Developed in the 1960s/1970s; the Tu-144 was the Soviet Union’s only practical venture into supersonic commercial aviation. Though its career was all too brief; it was a major technological achievement for the Soviet aircraft industry. The book provides in-depth coverage of the “Concordski;†including projected versions; the Tu-144’s production and service history; and a comparison with the Concorde. First flown on the last day of 1968―ahead of the Concorde―the Tu-144 had to undergo a long gestation period before the production version entered service in November 1977. Unfortunately; its career proved to be brief; two accidents and a powerful anti-Tu-144 lobby caused the type to be withdrawn in May 1978. The book describes the Tu-144’s versions (including the Tu-144LL research aircraft developed under a Russian-U.S. program) and touches on the projected military derivatives. It is illustrated with color side views and previously unpublished photographs.
#839366 in Books Schiffer Publishing 2004-03-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 12.14 x .77 x 9.21l; 2.69 #File Name: 0764319876128 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A complete resource for bomber group identificationBy C. A. SandersI have been researching a cousin of mine who was a B-24 pilot and who killed in action in WWII. I want to write a book about his life; and part of that is to detail the US Army Air Corps airfields in Britain. Missions were made up of several bomb groups which amounted to 500 to 1000 planes flying...some B-17; some B-24. One can see in some action pictures of missions the colors and markings on the aircraft wings; fuselage and tail. Seeing these makrings can help identify which mission that might have been depicted. This book is THE only source I have found that details the colors and letter codes for each bomb group and squadron. Utmost quality in paper stock and color printing make this an extremely valuable resource for WWII aviation enthusiasts as well as modelers; and is worth every penny. Most books on WWII bombing and fighter missions emphasize the bombing; the crew experiences and bravery. I wanted a source that would allow me to include in my book some definitive answers to questions for those who are as curious as I was and to get a better sense of the awewome accomplishments of the wartime buildup and response to the threat. This book on battle colors for bombers does that.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Of value to modelers and 'plane-spotters'By Jersey KidBattle Colors: Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the Eighth Air Force in World War II: Vol.1/(VIII) Bomber Command is the first in the; thus far; three volume series by Schiffer Publications on the United States' Eighth and Ninth Air Forces during Wolrd War Two. This volume covers the bomber units of the Eighth Air Force.The book begins by briefly describing the variations of the national insignia used and then provides - a bit incongruously - diagrams of battle formations; before laying out in detail the organization structure of the Eighth Air Force down to the squadron level.It is after this that the main purpose of the book is delivered. The unit identification markings and insignia of every Each Bombardment Group - an organization entity of four squadrons of six aircraft each - are presented in full color across two pages. A - to this reviewer overly - brief synopsis of the basis and use of the assigned markings is given.While short on narrative; the book lives up to its name in allowing the reader to easily identify the unit of an aircraft shown in a photo (if; of course; the markings can be discerned) or the apply specific markings to a scale model. I find the book to be valubale as a resource and will add the other two volumesd (and others) to my library.I wish the author had seen fit to include a copy of the Army Air Force SD100 squadron code assignment orders as I have always wondered how the sequences were selected.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. WWII History BuffBy Laurie JohnsonI bought this book for my son as he LOVES anything to do with WWII and the Army Air Corps. He is named after both his great grandfathers that have served during the war and AAC officer that was shot down and then became a POW. So he just eats this stuff up. As someone who is third generation Air Force I love the history of it too. Not only is the information in the book different from anything I have seen the illustrations are wonderfully done as well.
