Reviews for 2011 Ballooning Square Wall Calendar

The average rating for 2011 Ballooning Square Wall Calendar based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-18 00:00:00 James E Schaeffer III Pushes the Frontier of Aviation Chronicles - As Did the Comet The Comet blazed a new frontier in passenger airliners and paid a very heavy price. However, the British jetliner did make a comeback, as this book deftly shows how. Unfortunately, in 1958, it was too late - the Boeing 707 and soon-to-come Douglas DC-8 offered much better economics, and the Comet was forced to take a backstage position. Nevertheless, with the benefit of hindsight, readers can look back and appreciate all this pioneering jetliner had to offer, despite its shortcomings. And what an interesting subject it makes, one that Mr. Darling is able to showcase, thanks to his exhaustive work. The author took his excellent AirlinerTech book and expanded it, admirably living up to the excellent reputation of the Crowood name. Both books are excellent; how much detail one wants is a matter best left to the reader. Like its predecessor, upon which it builds, this volume presents the legendary airliner in extraordinary depth, both inside and out, with enough goodies to satisfy even the jaded of airplane lovers. To find more, one would have to find original copies of the DH Comet operations manual. Our book starts with an overview of the Brabazon Committee's plans for postwar airliners, Mr. Darling describes the design of the various Comet variants. This part is well done, but the section he added in this edition about postwar airliner design, I am sorry to say, is an unmitigated disaster. There is no talk about how seaplanes and flying boats were rendered obsolete by land planes and the infrastructure to support them built during World War II. The details regarding individual airliners, mostly from the Douglas and Lockheed stables, are hopelessly mixed up (e.g., such advances as cabin pressurization on the Lockheed Constellation, which was absent on the C-54 (DC-4) but present on the DC-6); however, most readers will be familiar with the progression of these designs and should simply skip this part and move on to the subject of the book. The author covers the design flaws of the early Comet in very good detail. He describes the Comet 4 in service in England and throughout the world, and covers the RAF military Comets, including the Nimrod. This edition has to additions over the AirlinerTech book: ample photos of Comet airframes in and out of service after their retirement from B.O.A.C. and BEA, and a reference section that covers not only significant dates in the life of this airliner, but also the histories of the individual airframes and a handy chart of preserved examples residing in museums, a most welcome addition for those of us who like to see these airplanes in person. With this volume (as well as its predecessor), Mr. Darling presents a readable and interesting text. If, like me, you want to see and learn about this graceful aeronautical creation of Geoffrey De Havilland's superb design team, this book is bound to please.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-06-05 00:00:00 Jon Long not the greatest. good if you want to fall asleep.