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For other authors named David Oliver, see the disambiguation page.

20 Works 225 Members 3 Reviews

About the Author

David Oliver describes the development and production of the Harrier from the original Kestrel project, which was the only successful attempt at a vertical take-off and landing aircraft at the time. He follows the Harrier into service with the RAF and also covers the development of the Sea Harrier, show more with its special characteristics and its extraordinarily successful performance in the Falklands War where its unique engine made it an agile fighter. He also describes the use of the Harrier in other deployments such as Belize and Afghanistan, covers Anglo-US developments and examines the legacy of the Harrier in the shape of the F35B Lightning II multi-role fighter. show less

Series

Works by David Oliver

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Oliver, David
Legal name
Oliver, David Brian
Birthdate
1942-04-25
Gender
male

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Reviews

What David Oliver offers in this book is a graphically-appealing description of the development and use of flying boats and amphibious airplanes over the course of the twentieth century. Beginning with the earliest craft, he details their use in the First World War, their development as race planes and long-distance passenger transport in the interwar period, their roles during the Second World War, and their evolving use in the postwar era. All of this is supplemented with a generous use of photos and maps which help capture some of the glamor and majesty these craft so obviously have for the author.

All of this makes Oliver's a book an enjoyable enough read, but it is also a frustrating one. While he describes the many ways in which these planes were employed, he never really provides a context for his information. What readers get is the what and the when, but not the why of flying boats and amphibians. Such a context might better explain some of the outsized fascination these planes have held for people, as well as how they were eventually superseded in many of their roles by other craft. Anyone interested in answers to these questions has to look elsewhere, as Oliver's book ultimately serves as little more than a visual introduction to these fascinating and functional creations.
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Flagged
MacDad | Mar 27, 2020 |
LACKS technical information, i.e. Range, potency, wing spam, etc.
...records the history of every 90 types of bomber aircraft that has ever been flown. From internationally renowned warplanes, such as the RE-8 or the B-29, to minor players in aviation history such as the Caproni Ca.33 or the Vultee Vengeance, they are all here, presented in chronological order. The work is complemented by rare historical photographs, precise general arrangement drawings, colour profiles, and fabulously detailed cutaways. All the latest bombers are featured, including the Tornado, the F/A-18, and the B-2. Beautiful colour profile artworks of aircraft in operational markings are included, while more than 25 of the most significant bombers also merit a largescale cutaway drawing which reveals internal structure in minute detail. There are also chapters describing the development of bombing operations, both the practical experience and the theoretical thought. Non-bombers: includes 5 pages on Mirage 2000, 5 pages on Sepecat Jaguar, 3 pages on A-10 Thunderbolt.… (more)
 
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MasseyLibrary | Apr 11, 2018 |
How quickly a publication like this becomes history! This summary and analysis of East European air forces dates from late 1990 or early 1991, when the Eastern Bloc countries were just opening up; so we have a summary of how the Cold War appeared to the East in the brief window before It All Changed. Of course, the analysis is fairly simplistic, and some of it is inaccurate in the light of what we have learned since. the maps are laughably inaccurate. And there are countries in here that are, indeed, now history - Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Yugoslavia. Other countries are not in here that we are now familiar with - the Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova and the Ukraine, let alone all the former Yugoslav republics, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - are not included as they didn't then exist. In short, a publication from another age.

Sub-editing and proof-reading are almost non-existent.
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Flagged
RobertDay | Jan 16, 2013 |

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Statistics

Works
20
Members
225
Popularity
#99,815
Rating
½ 2.5
Reviews
3
ISBNs
94
Languages
5

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