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Gloster Meteor - Reference Material

The following is an extensive but not exhastive list of books on the Meteor, Jet aircraft and engine development, I have acquired and read a number of these over the years. This icon indicates that I have a personal copy. The links through to Amazon help support the site by providing a small income if you purchase the books after following the links at no additional cost to you.

	GLOSTER METEOR F.Mk 8 IN DETAIL (SPECIAL MUSEUM LINE) by Mike Collins & Andrew Simpson. A 2007 Wings & Wheels publication. Its paperback and runs to 57 pages.		Gloster Meteor, Britains celebrated first jet Aerofax, July 2006: This 144 page softback contains 74 colour and 180 black and white pictures plus unit markings and line drawings.
	The Gloster Meteor and AW Meteor: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller By Richard Caruana & Richard A Franks, SAMS publishing 2004. This is a great reference for detailing the 1:48 scale kits that are now readily available.		Jet Pioneers: Gloster and the Birth of the Jet Age By Tim Kershaw this fantastic book published in March 2004 contains a detailed account of the development of the E28/39 with never before published photos of the two aircraft during their construction. You also get to read interviews with surviving members of the team that built the aircraft and witnessed their first flights. An absolute must for enthusiasts of early jet aircraft as well as a useful resource for modellers who might want to detail up a large scale kit of the E28/39.
	Eject!: The Complete History of U.S. Aircraft Escape Systems By Jim Tuttle and published by Motorbooks in December 2001, Hardcover illustrated edition, 336 pages.		Meteor Eject!: Recollections of a Pioneer RAF Jet Pilot of the 1950s and 60s By Nick Carter and published by Woodfield in 2000. Its subtitled 'Adventures of a Cold War pilot. The only review of the book on Amazon wasn't that complimentory but it is a very unreported period when many lives were lost before understanding caught up with technological developments.
	Doctering A Gloster, Scale Models International, Aug 1997, Vol. 28, No. 337. Jonathan Mock builds and corrects the Tamiya 1:48 scale kit and presents useful colour profiles, including an aircraft used by the Fleet Air Arm.		Messerschmitt Me 262 Sturmvogel (Warbird Tech) By Dennis R. Jenkins(1996), Well researched and written it describes in detail the development of the aircraft and its powerplants with many useful photographs. Great for the modeller especially if you want to build an early version of the aircraft, the strangest of which was the first flying prototype which had a piston engine in the nose and no jet nacelles because the engines weren't ready.
	Gloster Meteor by Tony Butler AMRAeS: Published by Hall Park Books in 1995, this 80 page book is No 22 in their Warpaint series. It contains a wealth of historical information and pictures showing the colour schemes applied to the meteor in its service around the globe. It also includes many close up detail photographs and a very useful set of 1/72nd scale plans for all versions of the Meteor and some of the more unusual test aircraft. Highly recommended.		Meteor (Aircraft in Action) By Glenn Ashley, Squadron/ Signal No 152, 1995. It contains a good variety of illustrations, colour schemes and photographs. A useful addition to your reference library. Also a useful read concerning the history of the Meteor.
	Meteor: Gloster's First Jet Fighter By Steve Bond and published by MCP in 1995 and now out of print, this book emphasises the service history with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm and overseas users as well as its development. It includes a full history of every aircraft and operating unit, I have recently acquired a copy of this book it is one of the better ones that I have seen on the Meteor and has provided several pieces of useful information. A well written and easy to read book that I would highly recommend for any enthusiast on early RAF jet aircraft.		Gloster Aircraft Company by Derek James: Tempus Publishing 1994, 180 pages.
	Gloster Meteor (Crowood Aviation) This excellent 1990 book by Barry Jones with 192 pages is well worth reading.		Eject, Eject by Brian Philpott:Ian Allen 1989, ISBN 0-7110-1804-9
	Gloster Aircraft Since 1917 by Derek James: Brassey's Putnam Aeronautical (1997), ISBN 0851778070. The revised edition reveals many new details of Gloster aircraft development. Its 398 pages are worth a read, the author is a former Gloster apprentice.		Gloster Meteor by Brian Philpott: Published by PSL (1986)
	Postwar Military Aircraft No2, Gloster Meteor by Chase Bowyer: Published by Ian Allen (1985),		Gloster Meteor (Super Profile) by M.J. Hardy: A Super-Profile publication (1985).
	The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines Bill Gunston: Exeter Books. The fourth edition has now reached 272 pages, it was orginally published in 1981.		Engineering for Life: the Story of Martin-Baker by John Jewel1979: Martin-Baker, A good history of the company with some useful pictures of early ejection seats and technical design information.
	Gloster Meteor F.Mk III Pilots Notes A 60 Page facsimile of 1951 edition produced by the Air Ministry. Published November 1972, Its good but a very abbreviated version of the genuine article with minimal detail compared with for instance my copy of original pilots notes for the T7. It does however contain photos of the F3's cockpit which would be great for a modeller seeking to superdetail a kit or scale model Meteor F Mk III.		Man in the Hot Seat by "Doddy" Hay, 1969. A very special account of an incredibly brave man who tested some of the early ejection seats including one designed for the crew of the Vulcan. He paid a very high physical price but his contribution undoubtedly saved countless lives. A must read!
	The Gloster Meteor F. IV (Profile Publications #78) by J.J.Partridge: Profile Publications (1996)		The Gloster Meteor F.8 (Profile Publications No. 12) by C.F.Andrews: Profile Publications, 1965.
	The Gloster Meteor (Aircraft monographs) by Edward Shacklady, 1965: A real groundbreaker when first published. It has 178 pages with 150+ illustrations and contains comprehensive technical and historical detail. It was written near the end of the Meteors service with the RAF and is one of the best books on the subject, it is still possible to find used copies on the internet but shop around as prices vary widely as does the condition.		The Quick And The Dead by Squadron Leader Bill Waterton, 1955: Bill Waterton was in the second RAF High Speed flight that raised the world speed record to 616mph and shortly after joined Gloster as a test pilot becoming the chief test pilot in April 1947. In this book he describes somewhat negatively his experiences within the RAF and Glosters and the circumstances leading to his resignation. Only one side of the story but a fascinating insight into the life of a test pilot and the pre British Aerospace aviation industry in the UK.
	Jet, The story of the jet age by the man himself, 1953. Written from his very comprehensive personal diaries. It's a fascinating read and probably the most accurate account you will ever get albeit from only his perspective.		Gas Turbines and Jet Propulsion for Aircraft by Geoffrey Smith1946: This is a real treasure. The 4th edition was written just after the war ended and contains many great photographs and technical details showing the most advanced engines of the day. Well worth the investment and a great addition to my library which has helped clarify historical details about Meteor and jet engine development. It also shows just how Britian led the world in early engine development.
The books appear in order of publication, please let us know if you know of other books that you would recommend to other visitors to the site.

Videos & DVD's

Considering the contribution of the Meteor there isn't much on offer although standard footage often turns up in a number of RAF historical titles.

	Classic British Jets - Gloster Meteor [DVD] This 63 minute DVD released in April 2005 is part of a series with other editions featuring the Vulcan & Valiant.		Meteor - The Ultimate Profile [VHS] A nice video featuring interviews with Martin-Bakers test pilot and some nice archive footage as well as more recent photos of Martin-Bakers Meteor that they use for air testing their ejection seats.