Search results for ""author tom gardner""

The Vought F7U Cutlass would be host to the following first time achievements for any naval aircraft: the first swept wing jet propelled fighter to operate from a carrier deck; the first to use an all-hydraulic irreversible flight control system; first tailless U.S. Naval jet fighter; first to incorporate a fully steerable nose wheel; first to use ailavators (elevons) as primary control surfaces; first near sonic fighter. The Cutlass would eventually evolve into the F7U-3,3M, and 3P. Touted as highly versatile in functionality for tactical use, it would have certainly achieved “Super Star Status” if not for the nefarious unreliability of its Westinghouse J34 and J46 turbojets. This “Star Crossed” fighter didn’t deserve the unrelenting and damning criticism it received throughout its career. The “Gutless Cutlass”, “Widow Maker” and “ Ensign Eliminator” as it was eventually known provided necessary contributions in the evolutionary process responsible at least in part for the superb carrier fighters in use today. Its complete story is presented here, including many photographs and line schemes.

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In 2018, Ethiopia and the world were in the throes of ''Abiymania'', a fervour of popular support for the divided country''s young, charismatic new prime minister. Arriving as if from nowhere, Abiy Ahmed, a Pentecostal Christian, promised democratic salvation and national unity. For his role brokering a historic peace with neighbouring Eritrea, he received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Hailed at home as a prophet and abroad as a liberal reformer, Abiy was all things to all men.But his democratic revolution wasn''t quite what it seemed. Within two years, Ethiopia had lurched into a devastating civil war, threatening state collapse. By 2023, fighting on an apocalyptic scale had killed hundreds of thousands in the northern Tigray region; famine stalked the land; and Ethiopia''s once-promising economy lay in tatters. But Abiy had never looked stronger.Based on hundreds of interviews with Ethiopians of all persuasions, and extensive reporting across the country, this book tra

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