Project Terminated  [9780859791731]

Aviation buffs are fascinated by "what ifs" and the latest book to appear in this category is Project Terminated by Erik Simonsen. This hardbound very well printed volume examines, as the subtitle states, "Famous Military Aircraft Cancellations of the Cold War and What Might Have Been." Thus we have chapters on the Northrop Flying Wings, the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow (whose cancellation is still hotly debated today), NAA XB-70, Lockheed F-12, and many other aircraft that flew in prototype form but did not achieve production for reasons both political and technical.

The author uses high-quality archival photographs to illustrate the aircraft "in the day" but then adds his prodigious talent as an illustrator to show how these machines would have appeared in operational service. He also speculates on "growth" variants of the various designs and all this combines into a very enjoyable (and reasonably priced) read about one of the most important and creative periods of aviation history.

GH – Air Classics