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by David L. McCurry (Author), Don Hinton (Author), Joe Idoni (Author)
The author, an aircraft wreckologist, together with several other like-minded friends, has investigated 32 crash sites in the Western States, both military and civilian, covering the period from World War II to the recent present. Together with hundreds of photos of the sites and wreckage found at them, four authors record their findings as well as the story of the crash and any investigations into the incident. This is the second of two volumes on aircraft wrecks in the Western desert and together with the three volumes on aircraft crash sites found in the Pacific Northwest, this series provides coverage for dozens of sites with thousands of photos, most in color. In contrast with the Pacific Northwest, aircraft wreck hunting in the deserts and mountains of Arizona, California, and Nevada is entirely different. With the absence of many trees, visibility and GPS reception is usually excellent. With a good set of binoculars one can spot gleaming pieces of wreckage in bright sunshine from many miles away. In addition to the historical coverage of the crashes and investigations, there is also much detail on the planning conducted before undertaking a wreckage search and also the care taken to leave the sites undisturbed. This book includes details of crashes of these aircraft types: NF-104A 56-762 (Chuck Yeager); C-124A "Deep 50"; F-80C; P-61C; B-52; A-7 Corsair "Sandy 24"; C-46A Commando; P-47; F-4C; F8F Bearcat; JRB-4; F9F Panther; U-2 "Dragon Lady"; F-89 Scorpion; F-104N N813NA (Joe Walker); X-15 56-6672 (Mike Adams); Banshee; C-1 downward ejection survival; IMPLY 84; XB-70 Valkyrie 62-207 (Al White, Carl Cross); Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802; Boeing B-50; Grumman OV-1D Mohawk; Starfighter; Lockheed Lodestar. Bibliography. 433 B&W and color photos. A Merriam Press Aviation History.
