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Glen Edwards: The diary of a bomber pilot, from the invasion of North Africa to his death in the Flying Wing
In 1941, Glen Edwards learned to fly in a fabric-covered biplane. In 1948, he died in the crash of the Northrop Flying Wing, the Air Force’s most advanced jet-propelled aircraft and forerunner of the B-2 Stealth bomber of today. As a combat pilot in North Africa and Italy during World War II, and as a test pilot during a period of astonishing innovation, Edwards was among the best of a new generation of military aviators. The isolated desert base at Muroc, California, where Edwards crashed would be named in his honor.
All through his military career, Glen Edwards kept a daily record of what he did and what he thought. Military historian Daniel Ford situates that diary in the context of World War II, the development of flight testing, and the birth of an independent U.S. Air Force. He shows how military pilots in the 1940s augmented their seat-of-the-pants bravado and precision flying skills with rigorous academic training. Conveying both the exhaustion of combat and the exhilaration of flying some of the world’s fastest, most sophisticated planes, the book traces the tragic course of Glen Edwards’s career: the near-daily bombing missions over Africa and Italy, a record-breaking cross-country flight in the XB-42 Mixmaster, and first flights in the YB-49 Flying Wing—the first plane Edwards ever actively disliked. The innovative Northrop bomber, Daniel Ford concludes, just wasn’t ready for prime time.
"A fascinating tale and a tribute to an unassuming man who simply loved to fly." -- Air&Space/Smithsonian
All through his military career, Glen Edwards kept a daily record of what he did and what he thought. Military historian Daniel Ford situates that diary in the context of World War II, the development of flight testing, and the birth of an independent U.S. Air Force. He shows how military pilots in the 1940s augmented their seat-of-the-pants bravado and precision flying skills with rigorous academic training. Conveying both the exhaustion of combat and the exhilaration of flying some of the world’s fastest, most sophisticated planes, the book traces the tragic course of Glen Edwards’s career: the near-daily bombing missions over Africa and Italy, a record-breaking cross-country flight in the XB-42 Mixmaster, and first flights in the YB-49 Flying Wing—the first plane Edwards ever actively disliked. The innovative Northrop bomber, Daniel Ford concludes, just wasn’t ready for prime time.
"A fascinating tale and a tribute to an unassuming man who simply loved to fly." -- Air&Space/Smithsonian
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1998
About the author
Daniel Ford
104 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 24, 2017
Disappointing cobbling
It would appear that the editor of the diary didn't know much about the subject. Entries are cobbled together but not much tells of the man himself, too many gaps left, too many questions left unanswered, even more after reading than before. Photos with no reference in the text. I read all the way to the last page and beyond searching for more information on the man of the title with great disappointment. A poor book, the subject deserves better.
It would appear that the editor of the diary didn't know much about the subject. Entries are cobbled together but not much tells of the man himself, too many gaps left, too many questions left unanswered, even more after reading than before. Photos with no reference in the text. I read all the way to the last page and beyond searching for more information on the man of the title with great disappointment. A poor book, the subject deserves better.
Displaying 1 of 1 review