All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno the spies watch each other & ready their knives while Myna sees the troops muster at its border & emotions run high as it vows never to be enslaved again. In Collegium the students argue politics too late to turn the tide. In the heart of the Empire new pilots have completed their secretive training generals are being recalled to service & armies are ready to march. Their Empress the heir to two worlds intends to claim her birthright. & nothing -- either within the Empire or beyond it -- will stand in her way. A conflict is coming the like of which the insect-kinden have never seen. Praise for the Shadows of the Apt series: ' Reminiscent of much that's gone before from the likes of Gemmel Erikson Sanderson & Cook but with its own unique & clever touch.. . Terrific' Sci-Fi-London.com ' Full of colourful drama & non-stop action' Fantasy Book Critic blog ...

This is the second volume in a meticulously researched four-part series that provides a comprehensive insight into the aerial exploits at Operation Market Garden in September 1944. In an interesting method of presenting the information the authors arrangement of British American Dutch & German personal narrative interspersed with factual material offers a more personalised view of the war through the eyes of the hard-pressed Allied airborne troops who were actually there in the thick of the action. They take you steadily through the bitter house-to-house fighting in Eindhoven Nijmegen & Arnhem & the fanatical attempts to keep open the narrow road to permit XXX Corps to reach & relieve Colonel John Frosts men outnumbered & out-gunned at Arnhem Bridge. They reveal the frustration & bitter disappointment in the battles of the drop zones the bloody fight for the bridges across the Rhine & the almost suicidal second & third lifts to re-supply the troops holding on precariously fighting desperately tenaciously & bravely to prevent their positions being overrun in the face of overwhelming enemy superiority. Stories of individual heroism act to humanize this period of wartime history which is often reduced to mere facts. Timelines detail the day to day events happening in all areas of the battle both on the ground & in the air & also add weight to the story in hand whilst carefully selected archive images work to supplement the text perfectly. ...

This is the first volume of a most impressive tribute & accurate four part work that uniquely presents a complete account of both air & ground operations throughout Market-Garden in September 1944 when British US & Polish airborne troops made a gallant attempt to seize & hold bridges across the Lower Rhine in Holland as a springboard for crossing into Germany. The Allied planners saw this operation in two parts
- hence Market the parachute & glider assault by three airborne divisions to seize the bridges over the intervening rivers & canals; & Garden the advance to Arnhem & beyond by the armoured & infantry divisions of XXX Corps along one single narrow 64 mile road over the airborne carpet laid by the American 101st & 82nd Airborne Divisions. Market was at the time the largest airborne operation in history; over 34 600 men of the US 101st Screaming Eagles Division US 82nd All American Division & British 1st Airborne Divisions & the Polish Brigade. 14 589 troops were landed by glider & 20 011 by parachute. Gliders also brought in 1 736 vehicles & 263 artillery pieces & 3 342 tons of ammunition & other supplies were brought by glider & parachute drop. To deliver its 36 battalions of airborne infantry & their support troops to the continent the First Allied Airborne Army had under its operational control the 14 US Troop Carrier groups & 16 RAF transport squadrons; a combined force of 1 438 C-47 transports & 321 converted RAF bombers & 3 140 gliders. If successful the war could be over by Christmas. What could go wrong? That it did & on such a massive scale is the underlying theme throughout this series. In truth Field Marshal Montgomerys bold but controversial plan was undone from the outset by senior American & British generals who inexplicably decided to carry out the lifts over two to three days make only limited use of ground-attack aircraft over the battlefield & ignore glider Coup de Main tactics which combined with First Allied Airborne Armys poor choice of parachute drop zones & glider landing zones that were 8 miles from the Arnhem Bridge made sure that any element of surprise at Arnhem was completely lost. Never reinforce failure the well tried military maxim was ignored as lifts of men & equipment continued for a further six days even though DZs had been overrun losses were severe & acts of gallantry wasted. The action was at times very confused so a narrative of events contained in sixteen timelines at intervals throughout this series cuts through the fog of battle to explain the situation from its over-optimistic beginning to the tragic conclusion.
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The third volume of this four-part series on Operation ' Market-Garden' in September 1944 draws on many individual soldiers & airmen's narratives to tell the story of the ongoing fight to keep the Hell's Highway' open to relieve 1st Airborne at Arnhem & the brave attempts to re-supply them from the air. As in previous volumes this account offers a unique perspective on all aspects of aerial activity during this pivotal operation. This volume tells of the Allied effort to retain supremacy in the skies. Individual tales of gallantry work to humanize the account rooting the action very much in the human experience of conflict. Such tales include the never to be forgotten story of the ' Angel of Arnhem' & the acts of chivalry that existed on both sides
- even among battle hardened units such as the SS Panzer Grenadiers. All are unique in the annals of war. These & the other personal recollections of Allied soldiers & airmen & their German adversaries tell of extreme courage camaraderie & shared terror under fire. & they are complemented by the author's background information that puts each narrative into wartime perspective.
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Matt Cruse is cabin boy aboard the Aurora an airship which truly is lighter than air. Since the discovery of hydrium a gas that renders even the heaviest vehicle as light as a feather airships travel all over the world in the same way as planes do today. Matt himself was born on an airship & it is there that he feels most at home. Matt has high hopes for promotion to junior sailmaker on this voyage
- until Kate de Vries one of the wealthy passengers arrives on the scene. Shes feisty & brave & wont let social distinctions get in the way of her friendship with Matt. & all their bravery is required when one night in the middle of the ocean they are boarded by pirates & caught up in adventures beyond all imagining...
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Neither beginners nor advanced students will want to be without this book on airbrush art. It is an indispensable source of information & advice on the amazing works of art you can produce with the aid of a spray gun. Beginning with the basic techniques coupled with specialist tips all of the various ways of using an airbrush are demonstrated for anyone who would like to learn perfect & eventually become professional at the spray technique. With the help of numerous tried-&-tested step-by-step instructions the six carefully designed projects provide an easy introduction to the basic knowledge required & to the subsequent development of the skills needed for complex artistic work. The advantages of the freehand technique are as comprehensively discussed as the solutions to problems & difficulties that can occur when working with masks. As well as the practical tasks readers can learn everything there is to know about the inner workings & construction of an airbrush gun & are introduced to the various models of gun available commercially & detailed information on accessories & materials. There is a free DVD included. ...

First published in 1988 Bill Gunstons book simply told the story of how the original Airbus A300B was conceived how the international Airbus company was formed & how it finally grew to become an aerospace giant. This fully revised & updated second edition

Includes:: all the prolific single-aisle aircraft that have followed the A320 the great new wide-bodies (the A330 & four-engine A340) the enormous A380 the totally different A400M military air lifter & not least the extraordinary gestation of the A350. Top aviation author Bill Gunstons inside story is a tale without parallel of Europes Boeing-beater.

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Poised for takeoff on that hot morning in April 2005 the Airbus A380 had the purposeful powerful presence of a giant predatory bird. With its enormous gulled wings imperiously tall tail & broad domed forepeak it looked ready to take on the world. & along the way it has had plenty of supporters--and critics. No civil airliner since the supersonic Concorde has aroused such emotion such fascination & such cause celebre. To a confident Airbus & the thousands of awestruck workers who cheered it into that cloudless sky over Toulouse it means so much more. The European company has been transformed under the broad wings of this incredible project into a single corporate entity--from a loose consortium into a new more dynamic force to challenge its worthy adversary Boeing in every market sector. ...

An action-packed ride through the history of aircraft. The Aircraft Book" is all about the men machines & landmark technology behind the most iconic aircraft from the Supermarine Spitfire to the Concorde. Featuring over 1 000 of the greatest military & commercial aircraft in the world this is an amazing visual guide tracing their evolution over the past 10 decades. A captivating international view of aircraft through time from Germanys Zeppelins to the USAs " Blackbird" with histories of how famous marques like Boeing & Lockheed came to be household names. Plus go on a virtual tour inside the engines of some of the legendary planes to see just what powers their performance. " The Aircraft Book" is essential for aviation buffs covering the enduring impact that aircraft has on society as an object of curiosity a symbol of luxury & an essential weapon of war." ...

Aircraft Engineering Principles" is the essential text for anyone studying for licensed A&P or Aircraft Maintenance Engineer status. The book is written to meet the requirements of JAR-66/ECAR-66 the Joint Aviation Requirement (to be replaced by European Civil Aviation Regulation) for all aircraft engineers within Europe which is also being continuously harmonized with Federal Aviation Administration requirements in the USA. The book covers modules 1 2 3 4 & 8 of JAR-66/ECAR-66 in full & to a depth appropriate for Aircraft Maintenance Certifying Technicians & will also be a valuable reference for those taking ab initio programs in JAR-147/ECAR-147 & FAR-147. In addition the necessary mathematics aerodynamics & electrical principles have been included to meet the requirements of introductory Aerospace Engineering courses. Numerous written & multiple choice questions are provided at the end of each chapter to aid learning. This book delivers the essential principles & knowledge base required by Airframe & Propulsion (A&P) Mechanics for JAR-66/ECAR-66 & the associated Federal Aviation Administration qualifications. It is ideal for both independent & tutor-assisted study. It is comprehensive & accessible with self-test questions exercises & multiple choice questions to enhance learning." ...