Osprey Aviation Pioneers 1 : X Planes : Research Aircraft 1891-1970 : A Unique Pictorial Record of Flying Prototypes, their Designers and Pilots

The development of aviation inevitably included not only breakthrough moments of genius but also blind alleys, some of them deadly. Manned flight was bound to attract the attentions of the photographer, the exponent of a science which was itself in its infancy, and this collection of photographs collected from around the world, the majority of which have never been published, explores the failures as well as the triumphs. Hugh Cowin unearths some real gems from his photographic collection, while at the same time including every aircraft type to see action in World War I. Sourced from Hugh Cowin's own 120,000-picture archive and from elsewhere, this book offers insights into aviation development in X-Planes unavailable anywhere else. The author's meticulous captioning provides the right degree of technological information - there will be something new even for the expert.

Contents

• Early Essays 1891-1912
• Helicopter Hopefuls 1907-1957
• Evolving the Species 1909-1955
• The Tailless Option 1906-1952
• The Jet, The War And Big Problems 1939-1945
• Prototypes in Profusion 1947-1964
• Faster, Higher, Further 1946-1970
• Vertical Flight Without Rotors 1954-1967
• Index