The full story of the Grumman Tiger and Super Tiger has only been told in part by non-Grumman aviation buffs and historians who wrote from second or third-hand information. Although it is over forty years later, this compendium has been written and documented by the principal Grumman and Blue Angel actors who participated in the development of those fine aircraft that came upon the scene at a very difficult, but interesting, era for both Grumman and the Navy.

As the Blue Angels¿ aircraft in the late 1950s, Grumman¿s F11F-1 Tiger came to symbolize the speed and might of U.S. Navy airpower. The Tiger was originally conceived as an upgrade of the F9F Cougar. It eventually morphed into a new design, that incorporated the area rule to enable cruising speeds up to 1.1 Mach. The prototype flew in 1954, and carrier trials commenced in 1956. Eventually seven squadrons flew F11Fs. Hampered by maintenance issues affiliated with the J65 engine, and the fact that the Vought Crusader was clearly superior, the Tiger had a short service life. It was withdrawn from carrier duty after four years, in 1961. Only 199 were built. The remaining Tigers flew in a training capacity, and the Blue Angels continued to fly them for over a decade, 1957-1969. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy, this handbook provides a fascinating glimpse inside the cockpit of the Tiger. Originally classified ¿restricted¿, the manual was declassified and is here reprinted in book form.

This book puts the reader in the pilot's seat for a "day at the office" unlike any other. The Smell of Kerosene tells the dramatic story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 types of aircraft. Donald Mallick gives the reader fascinating first-hand description of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA. After transferring to the NASA Flight Research Center, Mallick became involved with projects that further pushed the boundaries of aerospace technology. These included the giant delta-winged XB-70 supersonic airplane, the wingless M2-F1 lifting body vehicle, and triple-sonic YF-12 Blackbird. Mallick also test flew the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and helped develop techniques used in training astronauts to land on the Moon.

Naval Air Superiority examines the Navys internal struggle to adapt the jet engine to its style of warfare as well as the development and evolution of carrier-borne fighters, their airframes and engines, from the closing days of World War II through Vietnam.

The Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer was a progressive development of the F4D-1 Skyray. Many people believe that the Skylancer was a faster and better choice than its competitor, the Vought F8U Crusader. They believe that it had inherently better stretch potential to the point where it could have out-performed the F-4 Phantom if the J-79 engine had been installed as envisioned by Ed Heinemann.