McFarland Publishing's American Military Transport Aircraft since 1925

I was delighted when this completely unexpected book arrived in my mail the other day. Those of us of a certain age, very much recall a pair of books by Lloyd S. Jones on US Fighters and on bombers. P-1 to F-17 (I told you it was an old book) and the companion B-1 to B-70 were required reading for those of us who were interested in military aircraft. Probably the coolest things about both of those books is that they included not only the prototypes that never saw service, but also the paper projects, many of which were really cool.

Well, after several decades, we now have a similar book by E.R. Johnson on the Transports that have been with the US military. This book also includes the drawings of Lloyd S. Jones. In fact, the format is very much the same, which makes a rather comfortable book to sit down and browse through or read.

It starts with the Douglas C-1 of the mid 1920s and continues up to the transport aircraft of today, including some that have yet to make a first flight. Each entry includes not only stats on the aircraft, but also any of the various modifications that may have provided the aircraft with a different ID number. Early on, something as simple as a change to a different engine was enough to change the designation.

The book includes a nice background history on the development and organization of military air transport over the years. It also covers aircraft that were impressed during WWII, which is one reason the transport numbers went so high. Navy/Marine, Army, and Coast Guard aviation types are also in the mix. Whenever possible, a photograph or two includes each entry. Some of these aircraft, such as the DC-2 and DC-3 transport derivatives require a lot of space to clear up all the differences between types. Others that were in wide useage also get pretty good coverage.

I have to say that I was very impressed with the amount of work that went into this one. I did find a glitch or two, but that was only because I was intimately involved in the aircraft/units during my military service. For instance, in the C-1 section, the book states that VRC-30 was formed in the 1960s, but as a plank owner, I can assure you that it was 1978 when the unit came into existence under that name. Before that, it was VR-30 det North Island. In the C-9 section, it shows what is purported to be a photograph of a C-9B with VR-62 in Jacksonville, when it was really a painting of a VR-30 C-9B flying over the Golden Gate bridge. Were I not with both units, I would not have picked that up.

Overall, it is an excellent reference book and one that no aviation enthusiast should be without. It will provide hours of enjoyable reading and is a book that I most highly recommend.

April 2013

My thanks to McFarland Publishing for the review book. You can get yours at the link or call them at 800-253-2187.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.