Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory
Michael Taylor, Brassey's, 1997,
672 pp, ISBN 1-8575-198-1, $99.95

A new reference book on modern aircraft has to be good to attract any attention. Jets are always a popular topic, and currently available titles include photo books (pretty, but no information), shallow summancs (that tell you the F-14 can carry six Phoenix rnissiles and is supersonic), and detailed treatments of one (usually very famous) aircraft.

So what does this reference book offer? Not only all the world's combat aircraft but trainers, airliners, and naval aviation aircraft, engines, missiles, radars, and even a section listing strengths of major airport runways.

Each aircraft is covered in depth, not only with a full list of specificatons, but a development chronology. It is well laid out, and although densely packed, it is easy to quickly find what you want.

The only two other booksin the class are Jane's All the World's Aircraft and the Naval Institute Guide to World Military Aviation. Jane's is now up to $360 and the Naval Institute's book is $145. Brassey's is better than both and cheaper to boot. I've never bought Jane's new. I wait a few years, then buy it at remainder prices.

Jane's certainly covers aircraft in depth, and it provides data on engines, but it only provides data for aircraft "currently in production." This means that the year after the F-16 ends production, there will be a short listing describing its current status and instructions to turn to the previous year's edition. So, it is incomplete.

The Naval Institute's offering looked promising when it appeared, but lacks the depth of Jane's, even if it is less expensive. In addition to aircraft data, it attempts to provide OB data for the world's air forces, but in the effort to cover two difficult topics, it fails to do either one well. Also, the long delay in publishing books at the Institute makes the data older than it could be. Also, since no follow-up volume has been printed, there's a question whether it will be a periodic reference book or not.

Like Jane's, the Brassey's book is the product of severa1 editors, including Mike Taylor, Piotr Butowski, and Doug Richardson, among many others. They are all experienced writers, and their talents show. This is one worth buying.

BT