The Admiralty and AEW: Royal Navy Airborne Early Warning Projects

Thanks Chris, now eagrtly awaiting the postie this week so i can get to read it ;D
 
Thank you very much Chris. As you know, I'm really looking forward to this.


This is a major reason that Concorde should never have come out of service. If it was still flying it might be possible for Royal Mail to offer same day (not mere overnight) service across the Atlantic for important mail this this.


Now hanging out by my mailbox.


J F F
 
My copy arrived in the post today. :)

Excellent service as always Chris.

Having read the book this evening, I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in UK AEW projects. Beginning with the earliest efforts in WWII, to work in the 1950's that produces the AEW Gannet, through to the "Dumb-Bell Buccaneer" studies, and the various BAC & HSA studies to NASR 6166 & 6167, this book gives a detailed look into the world of RN AEW work, and the often tortured efforts of the manufacturers involved to "squeeze a quart into a pint pot" as they tried to meet the Admiralty's requirements.

Each section has numerous three view drawings to illustrate the designs being discussed, as well as explanatory diagrams for technical and operational concepts. Some of the aircraft within this book are easily front running contenders for the title of "The Ugliest Aircraft Ever Designed", yet some are actualy quite handsome looking aircraft.

If I have one very small quibble, a few of the drawings are the small side, and as my main interest with such books is to use them as inspiration for future scratchbuilding projects, the drawings don't scan and scale up too well, but as I say, only a minor quibble.

Overall, an excellent addition to the series, roll on the RAF AEW Projects edition!

cheers

Duncan
 
Ah, forgot to mention that larger drawings are available (see attached). The masters are done at A3, so drop me a line if there are any you fancy. There will, of course, be...questions.

Contact Adrian for info on his artwork. Mike will advise on P.1216 matters

Chris
 

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Have just e-mailed my order. Great stuff!
 
.

I've now had a chance to read my copy - Very Nice !

Some interesting, and depressing, history in those pages.

Whilst I acknowledge the problem of the "small drawings", I find then adequate (being more intereted in the "history" rather than modelling). My only quibble would be a lack of TNA:pRO references.

I can't wait for the RAF book (hopefully with references).

Keep up the good work.

.
 
Just sent you a Paypal for a copy of both.


CJGibson said:
The Admiratly and AEW is now available.

£9.95 per copy

Postage

UK - £1.60 (First Class post)
Europe - £3.00 (Air Mail)
Rest of World - £4.50 (Air Mail)

I will endeavour to ship orders the same day in a stiffie.

Please send all orders, enquiries and paypal payments to blue.envoy.services@googlemail.com

The VC10 book has been reprinted and is also available, price is £8.95, postage rates the same.

Many thanks for your support with previous books and I hope TAAEW meets your expectations.

Chris
 
nova10 said:
I've ordered my copy from amazon. Is this ok?


When I access Amazon.co.uk, they still show The Admiralty and AEW as "Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. " Are you getting a more definitive status message?

What I find amusing is that Amazon.co.uk confidently assures me that The Air Staff and AEW will be in on precisely 18 June 2012 even though they apparently have no idea when The Admiralty and AEW -- a book that is actually in the post to them (or even in their warehouse) -- will arrive.
 
Previous experience has suggested ordering directly is more reliable for this kind of publication.
 
Should I cancel my amazon order then or have they just not updated the site? How reliable is the transport bookshop on amazon's claim that they have copies? I must confess I don't know or want to know how to use paypal :(
 
My copy slipped through the letter box this morning. Fantastic service!

I have leafed through it excitedly before coming out for a busy day. It is up to the usual
high standard and jam packed with goodies.

Reading the section on the BAC 583 AEW prompts me to try and find a photocopy I made
years ago from Interavia magazine from about 1964 of a drawing of the vstol BAC 583V
with two under fuselage pods and a curious radome over the fuselage which is similar to
the mushroom in your book. If I can find it I will post it here as it makes a nice addition.

If the RAF version is as good it will be a bumper year.

Oh yes, go direct to Chris it is well worth it.
 
Thanks for the positive feedback. If I'm at home I can usually ship the same day, if not they'll get sent at the weekend.

There are a few studies that I could find no additional info on. The first was the Gannet fitted with turbofans and the second was the 583V AEW variant, which I began to think was mythical. A drawing would be much appreciated. Oddly enough after months of searching for the BAC.169 and drawing a blank, I stumbed upon it quite by chance in a file at Brooklands.

PRO refs. Personally I'd rather use the two pages that these would fill for depressing stories and drawings, but if you'd like a list, drop me a line or meet me for a brew at Kew next week.

Cheers

Chris
 
Just got mine. Excellent. Having read proofs via PDF I think having it as a book makes a big difference to how it feels to own as a product - as with the P.1216 book (still available for fast shipping from link below for anyone who saw it only in the AEW book!).
 
When I looked at both amazon uk & amazon usa yesterday they both showed out of stock. Rather than take a chance on them never coming in stock, I ordered directly from Chris.


northerndancer2000 said:
nova10 said:
I've ordered my copy from amazon. Is this ok?


When I access Amazon.co.uk, they still show The Admiralty and AEW as "Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. " Are you getting a more definitive status message?

What I find amusing is that Amazon.co.uk confidently assures me that The Air Staff and AEW will be in on precisely 18 June 2012 even though they apparently have no idea when The Admiralty and AEW -- a book that is actually in the post to them (or even in their warehouse) -- will arrive.
 
Amazon's process can be a bit slow; for the P.1216 book it took them several weeks after they'd received the books to show it as available and start dispatching orders.
 
Got my copy just three days after I've ordered directly from Chris, excellent service, many thanks !
Haven't read carefully still yet, will start this evening, but just by browsing through quickly, I was
surprised by the vast amount of designs. Really looks great !
 
Excellent Service! ;D Superb work. ;D I cannot believe I am the first Yank to order. What's wrong guys. Thanks Chris keep it up! :)


Jim
 
Wow, my copy arrived today already - in New Zealand!


Nice work, Chris, Royal Mail & NZ Post :)


Quick glance through looks very interesting, will post a review tomorrow.
 
I've had a quick look through the book; one question that remains is this: was there a relationship between the FASS radar system in the P.139 et al and the setup used in the Nimrod AEW.3?
According to http://www.spyflight.co.uk/Nim%20aew.htm, the Nimrod system was the result of trying to get the FASS idea to work. I.e. the system became much too large to be carried by the likes of the P.139. Was there a solution to this in the works? E.g. offloading the processing to a ship?
 
unclejim said:
Excellent Service! ;D Superb work. ;D I cannot believe I am the first Yank to order. What's wrong guys. Thanks Chris keep it up! :)


Jim


Actually other yanks have ordered too. My copy arrived yesterday and i'm really enjoying it.
 
I hope this works. Here is a drawing of the AEW aircraft from Issue 3 of Interavia
magazine from 1962. These large format Swiss magazines are a goldmine. I photocopied
some pages years ago, but I think the original mags are quite easy to find.

Although not mentioned the AEW kit is clearly visible and the aircraft has the hallmarks
of the Hawker 583V.
 

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Bought your book Chris, fascenating read and much appreciated.
 
uk 75 said:
I hope this works. Here is a drawing of the AEW aircraft from Issue 3 of Interavia
magazine from 1962. These large format Swiss magazines are a goldmine. I photocopied
some pages years ago, but I think the original mags are quite easy to find.

Although not mentioned the AEW kit is clearly visible and the aircraft has the hallmarks
of the Hawker 583V.


Hmm, this looks like a speculative magazine artist's impression. Its Hawker from the side and Vickers from the top. The 583V was a Vickers, not Hawker design.
 
Mike

You are right the designs are "generic", drawn for the magazine by an artist but all in the same
Hawker style. That is why I wrote Hawker instead of Vickers. Also I got the issue number wrong
I think it is 5 rather than 3.

The drawing is a Hawker and Chris Gibson knows more. so I will let him explain. Shame its not the AEW
583, in fact its not AEW at all.....

Ralph (UK 75)
 
Got my copies in the mail (in the US of A) yesterday. Both books are very interesting, thanks Chris!
 
Evening all,

I was at the Hawker Archive at Brooklands the other day and had a look through a few files. In one file is a copy of the original drawing of UK75's VG VTOL type. It is a Hawker study (well, when I say study, BR3V might be more apt) for a swing-wing V/STOL It was drawn by Roy Braybrook (before he wrote for Air International he was a Hawker designer, who scribbled away at a desk at the back of the design office) and the dorsal lump is a saddle tank.

I did wonder if this design was a response to (or the inspiration for) the Vickers Type 583V.

Chris
 
Can I just say, what a fantastic book Mr Gibson, you've done it again! So many aew designs but so little end product. Should have come as no surprise really! Minor note, have the two diagrams on page 13 been accidently been mixed up or am I reading it wrong?
 
You've been on the sauce. The top one is the mushroom, bottom one is the rotodome. Frustratingly the Admiralty used the two terms interchangeably for a while.

Glad you like it. I enjoyed doing the research and was pleased to see that the latest codename for the latest RN AEW programme is "Crow's Nest". They must've read the draft.

Chris
 
Just receive my copy :) :) :) .
Very clear and interesting.
Beautiful drawings.
Thanks Chris!
 
Just started reading my copy, today.....
As I've said before, aircraft are never ugly, rather, they are purposeful, or the result of form following function.
Got to say, there are a hell of a lot of functional aircraft in this book......


cheers,
Robin.


P.S. It's okay, Chris, I'm reading it in my lunch hour!.......... ;)
 
I'll be at the National Archives at Kew tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday if anyone fancies a pint/brew/blah.

PM me if you'll be around.

Chris
 
Hi Chris:


Just heard from Amazon that the delivery date for the new The Air Staff and AEW has been pushed back to the indefinite future. I've been really looking forward to seeing this as a companion to The Admiralty and AEW.


Do you have an updated release date?


Thank you.
 
I would suspect that Chris will be focusing on his 'Battle Flight'- British Air Defence post war projects book that he is writing for Crecy, as thats due for publication at the end of October. With this book being under contract it will no doubt have priority over his own self published titles, but once that book has been signed off and sent for printing then Chris can get on with finishing off his other works. Just be patient it will get published and we have the advantage that Battle Flight will no doubt cover some of the AEW aspect and put it into context :)
 
And i thought Nimrod AEW3 looked ugly but compared the the Dumb-bell Buccaneer, its Supermodel!!!
 

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