Lockheed Model L-200 Convoy Fighter: The Original Proposal and Early Development of the XFV-1 Salmon - Part 1 Paperback – June 8, 2017

Another good monograph for the enthusiast. This series covering little-known aircraft is very helpful to the amateur aviation historian as well as the model builder.

I used the book for modeling.

Like the other VTOL fighters covered in the series, conception, engineering, design, etc. are covered, where this monograph differs is it has been divided up into two separate volumes for a total of 141 pages. Mr. Zichek includes a huge number of production drawings covering layout and installation of XFV-1 version commonly seen and along with the derivatives, predecessors and proposals that are either rarely seen or even lost to history until now. Highly recommended for historians and those interested in naval aviation. For modelers, there are some limitations to the content that will restrict detailing any model, but there is lots of fodder on the different launch and recovery scenarios and of proposed derivatives including the Proteus powered proof of concept aircraft.

AWESOME book! Just what I've come to expect from this author!!!

Very good !

The airplane described here is a Cold War solution to a WWII problem, using unproven technologies and a healthy amount of optimism. If you like this kind of stuff, you'll love this book. The amount of details in both the graphics and the text are necessary to even begin to understand the strange complexity of what Lockheed proposed here. They basically wanted Navy pilots to land backwards, vertically, on a moving ship, aiming for a square net barely larger than the airplane itself, while looking over their shoulder. Add to that some typical rough seas, low visibility and low fuel after a mission and you get the idea. Yet, as you read through the book, it all starts to look possible, almost practical. There was no GPS guidance or digital control of any kind back then. The engineers relied on a combination of rubber rollers, gimbal platforms, pop-out legs and other mechanical contraptions to make the plane land safely. The author does a great job at putting it all together, using mostly original documents and photos. It's fascinating, compelling and definitely out of the ordinary. The quality of the paper, the printing and the graphic illustrations are all excellent. Highly recommended.

eccellente