Oscar Garden: An Tale of One Man's Love of Flying by Annamaria Garden

$45.00 NZD

Category: Aviation | Reading Level: near fine

One day in 1930, a man walked into a department store in London and bought an aeroplane. Having just learned to fly, Oscar Garden dreamed of flying to Australia. In his newly purchased aeroplane, he did just that. This adventure and myriad others this risk-taker embarked on are recounted in this book. O scar's love of flying saw him joy riding to many places in the world, including New Zealand, South Africa, and up through Africa to Palestine. While based in London, he joined British Airways and Imperial Airways flying flying boats across the Empire. Finally, he came to rest in Auckland, New Zealand, after delivering the Awarua, the second of New Zealand's flying boats, used during World War II for communication and travel, reducing New Zealand's isolation. He became Chief Pilot of TEAL, the New Zealand airline, for half of the war years and beyond, and eventually resigned due to serious disagreement over management and political agendas. This biography describes Oscar Garden's fascinating journey through these episodes. ...Show more

Spitfire VC vs A6M2 Zero-Sen: Darwin 1943 by Peter Ingman; Jim Laurier (Illustrator); Gareth Hector (Cover Design by, Illustrator)

$34.99 NZD

Category: Aviation | Series: Duel Ser.

The little-known yet fascinating story of when two of the most iconic aircraft of World War II dueled in the skies above Australia. Fully illustrated with detailed full-color artwork, this is the gripping story of two iconic aircraft facing off against each other above Australia. Just weeks after Pear l Harbor, Darwin was mauled by a massive Japanese attack. Without a single fighter to defend Australian soil, the Australian government made a special appeal to Britain for Spitfires. A year later the Spitfire VC-equipped No 1 Fighter Wing, RAAF, faced the battle-hardened 202nd Kokutai of the IJNAF, equipped with A6M2 Zero-sens, over Darwin. This was a grueling campaign between evenly matched foes, fought in isolation from the main South Pacific battlegrounds. Pilots on either side had significant combat experience, including a number of Battle of Britain veterans. The Spitfire had superior flight characteristics but was hampered by short range and material defects in the tropical conditions, while the Japanese employed better tactics and combat doctrine inflicting serious losses on overconfident the Commonwealth forces. ...Show more

Halton Boys - True Tales from Pilots and Ground Crew Proud to Be Called 'Trenchard Brats' by Sean Feast; Min Larkin (Introduction by)

$55.00 NZD

Category: Aviation

The RAF Halton Apprenticeship Scheme has a deserved reputation for excellence. The brainchild of MRAF Hugh Trenchard, the founder of the Royal Air Force, it took the 'traditional' idea of an apprenticeship and interpreted it in a novel way. It allowed teenage boys from any social background or geography to learn a technical trade that would equip them for their future lives, within and beyond the RAF. It also gave the best an opportunity to become pilots and break into the once public-school-dominated officer class. Of the 50,000 boys trained as apprentices, seventeen won the Sword of Honour at Cranwell, and more than 1,200 were commissioned with 110 achieving Air Rank. Eighteen have been knighted, with well over 1,000 others being honored at various levels of state. More than a hundred Halton Boys served as pilots in the Battle of Britain (and many more as airframe/engine fitters and armorers), including the mercurial Don Finlay, the former Olympic hurdler. Others like Gerry Blacklock and Pat Connolly flew bombers on perilous missions over Western Europe or took part in the famous 'Dams' Raid. Then there were the three men murdered for their part in the Great Escape, and those who battled and survived years as prisoners of the Japanese in the Far East. In the jet era, ex-apprentice Graham Hulse became an 'ace' in Korea, serving with an American fighter squadron, and Mike Hines went on to become OC 617 Squadron after having first flown operations during the Suez crisis. Others like Charles Owen became a pioneer commercial jet pilot, and Peter Goodwin had the misfortune of being captured in the first Gulf War and used as a human shield. Some forged successful careers beyond the RAF, like Lawrie Haynes, who was on the main board at Rolls-Royce and is now chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, and Eugene Borysuik - one of the many Polish apprentices trained at Halton, who enjoyed a successful career at GEC. And there were many others beyond air and ground crew including policemen, government officials and even bishops whose careers started with the Halton family. This is the story of Halton told through and by the boys who were there and who are still proud to be called 'Trenchard Brats'. ...Show more

Classic Planes by Ivor Wilkins

$85.00 NZD

$95.00 (10% off)

Category: Aviation

New Zealand has long held a passion for its aviation history - the bravado, ingenuity and trailblazing spirit says a lot about who we are. Classic Planes celebrates that legacy, from the first fledgling beginnings to the present day. With eloquence and colour, bestselling author Ivor Wilkins itraces the story of planes in New Zealand, beginning with the exploits of Richard Pearse and shining a light on other local pioneers, Jean Batten and Tim Wallis among them. He also examines the machines from bygone eras, celebrating those who lovingly restore planes in the modern day, and revels in our ongoing love affair with winged wonders. Tiger moths and taperwings comingle with staggerwings, spitfires, mosquitoes and Mustangs, all figures of our airborne past. In Classic Planes, breathtaking new photography is complemented by archival imagery, revealing a truly special and important celebration of planes and people. As the author notes in his preface- 'love is in the air' . . . ...Show more

Higher: 100 Years of Boeing by Russ Banham

$75.00 NZD

Category: Aviation

Over the course of a century, the Boeing Company has grown from a small outfit operating out of a converted boathouse—producing a single pontoon plane made from canvas and wood—into the world's largest aerospace company. The thrilling story of the celebrated organization is one filled with ambition, ingenuity and a passion to exceed expectations. In this lavishly illustrated book, published to coincide with Boeing's 100th anniversary, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author Russ Banham recounts the tale of a company and an industry like no other—one that has put men on the moon, defended the free world and changed the way we live. ...Show more

My Throne A Cockpit by Owen Williamson

$39.99 NZD

Category: Aviation | Reading Level: Near Fine

When your office is the cockpit of a topdressing aeroplane, it's hard not to think of your seat as a throne. As your daily commute takes in the grandeur of the mountains, the beauty of the sunrise and the sight of the world going about its business below, ...

Spitfire - The Biography by Jonathan Glancey

$24.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

The bestselling biography of the Spitfire updated with a new chapter for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Flying Kiwis: A History of the OE by Jude Wilson

$45.00 NZD

Category: Aviation | Reading Level: Very Good

This first book-length history of the OE (Overseas Experience) phenomenon is based on the oral accounts of several hundred New Zealand travellers, representing every decade of the OE and supported by the ephemera of popular culture that surround it, including advertising and overseas media material. Fly ing Kiwis also presents a comprehensive history of the unique support network and industry that has emerged and evolved as a consequence of the OE. It is illustrated throughout and provides a record of a dynamic travel phenomenon that has, over the past six decades, involved hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders. ...Show more

How Airliners Fly : A Passenger's Guide by EVANS JULIEN

$39.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

In this revised third edition Julien Evans explains, in straightforward everyday language, about the airframe and the engines, the flight deck and the controls, how the aeroplane is flown and the routines followed. If you are one of the millions of airline passengers who take to the air daily and have n o idea how an airplane flies or how it is flown - but would like to find out - then How Airliners Fly is for you. It is written by an airline pilot who knows from first-hand experience those questions that are asked most frequently. He knows that for many it is an interest born of curiosity, and in some cases, caused by fear. In this revised third edition Julien Evans explains, in straightforward everyday language, about the airframe and the engines, the flight deck and the controls, how the airplane is flown and the routines followed. In fact, it explains everything the average passenger may wish to know. "... balanced, informative, comprehensive, totally accurate and , most importantly, interesting." - Pilot magazine AUTHOR: Julien Evans flew Boeing 737s, 757s and 767s during a 36-year career. He was also an instructor and examiner on these types. Now retired from airline flying, he maintains his interest in aviation generally and flies light aircraft. 56 colour photographs, 10 diagrams ...Show more

Teach Yourself to Fly: The Classic Guide to Flying a Plane by Nigel Tangye

$24.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

'An airman's vanity is a most curious thing.'Nigel Tangye was a British hero; journalist, author, airman, teacher, and possibly even spy. What better man to help you learn to fly?First published in 1938, Teach Yourself To Fly was not only one of the very first Teach Yourself books to be published but th e first to actually change the world. It was used on the eve of the second world war to prepare pilot recruits and conscripts before they were called for service, and as such it was read religiously by thousands of young men, some as young as 17, and directly impacted on the British war effort.This beautiful new printing of the book captures all of the feelings of that extraordinary time - it's nostalgic, understated, inspiring and very British indeed, warning young pilots, amongst other things, not to feel 'too discouraged' in the event of a crash landing.Technology has changed hugely, but the principles of aviation as they were in the middle of the twentieth century are perfectly summarised in this lovely book. Get hold of the right vehicle, and it really can teach you to fly. What happens when you're up there, however, is your responsibility.'Never move an inch without making quite certain that there is not a lawn-mower or something else in your way.'Since 1938, millions of people have learned to do the things they love with Teach Yourself. Welcome to the how-to guides that changed the modern world. ...Show more

The Story of an Aviator (The Explorer's Library) by Clint Twist

$45.00 NZD

Category: Aviation

Last of the Lancasters by Martin Bowman

$79.99 NZD

Category: Aviation

'The Lancasters looked like enormous deadly black birds going off into the night; somehow they looked different when they came back. The planes carried from this field 117,000 pounds of high explosives and the crews flew all night to drop the load as ordered. Now the trains would not run between France and Italy for a while, not on those bombed tracks anyhow. Here are the men who did it, with mussed hair and weary faces, dirty sweaters under their flying suits, sleep-bright eyes, making humble comradely little jokes and eating their saved-up chocolate bars' - Martha Gellhorn This riveting and highly intriguing collection of pilot and civilian reminiscences works to commemorate the spirit of the almighty Lancaster bomber. Each chapter is dedicated to a unique individual or group of individuals who took part in its history in some capacity. Be they pilot, civilian, or journalist, each played their own part and their accounts offer a host of fascinating insights. Episodes featured include the battle for Munich and the Nuremburg and Berlin Raids. Stories of PoWs downed in their Lancasters and captured in enemy territory also feature, communicating a real sense of peril experienced behind enemy lines. Two sections of fascinating black and white photographs supplement and complete this trawl through the history of the Lancaster bomber and the men and women who witnessed its glory days. ...Show more