Charles E. MacKay

Aviation Historian & Author

Specializing in Scottish Aviation History • WWI & WWII Aircraft

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Aviation History Books Collection

Discover 19 authoritative aviation history books by renowned historian Charles E. MacKay. From WWI fighters to modern jets, Scottish aviation heritage to global military aviation.

📚 19 Books Available✅ In Stock & Ready to Ship🌍 Worldwide Shipping

Complete Book Collection

Expert research • Academic references • Worldwide shipping: UK £3.45 • EU £4.95 • USA £8.95 • Rest of World £12.95

Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.76

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 from the various aircraft designs it manufactured (including the WBI/WBII/ WBIIb/ WBIV/WBV/ WBIX /WBX/WBXXIV/ WBXXXVI series, Beardmore Inflexible and under licence the Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel and DFW, Handley Page V1500, Nieuport XII), aero engines (including the Beardmore Typhoon/Cyclone/ Tornado [used on the R-101 airship]), airships, the HMS Argus aircraft carrier and the Beardmore School of Reserve Flying at Renfrew. Fills an important gap in British industrial history.

Scottish Aviation HistoryNew
Clydeside Aviation Volume One: The Great War by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ16.08

Clydeside Aviation Volume One: The Great War

A detailed description of the history of Aviation on Clydeside from 1785 to 1919. Commences with the balloonist Vincent Lunardi of 1785 in Glasgow, then Percy Pilcher flying at Cardross. There are fresh details of Pilcher and his flights at Cardross and his death flight, A. B. Baird and his monoplane on the Isle of Bute and Harold and Frank Barnwell at Grampian Motor Works, Stirling. This is followed by the Denny Mumford Helicopter, the formation of the Scottish Aeronautical Society and the Ashton Lane murder, the Exhibition at Kelvingrove of 1911, with a description of the disastrous fire: the Lanark meeting of 1910 and the Scotstoun meeting of 1914.

Scottish Aviation HistoryNew
Clydeside Aviation Volume Two: Between the Wars by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ15.54

Clydeside Aviation Volume Two: Between the Wars

Clydeside Aviation Volume Two Between the Wars ISBN: 9780957344372. Condition is New. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class Large Letter. From Spitfires to Airships, Kangaroos to Moths, Autogiros to Helicopters. The second in the Clydeside Aviation series. It looks at aviation events in the Clydeside district from 1919 to 1939. Explains the aeronautical events at Beardmore and Weir, the economic situation and Red Clydeside. Explores the regional airlines at Renfrew and the Scottish Flying Club with freshly researched material. 602 Squadron (City of Glasgow) Auxiliary Air Force is not neglected and starts at the DH9a with the squadron formation and ends in 1939 with the Hawker Hector, Gloster Gauntlet and Supermarine Spitfire. Squadron accidents are pointed out such as at Bishopbriggs and over Renfrewshire. There are descriptions of 269 Squadron, 32 Squadron and 21 Squadrons at Abbotsinch. The founding of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve is explained as is the first flights of the first British helicopter. The 344, A5 pages are supported by over 300 rare pictures and over 40000 words.

Scottish Aviation HistoryNew
German Aircraft in the Great War 1914-1918 by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ13.93

German Aircraft in the Great War 1914-1918

A comprehensive and original look at the German Air Force and German Naval Air Arm in the First World War 1914-1918. For the first time in print a complete breakdown of the organisation and the German system of supply. Commences with early German aviation to the opening of Johannisthal airfield in 1909 and the growth of Anthony Fokker and his aircraft. For the first time a complete and accurate account of the formation of German aviation and German military aviation which is based on Allied intelligence and newly translated archive documents. The industry reports are based on the inspections of the League of Nations Inter-Allied Control Commissions on aviation 1919 - 1926.

WWI AviationNew
British Aircraft of the Great War: Fighters, Bombers, Seaplanes, Trainers, Flying Boats by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.91

British Aircraft of the Great War: Fighters, Bombers, Seaplanes, Trainers, Flying Boats

British Aircraft of the Great War, FIGHTERS BOMBERS ETC. Included are the aircraft ordering procedures for the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force. There is a description of how squadrons were formed from 1914 to 1918 including the heavy bomber squadrons equipped with the Handley Page 0/400 and the V1500. The shipboard aircraft also described as are the Sopwith Pup and the Sopwith 2F-1 Camel built by Beardmore plus many other types deployed to sea.

WWI AviationNew
The Sycamore Seeds: The Early History of the Helicopter by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.86

The Sycamore Seeds: The Early History of the Helicopter

The Sycamore Seeds, The Early History of the Helicopter, Cierva, Sikorsky, Focke. Brand new with no scuffs or markings. The history of the helicopter from earliest times to 1960 includes Cierva, Focke Achgellis, Sikorsky, Weir etc. Researched from company records and contemporary publications. The Sycamore Seeds has 219 Pages, A5 - profusely illustrated with over 300 rare pictures and one colour. There are unique drawings and illustrations published for the first time. Covers the history of the Denny Mumford helicopters up to 1914. The history of the Autogiro is covered and the role of Juan de la Cierva to his death in an air crash. It investigates the role of G & J Weir and the first British helicopters including the Weir W5 and W6. Takes the history past WW2 to the Cierva W9 and the giant Air Horse. The evolution of the tailless rotor on the Cierva W.9 is accurately explained based on company records of Weir, Cierva and Morris, as is the Weir Company's invention of the Fenestron tail fan. The Air Horse, designed by Shapiro, has its history detailed to its eventual crash and demise, taking the lives of Alan Marsh and Jeep Cable.

Helicopter HistoryNew
Captain Eric "Vinkle" Brown, Captain of the Clouds, Test Pilot a Biography by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ6.98

Captain Eric "Vinkle" Brown, Captain of the Clouds, Test Pilot a Biography

Background information on the flying life of the world's premiere test pilot. From his escapades in pre-war Germany to flying the Me 163 Komet this illustrated booklet is a mine of information. Explains his involvement with the invention of the Steam Catapult for aircraft carriers and its success in the US Navy. There is a rare drawing of the steam catapult included.

Aviation BiographyNew
Sabres from the North: F-86 Sabre in RAF, RCAF, Luftwaffe Service by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.92

Sabres from the North: F-86 Sabre in RAF, RCAF, Luftwaffe Service

Sabres from the North: F-86 Sabre in RAF RCAF Luftwaffe service/RAF-RB45/U2 ops. Sabres from the North: Mutual aid during the Cold War NEWLY Published. Describes the evolution and deployment of the Canadair Sabre in Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and in NATO service-includes the West German Air Force. Included is the development of Canadair aircraft, the Canadair North Star/Argonaut, Silver Star CT-33, the Avro CF-100 and the Argonaut's involvement with the royal accession of Queen Elizabeth II. An additional chapter covers the Royal Air Force RB-45 operations over the Soviet Union in Jiu Jitsu and the integration of the Royal Air Force aircrew in U-2/Dragon Lady Operations in declassified operations in "Oldster" and "Jackson" and their Soviet Union overflights. Included are operations off aircraft carriers in the Pacific by British crews. There is an account of the first Royal Air Force Canberra flight over Kapustin Yar, the Soviet rocket test site, in 1952 and an explanation of what "Operation Robin" was. The evolution of the U-2 was influenced by German rocket sailplanes and this is fully illustrated and described. Also included are the flights of Francis Gary Powers.

Jet Age AviationNew
This Was the Enemy: The Luftwaffe 1945 by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ16.08

This Was the Enemy: The Luftwaffe 1945

This was the Enemy The Luftwaffe 1945 ISBN 9781838056780 (Newly Published - 8 May 2025). This is the first volume in the series of 288 Pages which is profusely illustrated with many and unknown and rare illustrations. Starts at 1919, includes co-operation with the Soviet Union at Lipetsk, designed to circumvent the Versailles Treaty. Gives an account of the rebirth of the German Air Force as the Luftwaffe covering organisation and planning. Commences with the Condor Legion in Spain in 1936 with newly researched statistics on how the campaign was organised. It looks at the controversy of Guernica and the return of the Legion to Germany in 1939 under von Richthofen. Then the war with Poland is described, the intrusion into Norway and Denmark, the campaign in western Europe and the demise of France. The Luftwaffe met its match in the Royal Air Force and actions from Norway to the Battle of Britain in September 1940 are fully described. The aircraft companies are mentioned as is the development of the German piston aero-engine and Gas Turbines. This includes Jumo, BMW and Heinkel Hirth gas turbines and the failed work of von Ohain and Max Hahn. The appendix covers armament and the U-234 being captured with Ulrich Kessler in the Atlantic in May 1943 and Heinkel with his Nazi tendencies. Highly recommended for the enthusiast and general reader alike.

WWII AviationNew
Flying for Kaiser Wilhelm 1914-1918: ACES, AEROPLANES & DEFEAT by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.86

Flying for Kaiser Wilhelm 1914-1918: ACES, AEROPLANES & DEFEAT

Flying for Kaiser Wilhelm 1914-1918. Clean and unmarked straight off the press published 12 July 2023, Volume Two of German Aircraft in the Great War. Not a compilation of internet articles but newly researched using original documents from the period. Probably for the first time a complete list of aeroplanes transferred to the Americans at the Armistice. In August 1914 there were 12 German aircraft companies manufacturing aeroplanes. By 1918 there were 33 aircraft manufacturers and the companies employed 60000 workers. At the time of the Armistice the German aircraft industry had manufactured in total between 48000 and 49000 aeroplanes. As part of an expansion programme the army depended heavily on captive balloons for aerial observation. In 1916 the German air service was reorganized by Ernst von Hoeppner. At that time he introduced fighter wings to counteract the Entente aerial forces giving rise to the "Ace." Using captured documents, newly translated, Flying for Kaiser Wilhelm, describes the wartime situation and the sudden fall of Germany on the Western Front. With the collapse in November 1918, Germany lost the war, her Emperor and Crown Prince and endured a draconian Armistice.

WWI AviationNew
Soaring with Wings: Percy Pilcher wants to Fly- Biography by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ15.01

Soaring with Wings: Percy Pilcher wants to Fly- Biography

Soaring with Wings-Percy Pilcher Wants To Fly. "It is a remarkable piece of scholarship and does Percy justice." recent review. "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. "The falling scene is brutal to read. I really felt him through the words." recent review. "This book, however, is a fitting tribute to Percy Pilcher." recent review.

Aviation BiographyNew
Mother of the Few-Lucy Lady Houston, Schneider Trophy Mount Everest Flight by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ14.52

Mother of the Few-Lucy Lady Houston, Schneider Trophy Mount Everest Flight

Mother of the Few, The Aviation Interests of Lucy Lady Houston ISBN:9781838056711. Condition is "New". Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class. A5 Paperback, 287 pages, 78000 words, 477 gms - Newly published to commemorate the events of the Schneider Trophy and the Flight over Everest. The book is in three sections profusely illustrated with rare pictures and drawings, not a download of internet articles but carefully researched. The first section, Part One, deals with the life and loves of Lucy Houston, the second part examines the Schneider Trophy and the last part the Flight over Everest. The last two sections are supported by an appendix and supplement. It describes fully the evolution of the Rolls-Royce Merlin the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire and the fate of Stainforth.

Aviation BiographyNew
Dieter Dengler, Skyraider 04 Down, the Man the Ship the Plane NEW by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.39

Dieter Dengler, Skyraider 04 Down, the Man the Ship the Plane NEW

Dieter Dengler, Skyraider 04 Down, the Man the Ship the Plane NEW. 102 Pages A5, describing the life and times of the American Hero - Dieter Dengler. Included is the history of the USS Ranger and her deployments off Vietnam. Dieter Dengler flew the Douglas Skyraider and the aircraft history is included with Royal Navy service and service in Sweden. His was the first escape from Laos in 1966. Gives details of Denglers's early life in Germany, his moving to the United States, his education (He lived in a van) and his induction into the United States Navy. There is a thrilling account of his capture, imprisonment and escape based on CIA reports. The appendix includes Media and the Scottish Aviation Skyraider for Sweden. He flew off the USS Ranger, CV-61, on his final flight. His squadron was Attack Squadron VA-145. In his last operational sortie he flew the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Companion to Soaring With Wings-Percy Pilcher Wants To Fly.

Aviation BiographyNew
Modern Furniture Shavings for Breakfast: the Morris Furniture Company by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.86

Modern Furniture Shavings for Breakfast: the Morris Furniture Company

Modern Furniture Shavings for Breakfast: the Morris Furniture Company. A rare insight into the British Furniture industry in peace and war. First based in Newcastle to furnish the Vickers liners the company moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1914. For over seventy years the company had been associated with furniture of distinction and of being at the forefront of innovation. Their wartime history was war winning being involved with Highball and Upkeep spherical mines/bombs, the Cierva Air Horse, the Rotachute and the Rotabuggy and later the Vickers Trans Sonic Missile. Initially the company furnished ships and hotels such as Gleneagles and Turnberry then the liners Empress of Britain, Aquitania, Pendennis Castle, Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth etc. Furnishing the Queen Mary was the largest furnishing contract given in the shipbuilding industry at the time in 1932. The company furnished the liners for Canadian Pacific such as the Empress of Britain, Empress of Japan and the Empress of France and continued into the fifties. Furnishing liners lasted till the launching of the Queen Elizabeth 2 at Clydebank in the late sixties.

Industrial HistoryNew
Birth of the Atomic Bomb-Statements from Churchill, Truman, Pash etc. German Alsos by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.86

Birth of the Atomic Bomb-Statements from Churchill, Truman, Pash etc. German Alsos

The original story of the Atomic bomb, its invention and deployment. The chronicle of its manufacture, its use against Japan and how it was installed in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in "Silverplate." These are the first published statements by the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States in August 1945. These are newly restored statements from lost documents published by the Allies in August 1945 on the development and deployment of the Atomic Bomb.

Military HistoryNew
Aircraft Carrier - Beardmore's HMS Argus - ex Conte Rosso by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.91

Aircraft Carrier - Beardmore's HMS Argus - ex Conte Rosso

HMS Argus was the world's true aircraft carrier with a flat deck, this concept being planned by the Marquis of Montrose a Beardmore director. Built as the emigrant carrier SS Conte Rosso for the Italian Line Lloyd Sabuado at Dalmuir, Scotland, in 1914, the vessel was ultimately bought by the Admiralty in 1916. She was launched in December 1917 as HMS Argus. By 1918 she was redesigned and sailed in September 1918 for Burntisland for trials with aircraft on the first carrier landings and take off with Sopwith aircraft including Pups.

Naval AviationNew
Dorothy Wordsworth Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland 1803 by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ7.55

Dorothy Wordsworth Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland 1803

Dorothy Wordsworth's personal account of her tour through Scotland in 1803. A literary and historical document of early 19th century Scottish travel.

Travel LiteratureNew
Adolf Rohrbach's Metal Airplanes: Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau GmbH by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ12.86

Adolf Rohrbach's Metal Airplanes: Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau GmbH

This is the history of Adolf Rohrbach and his pioneering all-metal aeroplanes. Newly researched with 136 Pages, over 200 photographs and drawings, many rare and obscure. Full details of every Rohrbach aeroplane and Rohrbach's design team. There are also rare drawings of Rohrbach's projected aeroplanes of 1931-32 which came to nothing.

Aviation HistoryNew
Sonic to Stand Off – The Evolution of the British Nuclear Deterrent by Charles E. MacKay
ÂŁ13.95

Sonic to Stand Off – The Evolution of the British Nuclear Deterrent

Comprehensive examination of the evolution of British nuclear deterrent strategy from supersonic aircraft to standoff weapons systems. Chronicles the development of the UK's nuclear delivery capabilities from the 1950s through modern times, including detailed coverage of aircraft, missiles, and strategic doctrine.

Military HistoryNew

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