Reprints of the Air Force Flight and Maintenance Handbooks for the Convair GRB-36D FICON carrier aircraft. It contains: Utility Flight Handbook USAF Series GRB-36D-III/RF-84F Composite Aircraft Utility Flight Handbook GRB-36D-III FICON Aircraft Supplemental Handbook Maintenance Instructions USAF Series GRB-36D-III Aircraft

Project FICON (Fighter conveyer): In the early 1950s, the Air Force conducted a series of experiments to establish the feasibility of carrying, launching, and retrieving jet reconnaissance airplanes from giant Convair RB-36 bombers. It was hoped that the bombers would carry the reconnaissance jets to the perimeter of the Soviet Union and then release them to penetrate the air defenses. Tests of the concept were conducted in 1952 and 1953 with a Republic F-84E Thunderjet and the YF-84F Thunderstreak prototype. Twenty-six Republic RF-84F Thunderflashes and ten Convair GRB-36D carriers were modified for the project. In 1955, a squadron of carriers was established at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. A squadron of parasites was established at nearby Larson Air Force Base. Training operations began in December 1955, but the composite aircraft system faced competition from the Boeing RB-52B, Lockheed U-2, and the development of aerial refueling.

Two of the most acclaimed reference works in the area of acoustics in recent years have been our Encyclopedia of Acoustics, 4 Volume set and the Handbook of Acoustics spin-off. These works, edited by Malcolm Crocker, positioned Wiley as a major player in the acoustics reference market. With our recently published revision of Beranek & Ver's Noise and Vibration Control Engineering, Wiley is a highly respected name in the acoustics business. Crocker's new handbook covers an area of great importance to engineers and designers. Noise and vibration control is one largest areas of application of the acoustics topics covered in the successful encyclopedia and handbook. It is also an area that has been under-published in recent years. Crocker has positioned this reference to cover the gamut of topics while focusing more on the applications to industrial needs. In this way the book will become the best single source of need-to-know information for the professional markets.