Aircrash, year 1974
Aircrash, year 1974
Michel Garcia and Jean-Louis Gaynecoetche
Air Force Association
Flight safety has improved enormously in 50 years in all the major Western air forces. On the other hand, missions have become much more complex, with fewer flying hours and confined to geographically restricted areas. Each accident is a reminder that the job of a military pilot is terribly demanding.
For many years now, Aircrash has been writing down all French military accidents in detail with information drawn from the best sources. Originally intended mainly for spotters, this compilation was quickly adopted by many other researchers in the aeronautical field: historians, journalists ... and military personnel.
Each book is divided into three sections:
- An ephemeris of the highlights of the year or decade covered.
- Details of the accidents in chronological order.
- One or more listings of aircraft that operated during the period in question.
The information comes from various sources close to the military or aeronautical circles. At best, official releases only serve as an alarm bell to start serious research: finding out the circumstances, identifying the aircraft and personnel involved.
The authors - Michel Garcia and Jean-Louis Gaynecoetche - have been following French Air Force news for more than thirty years, the former as a specialist journalist and the latter as a former senior officer and recognised Mirage III specialist.
The issue devoted to this year, 1975, shows a world military aviation that takes on an aspect that is still familiar to us today. The last Vautour leave the service; the Ecureuil, the Alpha Jet, the Hawk, the B-1, the F-16 and the Super Etendard take their flight; the Shah orders 30 Tomcats; Lindbergh dies; the US Air Force receives its first F-15s and the first MiG-23s arrive in Iraq.
In 94 pages and more than a hundred photos - often unpublished - of information that has gone unnoticed, fragmentary or under silence, this fascinating volume concludes with an interesting "Air Spot" section on the Dassault MD.454 Mystère IVA: we see some rather rare photos of Mystère IV under Israeli, Indian and even... American markings!
262 pages - in French
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