Transport > Aircraft

The true story behind New Zealand's Catalina flying boat.A story of passion for classic ex-military aeroplanes in general and a world-wide search for one type in particular - a PBY-5A Catalina flying boat.

This definitive work presents for the first time a detailed record of all known New Zealand-related aeronautical activity of the long-neglected pioneering period of 1868-1914. The complete trilogy will undoubtedly become an indispensible first place of resource for historians, aviation enthusiasts and genealogists alike. The 184-page first volume takes the story up to 1909. It includes eye-witness accounts and over 100 illustrations, many of which are published for the first time. There is comprehensive coverage of the daring ballo... read more

Warbirds Over Wanaka: The official book of the airshow 2004 Ian Brodie This book is a photographic record of the 2004 Warbirds over Wanaka airshow. It is the fourth book of the show Reed has published

This is a glowing tribute to a century of women in aviation featuring more than one hundred aviatrixes. This volume charts the rise of women in the male dominated field of aviation through the stories of record-breaking aviatrixes: from those who piloted the earliest aircrafts to the first women in space almost a century later. These women from across the world took to the skies, fighting their way to recognition against all odds. Bessie Coleman, an African American born into a humble cotton-picking family, worked as a laundress an... read more

The popularity of the fighter aircraft used in World War II is huge in New Zealand, as evidenced by the enormous crowds that turn up for events such as Warbirds over Wanaka - over 80,000 people attended the 2010 event. New Zealand is extremely lucky that there are a wide range of airworthy WW II-era classic fighters remaining in the country, the subject of this superb new book of aviation photography. Author Gavin Conroy has had unparalleled access to New Zealand's classic fighters, and specialises in close-up air-to-air photograph... read more

Everything You've Ever Wondered about Flying on Airlines Whether we love it or hate it, millions of us fly every day ? but very few of us really understand how it works. Who hasn?t looked out of a plane window and thought, ?how are we actually staying up here?? The Flying Book will surprise, reassure and entertain anyone who?s ever taken to the skies, and reveals (among other things): How a plane gets airborne (It?s not what you were taught at school)That there?s no such thing as an air pocketWhy the captain and co-pilot always... read more

When this book was first published in 1941, aircraft recognition was far more than just a pleasant pastime; it was often a matter of life and death ...This classic text provides a definitive catalogue of the aeroplanes, enemy and friendly, seen over British skies during the Second World War. R.A. Saville-Sneath set out to produce a handy classification guide, with many diagrams, a full glossary and some useful mnemonics, showing how each type of aircraft could be identified quickly and easily. The basic structures, tail units, posi... read more

Designed to be the best fighter in the world the creators of the Spitfire married science, technology and art to create both 'a thing of beauty' and a deadly weapon that changed the course of the war. 'You don't just strap yourself in, you buckle the Spitfire on, like girding on armour...'Squadron Leader William Duncan Smith The Spitfire is part of popular culture and from the Battle of Britain to the present day it has remained a national celebrity. As a focus of appeals, for scrap aluminium - 'turn your saucepans into Spitfires' ... read more

The New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) was created by the post-war Labour Government nationalising all private airlines and forming the first State-owned Enterprise. During its 31 years of operation NAC was New Zealand's major domestic airline until it was merged with Air New Zealand in 1978. In its early years it also flew international routes in the South Pacific. First published March 2007.

A wonderful anthology of research notes, essays and ideas showing engines developed by Richard Pearse, his life and his fabulous achievements. Photographs and drawings are plentiful throughout. colour and b/w illustrations. 93 pages in A4 landscape format.

In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to ... read more

Long before the days of wide-bodied jets and supersonic travel, two , three and four engined aeroplanes, flying boats and airships made their way over land and sea, connecting cities, countries and continents in what was then a revolutionary mode of transport. Some of these flights ended in tragedy; tragedies which are thoroughly reviewed in this illustrated book. Following the same format as its acclaimed predecessor Aviation Disasters, which covers the years after 1950, David Gero's latest book examines major aviation catastroph... read more

On 17 December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first sustained, controlled flights in a powered aircraft. So began a transport mode that steadily became fundamentally important to the people of the world. A century after the Wright brothers' first pioneering initiatives, this book, for the first time, provides a complete record of all the aircraft that have been used by New Zealand's national carrier Air New Zealand, its predecessors - Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) and New Zealand National Airways Corporation (N... read more

Designed by the Federal Aviation Administration, this handbook is the ultimate technical manual for anyone who flies or wants to learn to fly a helicopter or gyroplane. If you’ re preparing for private, commercial, or flight instruction pilot certificates, it’ s more than essential reading: it’ s the best possible study guide available, and its information can be life saving. In authoritative and understandable language, here are explanations of general aerodynamics and the aerodynamics of flight, navigation, comm... read more

A comprehensive guide to over 100 major military jets from around the world since 1945.

The Avro Lancaster is one of the most well known and revered aircraft in aviation history. The RAF's heavy bomber was developed during the early years of World War 2 when Britain's only means of taking the offensive to Germany was through the RAF's strategic night bombing campaign. The first Lancaster mission was in 1942 and the aircraft was an instant success. Powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines its performance outstripped its rivals. By the end of the war the aircraft had carried out 156,000 missions and dropped over 600,0... read more

Tiger Moths and Butterflies: With the Airforce in War and Peace is the fascinating story of a schoolboy and his contemporaries during WWII. In 1942, Peter Norman and his friends were excited at the thought of escaping boyhood and getting into uniform to serve their country in the war. Desperate to take part in the action, they enlisted in the New Zealand Air Force, where unlike the Army, they would not need to wait until turning twenty-one before being sent overseas. In this beautifully written account, the reader is given an in... read more

A remarkable collection of stories and photographs of enthusiasts who make and fly their own aircraft, some who have just started with a clean sheet of paper, a few design ideas and an overwhelming desire to fly. It provides a fascinating insight into a colourful and significant part of this country’s aviation scene where these budding builders and pilots often labour for years in basements, sheds, garages and hangars, knowing that their very survival depends on the finished project being made to the highest possible standar... read more