Cockpits of the Cold War.

Nijboer, Donald, photography by Dan Patterson. Cockpits of the Cold War. Boston Mills Press and Firefly Books, Ltd., 132 Main St., Erin, Ontario, Canada N0B 1T0. 2003. 192 pp. Ill. $39.95.

The fourth in a nicely produced series, this book has a unique collection of subject aircraft, especially for American readers. The first three volumes dealt with WW II types, describing aircraft gunner positions and aircraft in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.

Using a large format that permits proper presentation of historic and current photography, these books feature a brief introductory text describing each aircraft's career. Then the authors have sought out pilots with experience in the specific aircraft and give these notes alongside a full-page color photo of the aircraft's cockpit, complemented by a black-and-white echo photo with numbers over important instruments and a key corresponding to the numbers designating the instruments.

Cockpits of the Cold War offers a look at such types, grouped by country, as the Canadian Avro CF-100; American SR-71, F-84, A-1, F-4 and F-8; British Gloster Meteor, Hawker Sea Hawk and De Havilland Sea Vixen; French Dassault Mystere; Swedish Saab J 29 and J 32; and the Russian MiG-15, MiG-21 and Sukhoi Su-7. Although most of these aircraft have seen their share of coverage over the years, their flight characteristics and the design of their individual cockpits have seldom appeared. For readers of this magazine, there are several unusual naval aircraft, such as the F4D and F11F, whose pilot reminiscences offer good reading.

The spread of types is rather uneven, with the lion's share going to the U.S. I would have liked to see a few more French aircraft, especially the Mirage III series. However, I know how hard the task must have been to get responses from distant aviators, whose memories are perhaps softened by time.

The book could have used an editor to catch several typos in designation and facts. The hyphen seems to be a rarity, particularly in American aircraft and squadron designations, F8 and F4 being incorrect. Lieutenant Commander W. T. Amen was the CO of VF-111, not VF-11, when he gained the Navy's first jet kill in Korea, and then-Captain Charles DeBellevue got six kills in Vietnam as a WSO, not five. There's no mention of the third Air Force Vietnam ace, Jeff Feinstein. In the case of the two-seat types, such as the F-4, F-101B, Javelin, Sea Vixen and SR-71, I would have also liked to see photos of both cockpits.

One of my favorite descriptions comes from the section on the Blackburn Buccaneer. The pilot writing about his experiences reports that "the 'Buck' cockpit is known as an ergonomic slum." Sitting on an ejection seat for more than two hours, while trying to work the myriad switches and read the dials, is often a test of pure physical endurance, and it is only recently that cockpit design and aircrew comfort have achieved the importance they now enjoy.

A minor coup involves the MiG-15 description, written by the pilot who delivered a new MiG to the West in September 1953. Has anyone ever wondered whatever happened to North Korean Lieutenant Kim Sok No? Apparently his name is now Kenneth Rowe, and somehow the authors found him and persuaded him to write for this book.

The Soviet section also highlights the MiG-21's amazing record, which includes service with no less than 56 air forces and action in 30 shooting wars. The little delta's phenomenal production tally of 13,500 aircraft is more than two-and-a-half times that of the F-4, the MiG's long-time adversary in Vietnam and the Middle East.

This book is an unusual and extremely interesting presentation that should appeal to both historians and modelers.

By Cdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.)