Without a doubt, one of the best second generation fighters to be produced by British aviation is the Hawker Hunter. Like the US built Sabre, the Hunter went on to be produced in rather large numbers and thanks to rebuilds, was eventually used by a large number of overseas operators. A sleek design that just looks right when one sees it, the Hunter stayed in service for nearly 40 years and is still being flown by civilian operators.

The subtitle of Tim McLelland's book is "A Complete History"; a title that pretty well sums up what you will find inside its covers. There are the usual sections on its development, early problem solving, and service introduction. Then there are chapters on some of the more widely built variants, including the two seat Hunter trainers. Foreign operators are allotted considerable space as are the later civilian operators. No book like this would be complete without some interesting and sometimes humorous personal anecdotes from those who have flown the aircraft. I have to say that I was rather amazed by one account by the pilot that flew his Hunter between the towers of Tower Bridge in London. 

Besides being a great read, this is also a good book to use for research and reference. There are a number of appendices that cover subjects like export sales, aircraft serial numbers with a brief history on each one, airframe descriptions, weapons, drawings to 1/72 scale, detail photos and pilot's notes. There are also a number very well done color profiles.

In all, an excellent reference book that I know you will find as useful as have I. A book that seriously deserves a space on your library shelf and one that I can easily recommend to you.

March 2009

Review book courtesy of Specialty Press , where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Visit their website at the link above or call them at 1-800-895-4585

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