-needed glossary explaining the terminology he uses for those aviation buffs and historians not steeped in the field of engineering or engine mechanics. Furthermore in some cases White's descriptions of World War II aircraft can be found in sources elsewhere or are simply inaccurate-he should have stuck with what he knows well by focusing on the technical aspects of how each engine related to a particular aircraft rather than waste space discussing each aircraft's development and operational histories. Finally White's conclusion-a tirade against 21st century corporate capitalism-is too opinionated and frankly out of place in a work of this nature.
Despite these small flaws White's book remains one of the few available authoritative sources on the topic of aircraft piston engines, and is an important acquisition for anyone interested in World War II military aviation.
Rating:
- A Great BookThey don't come much better than this. Along with his volume on the R-2800 Mr White provides fans of aircraft engines with a very good read.
Rating:
- Great! - Could Have Been Better.This books treatment of the technical aspects of WWII aircraft engines is nothing short of fantastic! Mr. White appears to be very knowledgeable (right down to the nuts & bolts level) in the development of these engines and their service histories. His use of contemporary references adds great authority to the work.
My only criticisms are that Mr. White puts emphasis on some of the relatively obscure engines of British manufacture while neglecting some of the more important subjects.
Also (in my opinion), he unfairly downgrades the performance of the Allison V-1710. He seems to attribute its' lackluster performance in such craft as the P-39 Airacobra to a shortcoming of the engine itself, while virtually ignoring the fact that some blockhead in the military saw fit to eliminate its' supercharger. And there is little emphasis placed on the spectacular performance of the same engine (with supercharger) in the P-38 Lightning.
Having said that; except for these shortcomings, I would rank this book amongst the 2 or 3 best books ever written on the subject! You cannot be well informed on this subject until you read "Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of WW II"!
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