Giants in The Sky

This remarkable book, illustrated with 200 outstanding photographs, like Michael Taylor's previous work, Fantastic Flying Machines, features aircraft of an unusual type —this time a hundred of the giants of aviation.
Even the most avid enthusiast will discover aircraft previously unknown to him, whether built to bomb strategic targets in time of war or carry what must have been considered an outrageous number of passengers over incredible distances. Some failed to fly at all, others crashed during their initial flights, a few began as revolutionary commercial airliners and ended as military hacks, while many of the more modern types fly in our skies today. The awe-inspiring 181,436 kg (400,000 lb) Hughes H-4 Hercules eight-engined flying-boat of the 1940s, with a wing span of 97.5 m (320 ft), has its place in the book together with the present military vehicle-guzzling Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and the giant German biplane bombers of World War 1. No period of aviation has been ignored because all have had their outsized exponents.
The extensive bank of technical aviation information contained in the yearly editions of Jane's All the World's Aircraft, begun in 1909, has enabled the authors to rediscover intriguing facts about giant aircraft long forgotten. This, together with their deep understanding of the subject, has enabled them to complete a fascinating book which often throws new light on giant aircraft thought to be little short of miraculous.
Big can be beautiful, as the authors point out, but it can also be bizarre. Who could or would spend more than $22 million of his own money to complete a single flying-boat, or allow passengers to promenade on the fuselage of his aircraft while in flight? These and many more questions are answered in this book.
Technical details for each of the extraordinary aircraft are included at the end of the book and Michael Taylor and David Mondey have written the main text in a way that is both highly readable and very informative.



by Michael J. H. Taylor and David Mondey
Published by Janes 1982 1st edition 224pp profusely illustrated. 20x27 fine, including d/j.





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Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.