Product Description

Tim McLelland's Hawker Hunter is both a comprehensive work of reference and an authorities history. It covers the origins of the aircraft from both the P1040 and P1052 swept wing versions and moves through design and development of the twin-seat dual-control Hunter T7 to the `ultimate' FGA.Mk.9. The Hunters varied operational successes are noted with particular emphasis on major foreign users in Switzerland and India, and, amongst others, exports to Oman and Chile.
It faithfully reproduces the Hunter's original Aircrew Manual and presents appendices on service histories, serial numbers ad the fate of every Hunter built.
Colour profiles and a set of scale plans ensure the complete history of the aircraft is presented in a single volume and provides essential reading for the aviation enthusiast or historian.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #346822 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Review
As one of Britain's success stories of post-war aviation, much has been written about the Hunter. So when the author was asked to write this book he decided to pull in as much information as possible and thus produce a `complete history' and believe me, this is quite a tome. The print is as small as is practicable and that is complemented with a large number of illustrations.
As you might expect Tim starts at the very beginning of the story with reference to other high-speed projects including the P.1067, which became the Hunter, We are taken through the teething troubles, and then the service histories of Marks 1 to 5 are described. In this particular chapter there is what must be a less publicised venture, the investigation into the properties of `area rule'. Hunter WT571 was modified for the experiment but was found that little could be gained from it, so it was abandoned. The Mark 6, the so-called `definitive' Hunter comes next, followed by the T.7, FR.10, PR.11 and GR.11.
There are many more chapters, covering, amongst other things, civilian operators, various training units and later overseas operations - nothing seems to have been left out. And if you are a `number cruncher' then Appendix 2 should suit you. With its list of serial numbers and histories it will be unfortunate if you cannot find the aircraft you are looking for amongst this lot.
If you are a model maker then it might be the images that you might find the most useful. As well as dozens of full shot-aircraft views I think you will find many of the close ups of interest. I particularly liked the cockpit shot of a Mk 4.
For the really fastidious you can count the seat rivets and replicate them in you models. There are of course other useful pieces of information amongst the other close-up photographs, eg undercarriage, weapons etc. And, if you want to fly the thing from your armchair then the `Pilot's Notes' will help.
Add to all this the 1/72 scale drawings and pages and pages of colour profiles and you have an automatic addition to you bookshelf.
Highly recommended. --Model Aircraft Monthly

Review
A superb book that has been thoroughly researched and is a must for the Hunter enthusiast. The history of the development of this fine aircraft is absorbing to say the least. The only thing that is missing is a list of RAF Stations that had the Hunter squadrons based. An excellent book.

Review
The Hawker Hunter

When this book first arrived I thought another `anorak's bible' especially when the last 165 pages consists of 8 appendices containing aircraft serial numbers and Pilot's notes etc. But how wrong I was.

Firstly, I think the Hunter must rank as one of the most beautiful aircraft built. My first encounter with it was in 1953 when as a teenager I lived in Worthing, about 300 yards from the sea front. As soon as Neville Duke made his first run on the high speed course along the South Coast, it was on the bike and down to the Front to watch this beautiful all red aircraft, WB1188, eventually achieve the record of 727.6 mph. It was also when I learned never to believe what the Press says. The National Press was reporting that the `Oldies' were throwing themselves onto the ground n fear. In fact you had to push the Zimmers aside to get a good view!

All through the book there are personal accounts that cover development flying, operational incidents and civilian operations. At this stage the book can develop into a `dipper in' i.e. there are fascinating insights into the problems operating this aircraft. When reading the first three chapters, which cover the development of the aircraft that were to be built. Eventually the aircraft would be exported to 20 Countries, which shows how successful it was to become.

There are many incidents quoted and some of these reviewers' favourites are:

`David Lockspeiser flight testing as F6, when the canopy opened. After an exciting ride he states he can claim two unofficial world records for an `open cockpit' aircraft - speed Mach 1.3 and heights 50,000 ft.'

`The account from the pilot on the investigation into how his abandoned Hunter XC197 landed between two houses at Tintagel on 6 July 1979. The pilot obviously feels very strongly on how the MoD sometimes does not actually tell the whole truth on several points. In particular he states, if anyone around Tintagel has a souvenir in the form of a 30mm shell on their mantelpiece, two were not recovered, and they should be handed in as they live and not inert as stated by the MoD!'

`The collision between XF980 and Javelin XA644; where it was surprising that anyone survived.'

The photographs are splendid and this reviewer will only mention two. Firstly at the 1958 Farnborough Air Show the sight of the Black Arrows looping 22 Hunter. Secondly a rather sad Hunter sitting on the runway, after the pilot had ejected on the approach three miles from touchdown.

In 1962, whilst in Centaur, we were visiting Aden and we were invited to attend an open day at RAF Khormaksar. A Hunter carrying out a supersonic dive opened the Flying Display. Unfortunately the aircraft failed to pull out of its dive and made a spectacular start t the event! I have always wondered what happened, and by putting on my anorak and after several hours searching, I was able to identify both the aircraft as XE607 and the cause.

Finally the photograph of WT809 in its final resting place brought back memories. In 1990 I was with the Naval Accident Investigation Unit and the time had come to get the scrap man in to clear our surplus bits and pieces. Amongst them was WT809. When Dave Braithwaite left his steed, the aircraft had flown over the A303 and crashed into woodland. On the way it encountered a Pig Slurry Pit. Now, the aircraft had been sitting outside our hanger with no problem but when it got to the scrap yard the trouble started. We had a phone call from the Yard owner complaining that once they started cutting the aircraft up the Yard had to be cleared due to the smell. To make matters worse it was one of those occurrence, a hot summer!

As can be seen from the above, this reviewer thoroughly enjoyed this book and thoroughly recommends it.

John Shears

Customer Reviews

Sir Sydney Camm's finest.
A complete history of the Hawker Hunter, but not too much about the protracted development(a subject that has been done to death in many other books).

Wonderfull memories from some distinguished "Hunter" characters, particularly Flt.Lt Allan Pollock whose memorable "Aniversary" flight across Central London on 5th April 1968 I saw from the Hawker factory at Ham.

Plenty of unknown photographs from a variety of sources(well done Jeff Middleton).

In short, a fine book, well printed. A worthy addition to anyone who has a fascination for this finest of Sydney Camm's aircraft.

Overpriced rubbish
For a 'complete' history much is left uncovered, and this book basically retreads a lot of the territory covered in earlier Hunter books while adding very little new information (and frankly it seems most of the 'new' bits are stuff like the story of the Hunter-through-tower-bridge flight that can be found on the internet). Photographic coverage is very poor - all are in monochrome, often far too small and the reproduction is often muddy and indistinct - I feel sorry for those who contributed photos as there are several that deserved better treatment than this. There is a tiny colour section of profile drawings, errors being obvious on some of them, and some scale drawings (quite why I'm not sure - as a modeller's reference this book is useless, and Paul Bradley's recent Modellers Datafile would be a better use of your money).

A full half of the book is appendices such as lists of serials with laughably brief "histories" of the airframe - published before (notably in Francis K Mason's 'Hawker Hunter - Biography of a thoroughbred'). A far superior and much more detailed listing can be found in David Griffin's 'Hawker Hunter 1951 to 2007'. Another appendix is a copy and paste job describing the aircraft itself (published before) plus a copy and paste job of the Pilots Notes (ditto).

If you already own any significant Hunter books - particularly the Francis K Mason book, this is a total waste of money.