Eric 'Winkle' Brown; the former Chief Naval Test Pilot and Commanding Officer of the renowned Aerodynamics Flight at the Royal Aircraft Establishment; Farnborough; is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having flown more types of aircraft than any other pilot in the world. The ground rules for this assessment were that only pilot-in-command flights should count; and that marks or variants of a basic type of aircraft were not included. This remarkable record is reflected in the fact that Captain Brown is both the most decorated Fleet Air Arm and British test pilot. The variety of aircraft he has flown is incredible; and though his test and naval flying writings are already internationally known; he now has opened up pages of his flying log books to reveal some of the more unusual types in his unique experience; and to relate their virtues or vices. From the infamous Mitsubishi Zero-Sen and U.S. Navy's piston-engine Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat to the post-war swept-wing de Havilland Swallow. From the North American Savage designed to take off from an aircraft carrier with a nuclear bomb to the Supermarine Attacker; Eric 'Winkle' Brown has tested their qualities and takes the reader into the cockpits of those exciting aircraft to thrill to the joys and hazards of flying both weird and wonderful aircraft with one of the greatest of all pilots.
#849799 in Books University of Alaska Press 2004-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x .80 x 7.00l; 1.64 #File Name: 1889963054344 pages
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Definitive history of Russians in AlaskaBy gthorgaardI bought this book and began reading it while visiting Kodiak; where the author died in 2007 and where the history of Russians in Alaska seems very real. The book is an information-dense one and consequently sometimes does not flow as easily for the reader as it otherwise might. The author was born in Kiev before coming to America and her language skills allowed her to access many resources on Russian America which had previously been unavailable. I really appreciated her willingness to express her opinions and so identify them. Some people commonly praised were downgraded in her estimation and others rose. The overall picture that she presents is that the Russians; although harsh at times early in their encounters with Alaskan Natives; were overall more thoughtful and caring than the Americans who followed them in Alaska. The commercial rather than settlement or expansionist nature of the Russian presence was documented. The reasons for the withdrawl of Russia from Alaska (weak military presence; desire to retrench to defensible borders; preference to support the Americans rather than the British in North America) are also explained in detail. This is a great book for understanding the history of Alaska and appreciating some aspects of the present; especially if you are visiting Kodiak or Sitka.11 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Enhanced with fold-out maps and color illustrationsBy Midwest Book ReviewIn Russians In Alaska 1732-1867; Russian American scholar; historian; and anthropologist Lydia T. Black (Professor Emerita; University of Alaska; Fairbanks) has drawn upon her extensive archival research (including documents only recently made available to academia) to write a comprehensive historical overview of the Russian presence in Alaska. Professor Black's work is a well-founded challenge to traditional perspectives on the Russian period in Alaska as a time of ruthless exploitation of Native Americans and Alaska natural resources. Including the harsher aspects of the Russian occupation; Professor Black reveals the complexity of relations Between Russians and Native peoples as she chronicles the lives of the ordinary men and women who established Russian outposts in Alaska who carried to this northern land their Orthodox faith; Russian language; distinctive architecture; and place names. Also available in a trade paperback format; Russians In Alaska 1732-1867 is wonderfully enhanced with fold-out maps and color illustrations.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent review of the Russian period in AlaskaBy I.L.S.The book is an excellent up-to-date detailed review of the Russian discovery and occupation of Alaska. Most publications covering this period of Alaskan history do not have the detail and complete citations that are contained in this book. Lydia Black spent much of her life studying the Russian history in Alaska and it shows in this excellent book.
