Fighting Cockpits ─ In the Pilot's Seat of Great Military Aircraft from World War I to Today

Climb inside the cockpits of fighter and bomber aircraft--from early World War I models to present day!

What was it like to sit in the pilot's seat and take control of a P-51 Mustang in World War II? What about an F-14 Tomcat at the height of the Cold War? Or a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor today? The cockpits of these fighter and bomber aircraft are revealed in Fighting Cockpits. Showcasing more than 50 of the world's most famous combat cockpits from early World War I aircraft to present-day fighters, this book includes more than 200 rich color photos from photographer Dan Patterson, as well as detailed history about combat cockpit development from aviation expert and historian Donald Nijboer.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, aircraft had open cockpits. Pilots during World War I had to bundle up with fleece-lined leather coats, sheepskin thigh boots, and woolen underclothing to avoid freezing in the cold air four miles up. There was no heating, no oxygen for high flying, no retractable undercarriage, no engine starter, no radio links with air or ground, no brakes to help with landing, and no parachutes. The pilot was afforded merely left and right foot pedals to control the rudder and a single central control stick to cause the nose of the plane to pitch up or down. Since then, the cockpits of fighters and bombers have seen quite an evolution, and the chronology is represented inFighting Cockpits. Presented in large-format volume, this book will complete any history buff or aviation enthusiast's library.

Donald Nijboer is an aviation author, historian, a documentary writer/producer, as well as a college instructor and Smithsonian speaker. His articles have appeared in Flight Journal, Aviation History, and Aeroplane Monthly. Donald lives in Toronto, Canada.Dan Patterson is an accomplished photographer who has excelled in the fields of portraiture, architecture, and aviation. His work has been featured in 23 books, and in 2003 he received the first annual Harry B. Combs Award from the National Aviation Hall of Fame for Excellence in the Preservation of Aviation History. The National Portrait Gallery in London selected five of his portraits of British aviators to be included in their permanent collection. In addition, he has served as an aviation lecturer for the Smithsonian Journeys program. Dan lives in Dayton, Ohio.