The culmination of a series detailing the development of US combat aircraft of World War II, this latest book by Bill Norton is a must-have for anyone interested in out of the ordinary aircraft. Rather than focusing on a single class of aircraft, this work chronicles how new technologies were pursued during the war – often, these were conducted against urgent operational needs, and there were many avenues that could not be placed into production so as not to disrupt the supply of “good enough” designs. Mr. Norton has provided a copious number of photos detailing the test aircraft that took these technologies into the air – there are plenty of candidates for making distinctive models here.
And if you want unusual concepts such as a proposal for an R-1535-powered ducted fan high speed research aircraft, and a system for transferring drop tanks in flight between aircraft, among many others, ought to fit the bill.
Listed below are some highlights from the various chapters that caught my eye – there are many more.
Chapter 2: Aeronautical Achievements
B-18 carrying airfoil shape dorsally, and then as part of a wing glove.
P-61A towing a Mustang
P-51B with tall vertical tail and wing glove.
A-17 with massive wing gloves to support the C-74 program.
Stinson L-1 boundary layer control testbed
PT-19 with subcale B-29 wing and tail
Chapter 3: Propulsion Challenges
Tomahawk II R-1830 testbed
XA-19C with Twin Wasp
YA-19 with R-2800
Lockheed Ventura with Constellation nacelles
XA-31B testbed for the XR-4360
Details of the XB-38 and XB-39 programs, and the XB-44 prototype for the B-50.
B-23 Dragon with turbosupercharger installation.
F4U engine testbeds
Chapter 4: Rocket Promise
Development of JATO
P-51 with supplemental rocket engine.
Chapter 5: Sonic Reach
Wind tunnel model photos of a proposed ducted fan research aircraft for high speed flight
Early consideration to use a rocket-boosted YP-80A for gathering transonic data.
Illustration of the Bell Bell MX-524 – recognizable as an XS-1 ancestor design.
Drawing of an early D-558 concept as a tail-dragger with flush fuselage intakes
Chapter 6: Undercarriage Variations
P-40 with balloon tires
A-20C & A-20H with tracked landing gear
Chapter 8: Piloting Diversions
Mockup of a stepped nose configuration for the B-29
Prone pilot testing
Pressurization research
Chapter 9: Mission Support
Ditching experiment with a B-24
Deicing projects, including the XB-24F and XB-25E
Air to Sea Rescue, including the B-17H and B-29 Super Dumbo
Ambulance aircraft
Aerial delivery
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Projects
Two-seat training versions of fighters including photos of a Soviet P-40 trainer, and a P-40K with gear for taxi training of ground crew; TP-39 and TP-47 photos.
Details of the development of the XB-40 and YB-41 gunships, and several photos of a YB-29 given extra armament to serve as a prototype formation escort.
Fitting out the B-29 to carry nuclear weapons
PB4Y-2 equipped with fuselage-mounted loudspeakers.
Chapter 13: Foreign Influence
Evaluation of aircraft from overseas
Recovery of an A6M from the Aleutians
An in-depth review of the US reverse-engineering of the V-1 “buzz bomb” into the JB-2 cruise missile.
This review is of the Kindle version of the book
There is also a hardcover version.