Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet

Tailspin Turtle

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My next book from Specialty Press is on U.S. Navy carrier-based attack aircraft. It will be similar to my fighter book, Development of Naval Air Superiority, with the content covering the development of the airplanes and weapons from the end of World War II to the present day. I've turned in the manuscript and illustrations. It's currently scheduled for release in July 2009. The cover is still a work in progress but this is the picture that will be used:
 

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If it comes even close to the quality of the first book, then you already have a customer :)
 
AeroFranz said:
If it comes even close to the quality of the first book, then you already have a customer :)

Thanks - I think you'll like it. Here is one of the illustrations that I created for it:
 

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You already have a customer...just a little question. Are there unbuilt projects included? ;)
 
pometablava said:
You already have a customer...just a little question. Are there unbuilt projects included? ;)
The breadth and word/picture limit precluded any depth in that regard, but there's a bit more on the Vought A2U than available elsewhere and a picture or drawing of the unsuccessful competitors for the A3D (Martin and Curtiss), A-6 (Vought 416 and Douglas 715). A-7 (Douglas A4D-6, Grumman single-seat A-6, and North American NA 295), and F-18 (Vought 1602, V-529D, and A-7X) programs; and the XTB2F, TSF, A-12 (with a comparison to the Northrop/Grumman proposal), and F-117 proposals.
 
Tommy, you have me as a customer as well. Your first book was excellent and I look forward with anticipation to this one as well!

And what's next after that?!

Enjoy the Day! Mark
 
Thanks for the vote of support. My winter project is an XF8U-3 monograph for Steve Ginter. I have a few "real" book projects in mind but haven't proposed any yet and may not. The first two books were relatively easy and it was still a lot of work: almost a solid year of research, making illustrations, writing, worrying that I hadn't gotten something right, reconciling conflicting reports, and rewriting for each one. Not to say that I didn't enjoy much of the process. Except for the leaving-stuff-out part to get within the contract's word and picture limit, the dog work of making sure that the pictures matched the captions and were properly referenced by number in the manuscript, and having to turn the book in without some of the material I would have liked to have included but couldn't find.

None of the possibilities that I'm interested in doing are going to be anywhere near as easy from a research standpoint. I want to be just as proud of the third one, if there is one, as the first one, which I must note was in large part due to the high publication quality standards of Specialty Press and the expertise of their layout and production departments. I'm hoping they do just as great a job on the second one.
 
If the consumers at large were only fifty per cent as enthusiasts as the people here in buying, the world economy would be out ot the problems in no time... ;D
 
Here it is:

Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet, 1948-Present (Hardcover)
by Tommy H. Thomason (Author)

http://www.amazon.com/Strike-Sea-Aircraft-Skyraider-1948-Present/dp/1580071325/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230092023&sr=1-9

Amazon are selling it for USD 30 on pre-order.
 
Abraham Gubler said:
Here it is:

Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet, 1948-Present (Hardcover)
by Tommy H. Thomason (Author)

http://www.amazon.com/Strike-Sea-Aircraft-Skyraider-1948-Present/dp/1580071325/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230092023&sr=1-9

Amazon are selling it for USD 30 on pre-order.

Thanks - I've been told that it will be out in July.
 
Hey Tommy, already pre-ordered mine. Noticed Amazon has a picture of the cover and it's different than the one you showed. Of course, they had shown a different cover for the American Secret Projects book than was issued. Between you and Jared, I guess your publishers don't always give you authors accurate information on release dates, etc.
 
AL said:
Hey Tommy, already pre-ordered mine. Noticed Amazon has a picture of the cover and it's different than the one you showed. Of course, they had shown a different cover for the American Secret Projects book than was issued. Between you and Jared, I guess your publishers don't always give you authors accurate information on release dates, etc.

Specialty Press is great to work with but they do insist on creating the dust cover for marketing purposes, which is okay with me because their cover for Naval Superiority was much better than the one I recommended. Even then, they changed their own subtitle after reviewing it with a buyer from one of the big book store chains and deciding that it didn't properly convey the contents at a glance. (You can still see the interim one on some websites.) In this case, I again suggested a few pictures and a title. They picked a different picture (the one posted earlier) and then reportedly for production values, they changed it to the one that Amazon is using. The title is a little different, too, but again fine with me.
 
Specialty Press now has sample page PDF's of the book on their website.
 
Sample pages from Specialty Press website.
 

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I'm told the books will be clearing customs in Minnesota on 20 July and be going out to retailers and advance purchasers shortly thereafter. I have an advance copy and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'll be working up an errata/comment/addendum document so please let me know if you have any suggestions for it.
 
Received mine yesterday in the mail and all I can say is BRAVO!!! After skimming through the book, it sure looks like Tommy has done an excellent job of covering the story of Post War US Navy Attack Aircraft. Tommy, I know you said you were under constraints and couldn't include everything you may have had; I noticed you didn't have anything on the McDonald Quiet Attack Aircraft. Did you have anything on the QAA?

BTW, what's the next book from you I can pre-order?
 
AL said:
Received mine yesterday in the mail and all I can say is BRAVO!!! After skimming through the book, it sure looks like Tommy has done an excellent job of covering the story of Post War US Navy Attack Aircraft. Tommy, I know you said you were under constraints and couldn't include everything you may have had; I noticed you didn't have anything on the McDonald Quiet Attack Aircraft. Did you have anything on the QAA?

BTW, what's the next book from you I can pre-order?

Thanks for the kind remarks. The McDonnell QAA didn't make the cut because my perception was that it wasn't seriously considered for development. In any event, I don't have any more on it than appeared in the stealth book by Aronstein/Piccirillo.

My next book for Specialty Press is a history of the A4D Skyhawk. However, it won't be available for preorder for sometime. My monograph for Steve Ginter on the F8U-3 is temporarily on the back burner due to higher priority non-book projects.
 
Tailspin Turtle said:
Thanks for the kind remarks. The McDonnell QAA didn't make the cut because my perception was that it wasn't seriously considered for development. In any event, I don't have any more on it than appeared in the stealth book by Aronstein/Piccirillo.

Are you referring to the Have Blue book?
 
sferrin said:
Tailspin Turtle said:
Thanks for the kind remarks. The McDonnell QAA didn't make the cut because my perception was that it wasn't seriously considered for development. In any event, I don't have any more on it than appeared in the stealth book by Aronstein/Piccirillo.

Are you referring to the Have Blue book?

Yes: Have Blue and the F-117A: Evolution of the "Stealth Fighter"
 
Just ordered it from Amazon for twenty-nine bucks. Also preordered "Convair's Deltas" for $21.75 :D
 
Have also pre-ordered the "Convair Deltas" book. Noticed the table of contents has a chapter "The Other Hustlers".
 
AL said:
Have also pre-ordered the "Convair Deltas" book. Noticed the table of contents has a chapter "The Other Hustlers".

I'm sure it's things like the various B,C,D, and E concepts, transports, interceptors, etc. Lots of that stuff in Jay Miller's book on the Hustler.
 
Re: Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Horne

I got my copy of "Strike from the Sea" yesterday. i just skimmed through it, but I am impressed and pleased with the contents. In particular, i appreciate the large number of explanatory diagrams included throughout the book, which I can only assume were created ad hoc.
For example, there are overlays of the F8U and the VA(L) proposal smartly showing difference in size, schematic of the Vigilante's novel lateral control system, and the problem of fitting the early large atomic bombs is clearly illustrated by layout views showing just how big the bomb bay is compared to the host aircraft. I had always known weapon size to have been a major driver, but it wasn't until seeing the illustrations that i realized how big of a problem it was. I was also aware of the A3J's store train, but had never seen it pictured; now my curiosity has been satisfied.
I liked the fact that instead of focusing solely on the operational history, there is quite a deal of technical information presented neatly.
I am very happy with the purchase and can only wonder how Thomason will be able to improve upon this.
 
How much is in there on the A-12? Any good images/drawings/etc?
 
Re: Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Horne

About six pages, half of which are pictures. Diagrams include line drawings and main characteristics of the A-12 and Northrop / Grumman competitor, cockpit pictures, 2 mockup pics, one artist's impression, pictures of the mockup's inlet and exhaust.
 
Just ordered my copy this AM- Buy.com had it for only $26 with free shipping! I already have the naval air superiority book and it's quite impressive, I can't wait to get my hands on this one.
 
Copies have arrived in Australia and this is another great book. Like Air Superiorty I especially like the placing into context of these US Navy's strike aircraft with the technology and tactics of the time and the development of their weapons and carriers.
 
Superb ! :eek: If only TT had the space to use all his material.....
 
Abraham Gubler said:
Copies have arrived in Australia and this is another great book. Like Air Superiorty I especially like the placing into context of these US Navy's strike aircraft with the technology and tactics of the time and the development of their weapons and carriers.

I agree wholeheartedly, Tommy has done an excellent job of placing the aircraft within their context in both books.
 

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