WesWorld

I got "Wings of the Weird & Wonderful" by Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown (Hikoki puplications) for christmas and finally have time to write a review.

What can you expect?
Eric Brown, based on his experience as combat and test pilot on over 490 different aircrafts (not counting different marks of a type), reviews 53 aircrafts, most of them British and American. The list includes famous Spitfire, Wildcat or North Americans F-86, but also less famous if not weird General Aircraft GAL/56 or Miles M.39B Libellula. For all of these planes he provides a short introduction into design history and how he came to fly the particular plane. He describes his impressions and especially focuses on handling characteristics and stall behavior. Finally, he rates the particular plane against competitors based on his personal experience. He is well aware - other pilots may have different opinions, reflected in other books.

What you cannot expect?
His book is not a source for technical details first place. Of course there is basic information on size, power and performance, but this is not what the book is about first place. You should also not expect line drawings and colored profiles en masse. So modelers may be disappointed.

Worth the money?
Yes. Eric Brown`s book is a lively and easy read. You gain insight into a pilots view of then state-of-the-art planes, you learn some interesting details, some of them not reflected in standard encyclopedia books or hidden behind technical statistics - and Brown surely is in a position to judge. I enjoyed reading “Wings of the Weird & Wonderful” a lot and thus recommend it to anybody interested in aviation of the era.

Great review.
I'd seen this but passed, largely on account of the price. I've got Wings on My Sleeve and Wings of the Luftwaffe which give some insights. Eric is a legend, no one else is ever likely to match the career he has had, nor fly as many types as he has.
Hikoki have been publishing many great titles lately.