During the last years of WWII and into the 1950s, the pace of aviation development was staggering. Advances were coming so quickly that what was top of the line one year, was nearing obsolescence just a few years later. It was also a time of innovation where the military was not afraid to try something new and designers were more than happy to stretch their abilities as well.

Such was the case of the Convoy Fighter. This was a plan to allow ships in a convoy to carry a plane or two for self protection against enemy bombers without the requirement for a large and expensive aircraft carrier. The specifications called for a turboprop powered aircraft that could land and take off vertically without the need for complex handling apparatus. It should also be able to operate from a ship that was moving and so had to be able to handle not only fore and aft movement but also side to side motion. These are the motions that make most first time voyagers sea-sick.

Proposals were submitted by several companies and two were chosen. These became the Convair XFY-1 and the Lockheed XFV-1. Both of these planes flew, though only the Convair entry was able to take off and land vertically. The main issue was the lack of power from available turboprop engines and the difficulty of landing.

Goodyear submitted their proposal, the GA-28, itself a short, stubby, delta wing aircraft with something the other two did not have, and that was the capability of operating from normal runways. This additional feature came with a weight penalty and in the end, that was the main reason it was not chosen to be built. Interestingly, its chosen engine, the double-Mamba, went on to provide sterling service in the Royal Navy's Gannet ASW aircraft.

In this book, the author covers every known aspect of the GA-28 series and includes a wealth of engineering drawings of the aircraft in question. There are also artists impressions of these aircraft as well as full color profiles of what might have been. It makes for a fascinating look into what might have been and sheds some light on a little known aviation project.

September 2015

My thanks to www.retromechanix.com for providing the review sample. You can get yours here.

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

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