Aviation history books by Charles E. MacKay
22 researched titles, mostly on Scottish, military and naval aviation, posted from Glasgow. Browse all 22 books
Newest title
The Fedden Mission to Germany Final Report
Roy Fedden's account of the British inspection of the German aircraft industry after the defeat of 1945, with drawings of projects later carried into post-war American aircraft.
- Editor
- C. Barrowman
- Published
- 21 October 2026
- Pages
- 214
- Format
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781066634514
Also new this year
This Was The Enemy Volume Three: Supplement
A supplement on German aviation and the Luftwaffe in the Second World War: Luftwaffe statistics, the Goering de-briefs, the Limoges raid, aid to Japan and more. 218 pages, 227 illustrations.
Published 11 August 2026
Featured books
Editor's selection: good places to start in the catalogue.
Buying from Glasgow
Browse by subject
- Aviation Biography4 titles
Lives of aviators who defined the limits of flight, from test pilot Eric Brown to Lucy Lady Houston, Percy Pilcher and Dieter Dengler
- WWII Aviation4 titles
Archival studies of the Luftwaffe from 1934 to 1945: aircraft procurement, underground factories, armament and front-line types
- Scottish Aviation History3 titles
Scottish aviation manufacturing from Clydeside in the Great War to the inter-war years, including Beardmore, Weir and the Renfrew scene
- WWI Aviation3 titles
Original research into German and British air power 1914 to 1918, the Fokker D.VII, RFC and RNAS procurement and Ministry of Munitions records
- Industrial History2 titles
Company histories from aircraft manufacture: the Morris Furniture Company of Glasgow, from furnishing the Queen Mary to Highball casings, Mosquito plywood and Cierva rotor blades, and the pioneering all-metal aircraft of Adolf Rohrbach, whose stressed-skin construction influenced Boeing, Douglas and Northrop
- Military History2 titles
The British nuclear deterrent from Tube Alloys to the V-bombers, Blue Steel and Polaris, and the 1945 statements on the atomic bomb
- Helicopter History1 title
The helicopter from the Cierva autogyro and Focke Achgelis to the Weir W5, Sikorsky Hoverfly and Bristol Sycamore, researched from company records and contemporary publications with more than 300 rare pictures
- Jet Age Aviation1 title
Cold War jet operations, from the Canadair Sabre in RAF, RCAF and Luftwaffe service to Frank Whittle, early gas turbines, NATO deployment and reconnaissance over the Soviet Union
- Naval Aviation1 title
HMS Argus, the world's first flat-deck aircraft carrier, built by Beardmore at Dalmuir, with its Royal Navy service from the first deck trials through Operation Torch and wartime aircraft delivery
- Travel Literature1 title
Dorothy Wordsworth's journal of the 1803 tour of Scotland with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, now in its seventh printing
The complete catalogue: all 22 titles · All collections
Series: This Was the Enemy · Clydeside Aviation
The historian
Charles E. MacKay has researched Scotland's aviation history since his first article appeared in Airfix Magazine in 1982.
Orders are posted from Glasgow.
About Charles and his researchReviews
Reader and specialist reviews, credited to the publication or reviewer.
“This 238 page book is deceptive in size, but is full of so much information it is difficult to describe. Filled with images, specifications, information and the history of early British naval aviation including a detailed history of HMS Argus. This book is highly recommended to anyone interested in naval aviation.”
Maritime Quest, on Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities
“A detailed history of the William Beardmore and Co Ltd.'s significant contribution to the development of the Scottish aircraft industry.”
Aerosociety.com, Royal Aeronautical Society, on Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities
“If you have even the remotest interest in British helicopters from the start of the 20th Century, this well-researched book should be of interest to you. It is packed full of interesting facts, data and photos. How many people know of the involvement in helicopter development by the Glasgow-based Morris Furniture Company? Precious few I would contend.”
Air Britain Member, on The Sycamore Seeds: Early British Helicopter Development
“This is a book to be recommended for all sorts of reasons — Lady Houston's biographical notes, the historical notes, the technical data contained therein and the narrative that brings it all together. It is also well Illustrated with charts and photographs that support the text.”
RRHT Reviewer, on Mother of the Few - The Aviation Interests of Lucy Lady Houston DBE
“We have a little information about Percy Pilcher, but nothing as comprehensive and well researched as this, so it is a wonderful addition to stock. His story is both fascinating and tragic — one can't help wondering how the development of flight would have progressed had he survived.”
Local History Archive, on Soaring with Wings - Percy Pilcher Wants To Fly: For Dieter Dengler
“A very well researched book which includes details of her entire career. Filled with photographs, including aircraft used, and drawings. Appendix includes commanding officers of the ship and the Fleet Air Arm as well as details of the various operations involving HMS Argus.”
Maritime Quest, on Beardmore Built HMS Argus 1914 to 1947: The World's First Flat-Top Aircraft Carrier