Transonic

In 1941 fighter aircraft started to encounter severe control and structural problems as speeds rose into a new and unforeseen regime of flight where the air compressed and produced a phenomenon called 'shock stall' accompanied by an exponential increase of drag. Many eminent aerodynamicists predicted that this presented a barrier beyond which controlled flight would be impossible. The invention of the jet engine eliminated the drag of the propeller, with its limit of 500mph, opening the door to higher speeds. This laid down the challenge to conquer the complex problems. Whoever succeeded would rule the skies over the battlefields of World War 2. In 1942 British intelligence discovered that the Germans were building an aircraft with a flight speed of 1,000mph. If this was true the British aircraft industry would have to respond or lose control of the air. This is the story of the people who accepted that challenge. This book takes the reader into the meetings of the actual scientists and engineers of the time as well as the cockpits of the courageous pilots tasked with the dangerous high speed research programmes. In this way the real science is explained in an informal way which is easy to understand. The story is 'faction' because it enables a direct comparison between German and British research programmes. It is also the result of over thirty years of detailed research with many interviews and communications with the pilots and scientists involved. The second part of the book provides the enthusiast with factual information on the background subjects which form the story including the debunking of some of the myths which still prevail. Were the Germans ahead in 1945? The book reveals the truth