Engelska

In the gripping NEVER PANIC EARLY, Fred Haise, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13, offers a detailed first-hand account of when disaster struck three days into his mission to the moon. An oxygen tank exploded, a crewmate uttered the now iconic words, "Houston, we've had a problem here," and the world anxiously watched as one of history's most incredible rescue missions unfolded. Haise brings readers into the heart of his experience on the challenging mission--considered NASA's finest hour--and reflects on his life and career as an Apollo astronaut.   In this personal and illuminating memoir, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, Haise takes an introspective look at the thrills and triumphs, regrets and disappointments, and lessons that defined his career, including his years as a military fighter pilot and his successful 20-year NASA career that would have made him the sixth man on the moon had Apollo 13 gone right.   Many of his stories navigate fear, hope, and resilience, like when he crashed while ferrying a World War II air show aircraft and suffered second and third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body, putting him in critical condition for ten days before making a heroic recovery. In NEVER PANIC EARLY, Haise explores what it was like to work for NASA in its glory years and demonstrates a true ability to deal with the unexpected.

With a midengined configuration, sturdy tricycle landing gear, and nose-mounted 37 mm cannon, the Bell P-39 was a thoughtful and innovative design. However, the plane lacked the all-out performance of some other key fighters available to Allied fliers (e.g., Spitfire, Hellcat, Mustang), particularly at altitude. Largely rejected by British and American combat squadrons, the Airacobra was much better received in the Soviet Union, where the Red Air Force successfully deployed large quantities of the type against the Luftwaffe. This new entry in the Legends of Warfare series features detailed photographic coverage of all variants of the Airacobra, including prototypes, trainer versions, production models C through Q, and the P-400.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is one of the most successful fighter designs of the 20th century. The type first flew in 1972, transitioning directly from the drawing board to production with remarkably few hiccups. By late 1974, planes were already being delivered to operational units, and it remains on active duty with several major international militaries today, including the US Air Force. Along with an excellent record for safety and reliability, the F-15 has also compiled more than 100 victories without a loss in air-to-air combat. This book has been brought fully up to date with the latest variants, including the F-15EX Eagle II, which entered service just in 2021. Aviation enthusiasts will enjoy more than 300 images, with everything from detail shots on the ground to action-packed aerial photography.

As of 2023, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest manned jet aircraft ever produced. It set the record in 1976 and has been retired since the late 1990s. With its unrivaled speed and stunning appearance, the Blackbird has maintained an almost supernatural mystique to this day. The type entered service in the 1960s as a high-altitude (and obviously extremely high speed) military reconnaissance aircraft. Just 32 were built, nearly half of which were written off in accidents. Nearly 300 images are packed into this latest entry in the Legends of Warfare series. This is a great gift for your favorite modeler, pilot, or aspiring pilot.

Luftwaffe Panzer division formed from the paratroop corps was one of the elite units in the Wehrmacht and fought in North Africa and Italy.

Detailed unit operations and individual accounts make for absorbing reading, and a rare chance for the reader to examine an early, yet very important, Russian front battle.