The North American XB-70 is one of the most unusual looking aircraft in aviation history, and only two were constructed. It was originally designed as a Mach 3 high-altitude bomber, but was later used as a research aircraft. This new book by John Campbell and Garry Pape gives a short, detailed history of the XB-70, including production, flight tests, and the fatal crash of Aircraft #2 in 1965. Aircraft #1 is now at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Valkyrie:
Not long enough. While the pictures are in chronological order, some are not especially clear and there isn't really enough description and/or narrative.
Nonetheless, it is a good addition to the military historian on one of the more fascinating aircraft constructed.
Good for Eye candy:
The book was very short on information. It delves into the origins for the design but falls short of giving proper context to the photographs. With many photos of the crash of aircraft 2, it should also have included a few pages of history on the test program. The book fails if it intends to tell the story merely with pictures and curt captions. There are, however, some really impressive photographs and they, alone, are worth the cost. This is one fantastically beautiful aircraft. No wonder the Russians... more info
Review of NA XB-70 Photo Chronicle:
Although the photographs are excellent and diverse, showing all aspects of the aircraft, some of the captioning and data is incorrect. Xb-70 Valkyrie: The Ride to Vahalla by Jeannette Remak is much more factually correct.
