Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5: 1916 onwards (S.E.5, S.E.5a, S.E.5b, S.E.5E) (Owners' Workshop Manual)

Great overview of an Iconic plane. Haynes guides never disappoint.

Fast shipping, book was in great shape. Thank you.

Great book for the modeler or someone that wants construction information for SE5. Great close up photos of replica planes and everything you would want to know with accompanying photographs.

2017 has been a weird year for Haynes. They've published some very fine "manuals" (the ones on the Mercury spacecraft and Cassini being standouts) but I'm getting kind of a "meh" feeling from their recent output. Until recently this series was much more technically and mechanically oriented. Lately, they've been cutting back on the "nerdy" material and replacing it with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, which is much less satisfying. First, the good stuff. This book features some interesting technical material, including a fairly in-depth discussion of the aircraft's development. There are some interesting first-hand accounts of flying the aircraft, along with step-by-step instructions on building and rigging the plane. There's even a lengthy report on a captured Hispano-Suiza V8 engine which was written in Germany in 1917. The color photographs of surviving S.E.5s and modern replicas, and of aircraft undergoing restoration, are outstanding and sure to please modelers. Unfortunately, there's an awful lot of padding and potted history here of limited value in a "workshop manual." A quick perusal reveals biographies of famous aces, a lengthy overview of what life was like on a WWI airfield, a history of a postwar skywriting operation, a five-page glossary of period airman's slang, and even a recipe for Albert Ball's favorite cake! Only about two-fifths of this book focuses solely on the S.E.5; the rest is mostly ancillary material that doesn't really support the subtitle promising "insights into design, engineering, restoration, etc." Although Haynes' Sopwith Camel "manual" had some flaws, it was definitely a more well-rounded and in-depth technical study than this one. Despite having some interesting parts, there's simply too much fluff in this one to seriously recommend it.

I esp. like the recipe for ripping bread!

10 stars for book! Absolutely fantastic...a beautiful addition to my WW1 library. ZERO STARS for Ebay's packing AGAIN. It sucks...every book I buy a book it arrives like it came out of a dumpster! Why don't they shrink wrap them on a piece of cardboard like they used to??? Too much trouble I'm guessing, even for a prime member!

I was terribly disappointed to read this much-looked-forward-to book. It was nowhere even close to the usual Haynes standards for aeroplanes. I certainly did not expect to read 2 pages of peans on a book like Goshawk Squadron or 5 pages on Airmen's Slang, 1 page on a plum cake (for GOD'S SAKE!), 3 pages on places of interest, 2 pages on making models, or excerpts from pilots' biographies/ autobiographies on flying the SE 5 which was passed off as The Pilot's View. SUCH a change from another Haynes Manual on a contemporary aeroplane, the Sopwith Camel. People who buy these Haynes Manuals are very serious aviation enthusiasts, aviators and non-aviators, but all bound together by a passion for aviation, and I'm surprised that Haynes thought it fit to publish it under their banner.

The Haynes series varies a lot. This one in almost all history and very light on pictures/drawings and details. Not very useful as a molders reference.

This is a really nice book from the Haynes series. I can't comment on technical or historical accuracy, but it is well written and the colour photographs are superb. There is also a recognition that modellers would use this resource for their own models.

Absolutely brilliant! One of the very best of the Haynes manuals relating to aircraft. It really is a wonderful comprehensive look at the SE5, her history, those who flew her, her technical anatomy, an excellent look at restoring the SE5 and especially NZ's The Vintage Aviator company which is manufacturing unparalleled full scale airworthy replicas. The book also has a number of exceedingly interesting appendices, covering the SE5 in popular culture: films; fiction (including an interview with renowned aviation fiction novelist Derek Robinson); scale modelling of the SE5; and a wonderful (and delicious I might add) recipe for the plum cake that RFC ace Albert Ball used to take up on patrols. All of this is rounded off with a splendid glossary of airmen's slang from the time. The production values of this are also top notch, the paper stock is lovely, the printing superb, the photography is phenomenal and it's bound in a sturdy hardback format. For those interested in this wonderful aircraft I'd urge them to pick this up as it's excellent. Very highly recommended.

Une foule de détails techniques introuvables ailleurs à moins de disposer d'un des survivant dans votre garage. Que vous souhaitiez réaliser une maquette... ou une réplique échelle 1 de l'original, ce bouquin est une mine d'infos. Il faut juste se débrouiller assez bien avec la langue de ... James McCudden !

Buena relación calidad precio, reúne mucha información sobre el avión, los ejemplares originales restaurados o las réplicas y además datos no directamente del mismo, pero muy interesantes.

Schönes Buch, aber der Titel erweckt einen falschen Eindruck, es ist kein Workshop Manual, aber immerhin interessant zu lesen.