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From This is True for 30 April 2006 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Dennis R. JenkinsTony R. Landis List Price: $44.95 Amazon Price: $29.22 Editorial Review: The United States Air Force was late in developing a jet fighter, definitely behind Germany and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, a small number of Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars did make it to the European and Mediterranean theaters of operations before VE Day, although they did not see combat. After the war, the sheer size of the U.S. aviation industry guaranteed that American fighters would soon dominate the skies. However, the state of the art was advancing so fast that many development efforts never resulted in production aircraft; concepts that had seemed reasonable, even ideal, at the time were quickly overcome by newer and better technology. In the United States alone, several dozen different fighter designs made it to the prototype stage during the 1950s and 1960s. In this book, Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis look at the variety of different jet-fighter concepts developed by the U.S. Air Force after World War II. These pages cover all experimental and prototype jet fighters that made it to the hardware stage design studies and paper airplanes are not discussed since other current books are dedicated to those subjects. The rationale for developing each aircraft is covered, along with a discussion of the technology needed to build it, its flight-test program, and the reasons it was cancelled or ordered into production. The text is derived mostly from official Air Force documents, and all of the aircraft are well covered photographically, usually with seldom-seen images showing them as they appeared during their flight-test program.  List Price: $17.95 Amazon Price: $17.95 Editorial Review: Climb into the cockpit of some of the world's most exciting experimental and test aircraft, like the revolutionary Vought XF5U. Nicknamed the "Flying Pancake," the XF5U's unique saucer shape fueled rumors that the United States government was secretly testing a UFO! Fascinating stories about fabled prototypes and designs that would shape aviation history abound in this authoritative book edited by aviation expert Jim Winchester. Spreads feature plenty of historical photographs, full-color graphics, timelines and fun facts that showcase the genius behind some of the greatest designs in aviation history. Though many of these designs never flew, this new book in the Aviation Factfiles series is definitely ready to fly.  By: Manfred Griehl List Price: $32.95 Amazon Price: $25.70 Editorial Review: Renowned German aviation specialist Manfred Griehl has collected a unique and valuable selection of photographs of Luftwaffe projects that never made it into battle. They remained on the drawing board or at prototype stage because either they were deemed unsuitable or, as is the case with most of those in this selection, the developers simply ran out of time and the projects never went into production. This fascinating insight into the aviation science of the Third Reich includes rare photographs of Germany?s secret planes.  By: Barry Jones List Price: $34.95 Amazon Price: $26.56 Editorial Review: From pioneering jets to the foundations of some of today's most successful aircraft, the experimental aircraft of the post-war years represent the most exciting years of British aviation. This book tells their remarkable stories, of the triumphs and frustrations of experimentation at the cutting edge of aeronautical design.  By: David Myhra List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $14.95 Editorial Review: Rare history of the the secretive and seldom photographed Me 209 V1, V2, V3, and V4 prototypes., including color photographs of the only existing remnants of the V1. |
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A NASA engineer and test pilot stationed at the Dryden Flight Research Center, in 1967 Peterson was flying the M2-F2, a wingless "lifting body" test aircraft (shown right in a NASA photo), when he had control problems. He tried to recover, but had to veer away from a rescue helicopter that got in his way and crashed. He survived, and thanks to extensive surgery he was able to return to NASA. Peterson became the model for The Six Million Dollar Man (TV movie 1973, and a weekly series from 1974 to 1978). The opening credits of the series shows a plane crash: that was Peterson's M2-F2 accident. Peterson was not made "bionic" by his surgery and, he said after the TV show went on the air, "I don't think it cost any $6 million to put me back together." Despite losing an eye he flew again for NASA until 1971, and later assumed responsibility for safety and quality assurance for Dryden until his retirement in 1981. Peterson died May 1 from "natural causes". He was 72.