The Secret Years: Flight Testing at Boscombe Down 1939-1945.

It is perhaps difficult in the 21st century, when every military aeroplane movement, modification and colour scheme is minutely observed and widely reported, to appreciate the completely different attitude prevalent in 1939-45 amongst officials, servicemen and the public alike. Anything seen, heard or connected with work (and almost every activity contributed directly or indirectly to the country's war effort) was not discussed casually, and certainly not publicised.

At places working on the latest and most advanced aircraft and weapons, the catchphrase of `Keeping Mum' was very rigidly observed and it was during these wartime conditions from 1939-45 that the work of the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment Boscombe Down could, indeed be described as `The Secret Years'.

It was at Boscombe Down that all land-and carrier-based aeroplanes intended for use by the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force, plus assorted exotic experimental aircraft, were flown and Tim Mason uses over 450 of the Establishment's own photographs to illustrate its unique function and countless achievements.

After a flying career of nearly forty years (thirty in test flying), Tim Mason has retired to concentrate on his second love - writing about aeroplanes. He is well qualified to write about A&AEE, having spent six years as a test pilot during his time there between 1966 and 1976.

This is the latest book from Crecy under the Hikoki label and was first published by Hikoki over a decade ago.
Between 1939 and 1945 over 1500 aircraft were tested at Boscombe Down. Some of this work was for evaluation and also they carried out things such as armament trials. From the very beginning this book became compulsive reading as it became obvious that many machines were `not fit for purpose' and required extensive modification before they could be `signed off'. It is impossible to chronicle even a small section of the problems encountered in a short review so I will pick out a few of them. One of them was vibration, in some cases it was found that the pilots hands became numb because of it and much modification was needed to eradicate it. All sorts of experimental work were carried out. For instance, in February 1944 American Mk 10 smoke tanks were tried out on a Typhoon, they worked well but they struck and damaged the wings when jettisoned. Another aircraft used for experiments was the Barracuda. This was an aircraft renown for its eccentric handling, which was not improved by adding a lifeboat. It must have taken great courage for two unfortunately souls to be transported in wing pods, another unusual experiment.
There are dozens of examples to be found within the pages, there are a huge number of illustrations and artwork accompanying the text. This book is a goldmine of information, some of which will not be familiar to most readers. This must include the Hillson Bi-Mono, a light weight aircraft that was used for trials in jettisoning the upper wing, a system tried with the Hurricane, but in this case it was found that the speed of the `bi-plane' was below the stalling speed of the monoplane, this made it interesting when the upper wing was jettisoned!
Students of aviation will find this book hard to put down and many of the excellent illustrations will be of great value to the modeller.
Many reference collectors will have missed this the first time round; so do not make the same mistake again.
--Ernie Lee - Scale Aircraft Modeller

It is always a delight to get the opportunity to read Hikoki books. They are generally superbly researched and equally well written, this one being no exception. It is also on a subject that many of us love to get a chance to look into, flight testing. Boscombe Down was Britain's major flight testing establishment, getting aircraft after they had initially flown to be able to see just how they fly, how the systems work and how they could be improved. It was here that suitability for service could make or break a prototype and where already in service types were evaluated for improvements to the next variant or to test new weapons installations or possible modifications to extant types.

The book starts in with a history of Boscombe Downs as an airfield. I found it interesting that there is a considerable difference in elevation from one end of the landing field to the other. One would think this would be a disadvantage, but apparently it was something taken in stride. There was no paved runway at Boscombe Downs until near the end of the war and most of the buildings were either WWI vintage or, as the population of the field increased, temporary and crowded. But then, it was the flying that brought people in and not the lack of decent accommodations. After reading through all the sections on the aircraft, two things stuck in my mind. One is that the British seemed to be overly concerned with an aircraft's exhaust system. Flame dampening effectiveness and the amount of exhaust fumes that leaked into the crew compartment are mentioned in nearly every test. Seems to be as important as the actual performance of the aircraft.

The rest of the book is divided into sections according to the type of aircraft being tested. Everything from heavy bombers at one end of the scale to trainers at the other. This also includes a section on naval aircraft. Not only British planes were tested, as you'll find types other than the expected Spitfire, Lancaster and Lysander. Any type that was provided under lend lease or diverted from other orders is included. So you find the Buffalo, Corsair, and Marauder included. Several captured types were also tested as Boscombe Downs. Some planes were extensively put through their paces while others were at the field for only a brief amount of time.

The author has also included a rather extensive appendix section with table covering the performance of every type tested as well as an organizational table, list of flying hours, personalities involved and other units based at Boscombe Downs during the war, just to name a few.

In all, a book that I found very interesting and while it is not a quick read, is an excellent reference on the performance of a huge variety of aircraft. A book that I can quite easily recommend to you. --Scott Van Aken - May 2011 modelingmadness.com

Boscombe Down was the Royal Air Force's main experimental test station during World War II. In 1939, the peacetime station at Martleston Heath was moved to Boscombe Down, a World War I airfield with some permanent buildings, and everything was moved within a short time period. Shops and hangars were set up, but strangely, for nearly all of the war, the facility operated using only a grass runway area with a maximum length of 1800 yards, just over a statute mile, in any direction. I find that amazing, as they operated Halifaxes, Lancasters, Stirlings, and even Meteors and Vampires from the field regularly. Facilities included a control tower, a few hardstands, gunfire stop butts, a wind tunnel, accommodations and engineering shops, and finally at the end of the war, a paved runway. Nearby were firing and bombing ranges. The role of the facility was to test aircraft, engines, and weapons systems. Later, the beginnings of the Test Pilots' School were established. By 1944, the station had become a permanent RAF installation. This facility did not have the same function as performed by the USAAF at Wright Field or the Navy at Patuxent River. It was truly a unique installation.

The testing at Boscombe Down included nearly every type the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy operated. In addition, a number of foreign types were tested, including a few former Luftwaffe aircraft, although these were mainly examined for specific functions, such as flame damping exhausts and general flying characteristics. Strangely, many aircraft didn't reach Boscombe Down until the types were in operational service, and the test programs only aimed to evaluate specific problems encountered with the planes by service units. They didn't generally test the first prototypes, but rather, production models. Often, "rogue" aircraft were tested. These were planes that units were having problems with, and they wanted technical advice on how to solve particular issues. More than 1,500 aircraft of British, American, and German manufacture were tested, including some rather obscure types such as a Pitcairne Autogyro, the Miles M.20 fighter, and the Delanne conversion of the Lysander, which had a power turret in the rear, a truly bizarre aircraft by any standards.

The Book

This is not one of your run-of-the-mill airplane books. It is a history or a Royal Air Force station that fulfilled an essential function during the war, that of finding out specific information about aircraft, discovering faults and correcting them, and improving the efficiency of service types. It is also about the outstanding bravery of the pilots and crews that performed these exacting tasks, facing mechanical difficulties as well as an occasional enemy air raid. It begins with a discussion of the facility itself, the people involved, and the type of testing done, with aircraft and armament. The second part describes the aircraft involved, the reason why they were there, and the types of tests conducted. A fairly large number of test documents did not survive the war, so the records are incomplete as far as test results are concerned. Some planes were sent there only for the taking of in-flight photos for recognition training purposes, while other just showed up for no apparent reason. Most, but not all, aircraft were photographed while they were there, and some intriguing airplanes show up in the backgrounds of photos of standard types. The back section of the book provides aircraft performance tables, a list of senior officers, an honor roll of personnel killed in line of duty, and an extensive index.

Recommendation

This is a second edition, with the original appearing in 1998. The author, Tim Mason, had a 40 year flying career, 30 as a test pilot, with 6 of those years working at Boscombe Down. He is very well qualified to write a book of this type, and he has done extensive research on the topic, obviously with access to the appropriate records and people. The illustrations are superb, and many of the color profile drawings are done in 1/72 scale. It is extremely well written, and will even make sense to a non-pilot. This book should appeal to aviation historians and modelers alike, and I cannot recommend it too highly. Get one of these while it is still available. The first edition sold out quickly, and the prices of used copies got very high.

Reviewed by: Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146 --ipmsusa3.org

Specialty Press is proud to introduce a new book from Hikoki Publications entitled The Secret Years--Flight Testing at Boscombe Down 1939-1945. The highly classified work of the A&AEE (Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment) at Boscombe Down included the intense, ever-expanding business of testing aircraft and their varied armaments in WWII. More than 1,500 British, American, and German aircraft of the RAF, Fleet Air Arm, Army--and the Luftwaffe--were tested at Boscombe Down.

Aircraft as diverse as the Aerovan, Barracuda, Pitcairn PA39, and Nomad were put through their paces together with, among others the Skymaster, Vengeance, Lightning, Hudson, and Welkin plus the more well-known Wellington, Mosquito, Halifax, Ju-88, Fw190 and Spitfire.

Using 500 photographs, The Secret Years explores unusual variants of standard service aircraft types, machines which remained purely experimental, and the trials with their guns, bombs, rockets, and equipment. Performance tables, details of production, and rogue aircraft tests together with more than 90 color profiles ensure The Secret Years forms a comprehensive reference source for the historian and modeler alike. --FLYING MODELS

The Secret Years - flight testing at Boscombe Down 1939-1945 by Tim Mason, originally published in 1998 and reviewed in this magazine then. The title alone suggests that the content will be of great interest and it does not disappoint although the changes incorporated are unlikely to justify owners of the original version splashing out £34.95 for this latest one. One rather surprising omission this time around is the very useful appendix listing, in alphabetical and then serial number order, the several hundred individual aircraft that were used by the testing units at Boscombe Down during the period covered by the book. Quite why this has been left out in the revision is not clear. It is also disappointing that the error concerning the single Catalina featured in the book has not been corrected - the text says that amphibian Catalina Mk IV JX242 spent less than two days at Boscombe Down in September 1943 for IFF Mk III demonstrations. This seems very unlikely given that JX242 was not an amphibian and could hardly have landed at this inland Wiltshire airfield! In fact, the trials were carried out by the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE), Boscombe Down in co-operation with the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) but at the Maritime Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE,) Beaumaris. It will be interesting to see if Hikoki re-issue the original companion volume The Cold War Years covering the period 1945-1975 - both books are packed with fascinating photos and text. Indeed, some years ago, the author wrote the Putnam book British Flight Testing - Martlesham Heath 1920-1939 so his contribution to the overall subject is immense. --Catalina News July 2011

Hikoki Publications has another book published by Tim Mason entitled `The Secret Years' on flight testing at Boscombe Down over the WW-II years 1939-1945.
The book was published earlier under the same name in 1998. This second edition has many new photographs and information. Also the photographs already published in the first edition have been enhanced using the latest available computer techniques.
The books starts in Part I to give an historical overview of the Aeroplane Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) and its organization. Also details of the premises and facilities are given in the introductive first chapter. The following chapters give detailed insight in the kind of flight experiments and performance testing of aircraft types that were operational during the war years. Also a detailed account of the various armaments and bombs is given.
Part II continues with detailed testing data of:
-Heavy bombers
-Light and medium bombers
-Single seat fighters
-Multi-seat fighters
-Maritime aircraft
-Transport planes
-Trainers
-Wings for the Navy on fighters and observers and carrier attack planes
Also flight testing of various types of German captured types is included.
The book contains an amazing lot of rare photographs, mostly from the archives of the A&AEE and `a lot' means in this case many hundreds! If my counting is correct there are almost 600 (Yes! Six Hundred!!) photographs in this book of all types that were tested, including a number of foreign types. And. it is a thick book!! The quality of most photographs is excellent and besides the photographs there are also 91 colour profiles given in this exceptional book.
Conclusion
A book fully worth its money on an extremely interesting subject and an absolute must!! Highly recommended!!

Nico Brass --letletlet-warplanes.com