A couple of fascinating old aeronautical items arrived this week, both from circa 1948. First up is a copy of an Aircraft Recognition Handbook: American Continent. It was issued by the British War Office in a binder with string ties, so extra pages (and aircraft) could be added. There's also a sheet at the front where any amendments, made by hand, were logged.
Then there's volume one of the official (and Restricted!) Royal Airforce Pilots' Flying Manual, another chunky binder chock full of step-by-step instructions, including the important advice to actually look for your ripcord rather than just feel for it! There's also a rather beautiful colour foldout sheet showing the right way, and several wrong ways, to approach a runway at night.
It's not that often that you see a book that can just sit there and radiate history, but these both do just that.
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