Military Aircraft of the 1950s – Combined Volume – by John WR Taylor, HB, 312 pages with B&W photographs and three-way silhouettes on nearly every page. Crécy Publishing Ltd, £13.50, ISBN 978-1-80035-323-7.
This chunky, robust, pocket-sized book is a hardback facsimile reprint of four Ian Allan abc guides published in the 1950s, covering military aircraft of the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada, plus helicopters of the world. Back then they were soft-back books aimed at the aircraft spotter, young or old. It is not, however, just a delightful wallow in nostalgia but contains much interesting information on a wide range of aircraft types not to be found in one volume unless you happen to have a copy or two of the mighty Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft for the same years (1954-56). Incidentally, John WR Taylor was also the editor of Jane’s for many years. For example, where else would you find a photograph, plan drawing, technical specification, recognition features and remarks on: the Hiller Sky-Bus, Cessna CH-1, Yak 13, Goéland C.449-1, Federale C.3604, De Lackner Aerocycle, Convair R3Y-2 Tradewind, Boulton Paul Sea Balliol and Bristol Buckmaster T Mk 1, to pluck out a few at random – plus, of course, hundreds of more familiar types. The period adverts are another joy: Silver City Air Ferry ‘Take your cycle to the Continent’, Saunders-Roe apprenticeships, the Saab A.32 Lansen, the Fokker S.14 Mach-Trainer and the Short Seamew ‘The Short answer is the Seamew’. I particularly liked the Shell and BP Aviation Services advert which included silhouettes and descriptions of aircraft fuellers. I really enjoyed browsing and will doubtless return to it many times in the future. Equally, it is an excellent starting point for research into the military aircraft scene of the time or to carry with you when visiting a museum. There is more good news – a companion volume is on the way – Civil Aviation in the 1950s.
