de Havilland Twin-Boom Fighters Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | May 2005 | Title | de Havilland Twin-Boom Fighters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Barry Jones | Publisher | The Crowood Press |
| Published | 2004 | ISBN | 1-86126-681-2 |
| Format | 192 pages, hardbound | MSRP (USD) | $44.95 |
Review
The Crowood Press from the UK has released a new title from author Barry Jones covering the development and operational history of the de Havilland's Twin-Boom Fighters: Vampire, Venom, and Sea Vixen.
The Vampire was the UK's first operational single-engine jet fighter and was the first jet fighter in the world to land on an aircraft carrier. The distinction for the first operational single-engine jet fighter went to the He 162 Volksjager.
The Vampire was the beginning of a family of twin-boom fighter designs from de Havilland. The weight penalty for using a twin-boom structure was offset by getting the optimum thrust out of the early jet engines by not forcing them to breath down or exhaust out of long fuselage ducts. The Vampire itself saw over 5,000 aircraft built over 20 years of operational service - not bad for an early jet fighter.
The coverage of this informative title is presented as follows:
- The New Era
- Crustacean to Blood-Sucker
- RAF Gets Twin-Booms
- New Marks, New Roles
- Twin-Boom Toxin
- Two's Company
- Nautical Vampires and Venoms
- The Ultimate Twin-Boom
- Conflicts and Showing Off
- Twin-Boom Exports
If you're looking for a good reference for this de Havilland fighter family, this is the book you've been waiting for. If you're looking for some good ideas and variations for the Classic Airframes' Vampire kits, this is also an excellent resource. This title is highly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Motorbooks International for this review sample!