Short Aircraft: Illustrated History Books & Guides

Aircraft and Aerospace Manufacturing in Northern Ireland : An Illustrated History - 1909 to the Present Day

Northern Ireland has an enviable, extensive and often unappreciated role in aviation history.
With a focus on aircraft manufacturing from the first pioneering steps by Lilian Bland, Joseph Cordner and a young Harry Ferguson, through a century of developments in production and research, this illustrated volume highlights that history and the people who played a part.

Using over 300 black and white and colour images, with extended captions, the authors take a chronological look at how, from innovative beginnings, a successful aircraft and aerospace industry has thrived locally through periods of war and peace.
Aircraft from both military and civil backgrounds are featured including the early experiments, licensed military production, flying boats, conversions, fascinating research designs, jet and missile developments, and successful transport and passenger aeroplanes. Details of both locations and people help to bring the story to life.

Written by two experts on the topic and drawing on the archives and collections of Bombardier Belfast and Ulster Aviation Society, this volume contains much previously unpublished material.

Product details

Author:	Guy Warner, Ernie Cromie
Details:	128 pages, 7.9 x 9 x 0.28 in (20 x 24 x 0.7 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	300+ b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Colourpoint Books (GB, 2014)
ISBN:	9781780730608

Qantas and the Empire Flying Boat

Between 1938 and 1948, Qantas Short Empire flying boats navigated a dramatic and dangerous period for commercial aviation. They flew the Singapore-Sydney section of the prewar Imperial Airways UK-Australia air route, introducing a new level of luxury travel to the route.
However, the outbreak of war cut short this brief glamorous time and brought the Qantas boats increasingly onto the front line.

Containing over 160 stunning illustrations, many previously unpublished, this book details the history of the Empire flying boats as they went from luxurious carriers to military service in roles that included the resupply and evacuation of Allied military forces.

Product details

Author:	David Crotty
Details:	127 pages, 6.5 x 9.7 x 0.39 in (16.5 x 24.5 x 1 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	160+ b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2022)
ISBN:	9781913870379

Short Stirling : RAF Heavy Bomber in World War II (Legends of Warfare)

Introduced in 1941, the Short Stirling was the Royal Air Force's first four-engine heavy bomber of the Second World War. However, early on, the Stirling's performance was compromised by several issues: a reduced wingspan, which resulted in serious limitations on maximum altitude capability; the two-stage landing gear proved to be dangerously frail; and the bomb-bay design proved incapable of carrying large-scale blockbuster bombs. Its altitude ceiling limitations left the aircraft particularly vulnerable to isolation and dispatch by enemy night fighters within the bomber stream, and it was these factors that ultimately led to its withdrawal from Britain's strategic bombing campaign over occupied Europe.

By November 1943, it was replaced by the more effective Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster. However, it did see important second-line duty in the glider-towing, paratroop drop, minelaying, and supply roles. The Stirling also saw post-WWII duties as a passenger transport up to the late 1940s.

This book is a concise, visual history of this lesser-known RAF WWII bomber.

Product details

Author:	Ron Mackay
Details:	112 pages, 9.1 x 9.25 x 0.71 in (23 x 23.5 x 1.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	185 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2022)
Series:	Legends of Warfare
ISBN:	9780764364631

Short Stirling Units of World War 2 (Osprey)

Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war.
In its modified form as the Mark IV the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway.
Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First Arab-Israeli War.

Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, "Short Stirling Units of World War 2" uncovers the history of one of the RAF's greatest World War 2 bombers.

Product details

Author:	Jonathan Falconer
Details:	96 pages, 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.28 in (25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	76 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2018)
Series:	Combat Aircraft (124)
ISBN:	9781472820426

Sunderland

Short Brothers, one of the earliest commercial aircraft manufacturers, played a key role in aviation history. Its most iconic design, the Short Sunderland flying boat, entered RAF service in 1938 and became a crucial asset during World War II. While Coastal Command operated nearly 50 aircraft types, only the Sunderland remained on the front line from the war's first day to its last. Its advanced design ensured continued service with the RAF until 1958 and with the RNZAF for almost another decade. The Sunderland was the RAF's most capable flying boat and, ultimately, its last.

This illustrated book, featuring over 260 images, explores the Sunderland's design, development, and operational history. It covers its role in World War II, the Korean War, and its lasting impact on aviation. The Sunderland remains a beloved aircraft among aviation enthusiasts and those who served aboard the RAF's "Queen of Boats."

Note: This is a new edition of "Aeroplane Icons: Sunderland".

Product details

Details:	96 pages, 9.7 x 6.7 in (24.5 x 17 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	extensively illustrated
Language:	English
Publisher:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Series:	Historic Military Aircraft (23)
ISBN:	9781802824582