Wally Kahn & BGA UK eBook Collection

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THE DREAM To professionally scan all out of print UK gliding books and create an eBook library. The intention was that the BGA will have an accessible, catalogued hard copy gliding library and eventually the BGA website would host all the scanned UK gliding magazines and the eBook library. We are grateful for the support from the people on the right who have nearly made this dream possible. Their names and clubs will be on a "Roll of Honour" fastened to the new book cases at BGA HQ.

 THE HISTORY. Over 150 unique UK gliding books had been collected by Wally Kahn over many years and it is the heart of the ‘UK Gliding Library’ that has now been assembled. Wally generously decided to gift his collection to the BGA so that it could be combined with the BGA collection. The BGA were delighted to accept this opportunity. The original BGA collection was gifted to the BGA by Doc Slater who collected over 400 books from world wide sources, mainly on aviation related subjects with a proportion purely on gliding. The BGA has created an accessible library which is held in the BGA headquarters at Leicester.

Combining the collections takes the UK gliding book collection up to 160 unique books. It is probable that all the books on the subject of gliding published in the UK are listed below, if you spot a UK published one we haven't got please email Peter Redshaw or Wally Kahn with the details. Geoff Moore, Tom Edwards, Peter Charatan, Ged Terry and Bob Boyd pointed us at 8 additional UK books.

Having established a physical and comprehensive library the next target was to scan as many of these UK books that are out of print as is possible and convert them into eBooks. The BGA agreed to host them on their BGA/Sailplane and Gliding website when they upgrade their website facility. The aim is to make them easily searchable, freely available and retain them for posterity. If you have any ideas or comments on this please send them to Peter Redshaw.

 

In certain cases, due to copyright rules, we have only been able to provide sample extracts from some of the books. In this situation we provide enough digital content that should you subsequently wish to purchase the books, the eBooks or sample eBooks will give you a very good idea of the content to aid your choice. Many are still available from online book shops but they fail to provide enough information to aid your choice.

 

EXECUTION. It required funds to scan these books and do it professionally. The magazines were scanned for free and judging from the number of magazine downloads that are being made, you obviously enjoy reading them. We hoped that you would therefore share our dream and contribute to this UK gliding eBook library and archive. This you have done and we passed the £10000 target early May 2011, many thanks to those listed on the right.

 

A separate account inside the Lakes Gliding Club's bank account, named "The Kahn/BGA eBook Library" account is safely holding the funds. ALL monies raised will go towards scanning. Should for some reason the project stop in the middle, scanning liabilities will be paid from funds, residual money will be returned to the donors in proportion to their generosity. Achieved scanning work will be given to the BGA.

 

Wally very generously set the ball rolling with a donation of £2000 and the gift to the BGA of his magnificent UK gliding book collection. It is only fitting that we should thus refer to the eventual digital library of UK gliding books as the "Wally Kahn Collection". If you would like to be part of this project or think you can help, please contact Peter Redshaw or Wally Kahn.

 

THE BOOKS.  Our first eBook was, Wally Kahn, A Glider Pilot bold.. (3rd edition) The list of 169 UK books is sorted by author. Progress is being made, we now have 31 eBooks, highlighted on the list in green. Right click on the title to 'save as' and download the book, note that some are large files. In order to open the PDF documents, Adobe Reader (version 8 or later) will need to be installed on your PC. To download the latest copy of this software go to http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html  An alternate and sometimes better software for reading the PDF files is Foxit Reader, this is free and available at http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader Use Foxit Reader if Adobe is not opening the pictures properly.

 

Author Year Title Publisher
Anon (unknown) 1980 The Artic Lite guide to gliding CSS Productions
Anon (unknown) 1931 The London Gliding Club unknown
Anon (unknown) 1937 This Gliding unknown
Anon (Unknown) 1938 Sky-riders Wm Collins
Ashwell-Cooke J 1932 Motorless flight J. Hamilton
Bally J 1980 Mountain Flying at Talgarth Black Mountains GC
BGA 1930 BGA Journal No2 August 1930 BGA
BGA 1930 BGA Journal No1 March 1930 BGA
BGA 1931 BGA Journal No3 January 1931 BGA
BGA 1930 Handbook BGA
BGA 1960 Modern Elementary Gliding Chartwell Press
BGA 1970 The Solo Glider Pilot Langham
BGA 1931 Handbook  
Bird M 2000 Platypus Papers Platypus
Blanchard P   Elementary Gliding Thermal Equipment Ltd
Bradbury T 1991 Meteorology and flight A & C Black
British Gliding Asscn 2002 Gliding – BGA Manual A & C Black
Brunt D 1928 Meteorology Oxford Uni Press
Camp G 1982 British Soaring Yearbook 1981 BGA
Camp G 1983 British Soaring Yearbook 1982/83 BGA
Camp G 1985 British Soaring Yearbook 1984/85 BGA
Camp G 1987 British Soaring Year Book 1986/87 BGA
Champion P 1974 Glider pilot Model
Coates A 1978 Janes World Sailplanes Jane's
Collins G 1988 Sails in the sky G.Collins
Corbusier L 1987 Aircraft (reprint of 1935 edition) Trefoil Publications
Cumming 1966 The powerless ones Fred. Muller
Curry A 1961 Dying High (Murder Thriller) W.H.Allen
De Villamill R 1920 Soaring Flight  
Delafield J 1982 Gliding competitively A & C Black
Dixon R 2003 Soaring the South Down Ridge Southdown GC
Dorset GC 1931 Gliding - a year book 1931 Dorset GC
Douglas A & Welch L 1952 Elementary Flying Training in 2 Seaters BGA
Douglas A (Welch) 1943 Cloud reading for pilots John Murray
Douglas A (Welch) 1947 Gliding and advanced soaring John Murray
Easson I 2008 Scottish Gliding Union 1934-2008 IKE Publishing
Eckley D 2007 Story of Back Mountains G.C. PIP Printing
Edmonds A (Welch) 1939 Silent flight Country Life
Ellison N 1971 British gliders and sailplanes1922-70 A & C Black
Entwhistle F 1931 Meteorological aspects of Gliding  
Espin C (H) 1935 The Silent Wing Monk Press
Essays 1929 How to build and fly Gliders  
Fairlie G & Cayley E 1965 The Life of a genius – Cayley Hodder & Stoughton
Flanders & Carr 1930 Gliding and Motorless Flight  
Fox Geen 1952 The ABC of gliding Geo. Allen & Unwin
Foyle C & L.Marriott 2009 Pioneers to Partners C.Foyle Publish
Freundenberg M 2009 Clear air Turbulence – Anne Burns Charlton Pub
Gibbs-Smith C 1962 Sir George Cayley’s Aeronautics H.M.O. Science Museum
Gibbs-Smith C 1970 Aviation H.M.O. Science Museum
Gotch W 1955 Playground in the sky Hutchinson
Hammond G 2000 Into the blue (a novel) Severn House
Hardy 1982 Gliders and Sailplanes of the world Ian Allen
Harwood G 1962 Gliding Clubs  
Henshaw A 1939 Sky Riders (3 pages gliding) Collins
Hill D 2005 50 years of membership of Yorkshire GC  
Hirth W 1938 The Art of Soaring Flight **
Hiscock D 1997 History of The London Gliding Club, The First Twenty Years  
Horsley T 1944 Soaring Flight Eyre & Spottiswoode
Horsley T 1947 Gliding & Power flying Cumberlege
Horsley T 1947 The long flight Country Life Ltd
Hull E 2000 Take up slack Woodfield
Ince D 1992 Combat and Competition Newton
Irving F 1998 The paths of soaring flight Imperial Coll press
Jackson P 1997 Tiger in the Sky Truleigh Press
Jarrett P 1987 Another Icarus – Percy Pilcher Smithsonian Press **
Jarrett P 1999 Percy Pilcher, Challenge of Flight Nat Museum of Scotland
Kahn W 1998 A Glider Pilot bold.. Jardine Publishing
Kahn W 2008 A Glider Pilot bold.. (2nd edition) AFE
Kahn W 2011 A Glider Pilot bold.. (3rd edition) eBook Library
Kronfeld R 1932 Kronfeld on Gliding and Soaring John Hamilton
Kukuski J 1952 Theory & technique of Soaring Pitman, London
Latimer Needham C 1935 Gliding and Soaring Philip Allen
Latimer Needham C 1937 Sailplanes Chapman & Hall
Leeming J 1937 Airdays Harrap
Lilienthal Otto 1911 Birdflight as the basis of aviation Longmans, Green
Logan M   Gliding and Soaring Simply Explained Pitmans, London
Lomax J 1988 Hanna Reitsch John Murray
Longland S 2001 Gliding, from passenger to pilot Crowood
Longland S 2002 Gliding A & C Black
Ludlam & Scorer 1960 Cloud Study – a pictorial guide Murray
Ludlam & Scorer 1954 Further Outlook Wingate
Mallinson P & Woollard M 1999 The Handbook of glider aerobatics Airlife
Mary de Bunsen 1940 Flying with the Germans  
McCullagh J 2004 Bronze & Beyond McCullagh
Meagher M 1985 Chicken livered granny Ava Books
Merseyside Aviation 1970 Brit. Gliders 1970 1st Edition Merseyside Av Soc
Merseyside Aviation 1975 Brit. Gliders 1975 2nd Edition Merseyside Av Soc
Merseyside Aviation 1980 Brit. Gliders 1980 3rd Edition Merseyside Av Soc
Merseyside Aviation 1981 British Isles Airfield Guide Merseyside Av Soc
Millett D 1994 Teaching Harry to fly Hartley Publishers
Millett D 1994 Whispering Wings Newton
Milner R 1967 Without visible means of support  
Minterne D 2005 Detling Diary, RAE Tech Coll GC  
Mole E 1984 Happy landings Airlife
Moran P 1987 A Speck in the sky Blandford Press
Morgan 1909 How to build a 20ft biplane glider  
Morgan A 1990 Gliding in eight days Osprey
Morgan A 1975 Airborne for pleasure David & Charles
Park A 1964 Club Flying and Gliding Hennel Locke
Payne P   Modern Sailplane Design  
Peltzer F 1953 Maloja wind (a novel) Hammond
Penrose H 1988 An Ancient Air – John Stringfellow AirLife
Piggott D 1990 Derek Piggott on gliding A & C Black
Piggott D 1991 Gliding Safety A & C Black
Piggott D 1978 Going solo A & C Black
Piggott D 1988 Understanding flying weather A & C Black
Piggott D 1975 Beginning Gliding A & C Black
Piggott D 1977 Delta Papa A & C Black
Piggott D 1958 Gliding, a handbook on soaring Flight A & C Black
Piggott D 1977 Understanding gliding A & C Black
Pike L & Joyce   Gliding for Schools Aero
Pilcher & Stringfellow 1910 Gliding R.Aero Soc
Portsmouth Naval Club 1950 Journal Skysail
Pritchard J 1961 George Cayley  
Reitsch H 1955 The sky is my kingdom Bodley Head
Riddell J 1967 About Gliding  
Riddell J 1984 Yorkshire Club – 1st 50 years  
Riddle R 1991 British Gliding Clubs Directory 1991 edition BGA
Robinson C 1990 Q & A for glider pilots Desktop Studio
Sainsbury P 1957 Gliding, Poor man's Sport  
Scott P 1961 The eye of the wind (hardback) Hodder & Stoughton
Scull W 1977 Gliding and Soaring Pelham
Scull W 1987 Soaring Cross-country Pelham
Serjeant & Watson 1965 The gliding book Nicholas Kaye
Shattock I   Soaring at Usk  
Simons M   An Introduction to Gliding London GC
Simons M 2001 Sailplanes 1920 - 1945 ‘Eqip’
Simons M 2002 Sailplanes 1945 – 1965 ‘Eqip’
Simons M 2004 Sailplanes 1965 - 2000 'Eqip'
Simons M 1996 Slingsby Sailplanes Airlife
Simpson J 1994 Sea Breeze and Local Winds Cambridge University Press
Simpson J 1961 Tackle gliding this way Stanley Paul
Sitek and Blunt V 1940 Gliding and Soaring Alliance Press
Smahelova H 1960 Youth on the Wing Uni of London Press
Staff of Motor 1910 The Aero Manual  
Stafford-Allen R 1959 Glider Maintenance Manual BGA
Stafford-Allen R 1962 Theory of flight for glider pilots Oliver & Boyd
Stamer F and Lippisch 1930 Gliding and Sail-Planing Bodley
Stewart K 2000 Soaring pilot’s manual Airlife
Stewart K 1994 The glider pilot’s manual Airlife
Sumner P.H 1935 Aircraft Progress & Development Crosby Lockwood
W R Scott 1942 Manual of Gliding No20 Bernards
Wallington W 1961 Meteorology for glider pilots John Murray
Welch A & Scull W 1999 Navigating With GPS R Inst of Navigation
Weiss J 1923 Gliding and Soaring flight Sampson Low
Welch & Welch 1965 The Story of Gliding (1965)  
Welch A 1978 Accidents Happen John Murray
Welch A 1955 Come gliding with me Fred. Muller
Welch A 1963 Glider flying Constable
Welch A 1976 Gliding EP Publishing
Welch A 1983 Happy to fly John Murray
Welch A 1964 John goes gliding Jonathan Cape
Welch A 1994 Know the game BGA
Welch A 1973 Pilot’s weather John Murray
Welch A 1986 The complete soaring guide A & C Black
Welch A 1980 The story of gliding John Murray
Welch A 1964 The Woolacombe bird (a novel) World Publishing
Welch A & Gabor 1960 Go gliding Faber
Welch A & L 1961 Flying Training in gliders BGA
Welch A & L, Irving F 1970 New soaring pilot John Murray
Welch A & L, Irving F 1955 The soaring pilot John Murray
Wilk, Brooks, Shenstone 1963 The World Sailplanes Vol II OSTIV
Wilkinson & Shenstone 1963 World Sailplanes 2nd Edition  
Wilkinson K,Brooks P& Shenstone B 1958 The World Sailplanes OSTIV
Wills P 1973 Free as a bird William Clowes
Wills P 1953 On being a bird Max Parrish
Wills P 1961 Where no birds fly Newnes
Wills P and others 1960 The beauty of gliding Max Parrish
Wright L 1967 The wooden sword Elek Books

 

Copyright of this page is that of The Lakes Gliding Club, Wally Kahn and the BGA, no use other than personal use should be made of these documents without written permission of all parties. They are not to be amended or used on other websites.

 

Copyright of the eBooks. A number of books are clearly outside copyright, however, every effort is being made to trace the authors, publishers and descendants of these books to seek approval to use copyrighted material. The scanned material as eBooks remain the copyright of  the many people who gave their permission to convert the individual books to eBooks and “The Wally Kahn/BGA eBook Library” who are doing the scanning. The gliding movement thanks you.

 

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