William Pearce

Specialty Press (now defunct) was, in its prime, one of the most hardware-oriented publishers of aviation books around, so this book is something of an exception to the rule. Yes, there is a strong technical background in terms of tracing the development of radial engines as they related to airliners, but this book is also liberally illustrated with photos and period advertisements to give one the flavor of the era. If you find a copy at your price point you should make the purchase, as this book will almost certainly become an expensive collector's item.… (mais)

Some of the most significant engineering and technological breakthroughs of the 20th century centered on the development of piston aero engines from 1920 to 1957. This book explains in detailed, well-illustrated, and easy-to-understand terms how these piston-powered radial-engine airliners advanced rapidly. The aircraft originated with fabric-covered fuselages with wooden wings and morphed into all-metal Ford Trimotors as the world’s first true "modern airliner," the Douglas DC-3, long-range four-engine transoceanic flying boats. Finally, the ultimate "Queens of the skies" Lockheed Constellations, Douglas DC-7s, and Boeing Stratocruisers flew at the zenith of the piston age in the mid-to-late 1950s.… (mais)

This Might Be The Best Aviation Book of 2019

This book has been on my want list since I saw it on one of the author’s site, Old machine Press.
Given the authors, I had extremely high expectations for this book and they’ve been exceeded. This has been a fun read with some unexpected surprises. With a sub-title of “golden age of aviation” I expected this to be almost all post-war with enough pre-war to serve only as an introduction. But, with well over a hundred pages or so, pre-war aviation gets fleshed out very well and includes a few of the airframes being contemplated by the airlines in anticipation of post-war flying as a lead into the post-war boom.
Overall the additional collaboration by Jon Proctor and Mike Machat make for a well-rounded history that is heavily illustrated with period brochures and other documentation used to convey the glamour and the luxury of flying at the time. (Keep in mind a drink cost a one dollar at a time when the average salary was about nine dollars a day.) One other unexpected pleasure was the “Stewardess Stories” by Ms. James. They made for great reading.
There are a few minor quibbles, the layout is very reminiscent of the old Airpower and Wings magazines and therefore on occasion finding the text can be a challenge for a second, and the R4360 cutaway on page 119 isn’t a cutaway.
Finding little things like a good explanation of the Sperry Analyzer and tying it into the work of the Flight Engineer (FE) also made for a pleasurable read along with illustrations of the FE positions on the Connie and Dornier Do X.
Also, while not normally associated with the golden age romance of transcontinental and trans-oceanic flights, the feeder liners of Convair and Martin also get some very decent coverage here as well. This book provides an exceptionally solid overview of US commercial aviation from the 1920’s to the early dawn of the jet age. The authors/editors did an extraordinary job of maximizing the relevancy of the text while packing the book with various pictures, drawings, brochure art, etc., as a result the illustrations also tell a story in the best tradition of Airpower and Wings magazines.
Recommended without reservation for anyone interested in airlines, aviation, radial engine development, or air travel.… (mais)

Mr. Pearce has provided an excellent overview of the XH-9350, the contemporary factors that drove its development and its demise.
This superlative volume is divided up into chapters covering the history of Studebaker, their involvement in the development of General Aviation engines via Waldo Waterman prior to WWII and their WWII involvement with the Wright R-1820. Other chapters place the XH-9350 in perspective, describing other large displacement engines that were developed or proposed between 1917 and 1952.
The meat and potatoes chapter on development of the engine is well illustrated with photographs, charts and manufacturing drawings. (Even the “Context” chapter is lavishly illustrated with items that could also have been used in the development chapter.) This volume does not want for illustrations at all.
The additional chapter on the Studebaker built J47 and the twilight of Studebaker as a corporation are excellent bookends to a stellar volume. The appendix is essentially official documentation/correspondence between the involved parties and makes for some interesting reading when considering the contemporary optimism at the beginning of the project.
While there is plenty here for people interested in aviation history, except for someone wising to build a scratch model of the engine, there is there is nothing here for the modeler.
Overall, unabashedly recommended for anyone with an interest in aero engines or engine design.… (mais)