Richard Bradley Bierman

Flying in the Funnies by Al Flick
Just after the years of World War I, America was enchanted with aviation and the aviators in the news such as Post, Doolittle and Lindbergh. In response to the Public's hunger for adventure and it's enthrallment of flying, the aviation comics were born. These comics were seen in movie houses, books, pulp magazines, advertisements and the funny pages of newspapers. A few, well written and illustrated, have endured the test of time.

Fay Gillis Wells, Air Pioneer by Lt. Col. Yvonne Pateman, USAF Ret.
Few women of the 1920s and 1930s transgressed the traditional role allowed them. Those who did, did so in such a daring way that they often made the headlines. One such woman, Fay Gillis Wells, shared the spotlite of the times with other independent women who refused to conform to the restrictions society wished to place upon them. Fay Gillis Wells, along with her peers Amelia Earhart, Opal Kunz, Neva Paris, Louise Thaden, Blanche Noyes and others united to further the advancement of women in aviation, thus laying the cornerstone for the historic space flight of Sally Ride.

The Navy Night Fliers of World War II by Tom Ladwig
Japan's tactic of night time attacks on our ships in the Solomon Islands made it clear that the United States would have to fly at night in order to stop the Japanese. Britain had developed night fighting during the Battle of Britain and offered valuable assistance in the development of our program. Overcoming the handicaps of flying from a carrier on an open sea, improper lighting on deck, inadequate radar and no training guidelines took its toll in operational mishaps. The advances made during the development of night fighting operations made it possible for all carriers to operate on an around-the-clock basis if needed.… (meer)

Raoul Lufbery: The Enigmatic Ace by Dale L. Walker
While flying with the Lafayette Escadrille, the squadron of American volunteers who flew in French uniforms and in French planes long before America entered WWI in Europe, Raoul Lufbery scored 17 victories in his two years flying at the front (and another forty unconfirmed ones). He wore the French Legion of Honor, Medaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre with ten palms and the British Military Medal and he was the best-known American ace in the pre-Rickenbacker months, a national hero of two nations. Raoul Lufbery was a name of legend and if memory of his exploits and character have dimmed, it is unfortunate for he deserves remembering.

Mustang by Jeffrey L. Ethell
The Mustang has reflected the American will to excel when against tough odds. "Sired by the English out of an American mother," as Major Thomas Hitchcock, recalled, the Mustang went from stepchild to king of the hill in just four years time and was acknowledged at the end of World War II as the finest piston engined fighter of any combatant. From the first prototype to the last version of the aircraft, the Mustang was forced to take many turns, some almost killing her in the rush of wartime expedience. The aircraft continued to emerge from the design offices to make yet another contribution to military aviation. That the Mustang continued in first line service with the U.S. Air Force through the Korean War and into the mid-1950's speaks for itself.

Miracles From Mojave: The Story of Burt Rutan by Don Downie
Burt Rutan has become the most successful designer of homebuilt aircraft in the world. Just about the only thing that Rutan has maintained over his meteoric rise in aircraft design has been the canard configuration. In 1969, Burt Rutan formed the Rutan Aircraft Factory (RAF) for the development of a non-conventional research aircraft, the VariViggen. In the following years he developed the VariEze, Quickie, Defiant and Long-Ez, Grizzly, 62% NGT jet trainer as well as feasibility studies and design of the AD-1 for NASA. "Father" of these ubiquitous canards is Rutan, yet only 41 years old. He is truly a pioneer producing from computer technology, space-age materials and miniaturization, composite structures for machines so fuel efficient that he is extending the dream of flying for many. His new project, the Voyager, and his work on the Beech Starship are examples of Burt Rutan's versatility. The history books are still open for hopefully years of more of his designs and of his contributions to aviation.… (meer)

Panama Pacific International Exposition: Great Men in the Western Sky by Linda Liscom
The Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) motivated disaster-stricken San Franciscans to daring endeavors and historic achievements. Shortly after that bustling city was destroyed by the famous earthquake in 1906, and subsequent fire, the city successfully erected great monuments, palatial buildings, and dazzling attractions that awed nearly 20,000,000 visitors. Most of those visitors also witnessed first-hand the most daring exploits of a new generation of showmen--aeroplane fliers. They saw Lincoln Beachey and Bob Fowler; Art Smith and Sylvio Pettirossi, and more. They paid $10 a piece to ride with the then unknown Loughead (Lockheed) brothers. And, sadly, they watched as Lincoln Beachey fell to his death during a spectacular performance. The PPIE was a great success and it introduced to a startled world the greatest accomplishment of modern man.

Fleet 16B by Ken Smith
The Fleet 16B is a beautiful biplane, as the photographs will attest. Popular since the earlier models 1 and 2 (and before that as the 'Husky Jr.'), the 16B was to the Canadians what the Yellow Peril N3N-3 was to American pilots. Rugged, stable, fun, and inexpensive, the 16B drifted south from Canada and found hundreds of homes in the States. One such 16B uniquely outfitted with a one-time only engine certification, flies regularly,steadily, after all these years. It invariably draws spectators at 'fly-ins'; it carries on a fine old Canadian tradition.

Uncle Sam's Flying Nieces by B. Kimball Baker
Women have long been little recognized in their roles in aviation. Nowhere was this more apparent than in history's treatment of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Flying in everything from the hulking B-29 Superfortress to Spitfires, the brave women of the WASPs compiled a record any pilot would be proud to own. They had the same daredevil attitudes, the same carefree spirit that matched the male pilots flight for flight. They performed an invaluable service during WWII, ferrying badly-needed aircraft to the lines, transporting equipment, and showing skeptical male pilots that not only were certain airplanes airworthy, but that a woman could fly them as competently as any man could. And then, shortly before the end of the war, the government 'reneged' on its promises, and tried to ignore them. This bittersweet story tells what they did, and how they finally righted that wrong.

Whispering Wings by Manuel A. Conley
For years war strategicians had dreamed of 'vertical envelopment' -- airborne assault as we know it today. Da Vinci dreamed of it, World War I helped prove its feasibility, and Adolph Hitler choreographed the first practical, successful use. He used the combat glider, and suddenly, the whole armed world wanted their versions. The development proceeded fitfully, exaggerated by wartime enthusiasm. Troubles plagued the start, and deaths accompanied the development of implementation. Glider troops rivaled regular paratroopers in unyielding individualism and stubbornness. Glider pilots often chose the romantic cities in Europe as unauthorized vacation spots. The story is sad, dramatic, and between the lines laced with humor of a spirit that existed for only a decade during the 'war to end all wars'.… (meer)

Last of the Eagles by Glenn Kerfoot
He can spin yarns by the hour -- of France, Germany, Von Richthofen, Lufberry, Eddie Rickenbacker, and more. Colonel William Lambert, leading WWI ace pilot for Canada's Royal Flying Corps, gives a low-key remembrance of the first flying war. From his pipes to his paintings, he is an original.

The Martin B-10 Bomber by Bernard Nalty
The United States' first truly modern medium bombers, the Martin B-10 is illustrated through its inception and development by the men who built and flew them. Known as the 'Flying Whale' and the 'Tissue-paper Bomber', this is the story of the aircraft that captured the imagination and attention of the American public.

The Culver CADET by David Walker
Designed by Al Mooney, built variously by K. K. Culver and Walter Beech, the Culver CADET was loved by most pilots. There had never been an airplane like this; there are few today that can even be compared to the CADET. One current owner of a CADET tells what it was -- and is -- like to fly "America's little sweetheart".

Forgotten Eagles by Berkley McCollum
During WWII, 450 black airmen wrote a unique chapter in American aviation history when they helped defeat the German Luftwaffe. Flying in separate squadrons (99th Fighter Squadron and 332nd Fighter Group) black pilots destroyed or damaged over 400 enemy aircraft. Their story is a remarkable achievement of courage and daring.

Baltimore's Municipal Airport by William G. LeFurgy
Baltimore could have become the hub of aviation activity on the East coast. Examination of the Baltimore airport experience up to the end of WWII shows how one community responded to the aviation challenge, and the tremendous problems faced by all municipalities during the advent of the air age, when airport-development knowledge was embryonic, and the obstacles immense.… (meer)