Dark Eagles: A History of U.S. Black Aircraft Programs

by Curtis Peebles

Book Overview

An aviation historian tells the story of the Dark Eagles, airplanes that the U.S. government developed, tested, and operated in deepest secrecy. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891415351
• ISBN13: 9780891415350
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Aircraft

AS an aviation enthusiast, I can tell you this book provides a great look into the world of "Black Projects", aircraft like the U-2 spyplane and the SR-71 Blackbird, many of which played an important role in strategic reconnaissance throughout the Cold War and continue to do so to this day. Included in this book are such notable aircraft as the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter and the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, and their beginnings as black projects. Recommended to any aviation enthusiast.

Behind the Scenes in the World of Black Project Aviation

I had picked up "Dark Eagles" primarly because it was one of very few books to present information on "Have Donut" and similar projects in which the United States tested captured MiGs and other Soviet aircraft. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the rest of this book is as superbly researched and detailed as Peebles' glimpse into the testing of foreign equipment.Peebles discusses, in amazing detail, the developments of such famous aircraft as the U-2, A-12, SR-71, F-117, "Have Blue" and "Tacit Blue." Peebles also delves into the history of the less-glamarous unmanned platforms such as the trisonic D-21 ("Tagboard") and various models of the Model 147 Firebee, used extensively in Vietnam.This book is a must for anyone interested in black project aviation. It is well written and thoroughly researched, and is engaging to both the causal and technical reader.

Excellent. Well worth the money.

This book is a must for any aviation buff. It is a facinating story of secret aircraft development, and should be read with Ben Rich's Skunk Works.The final chapter on the truth about the Aurora was worth the money alone.

worth buying

Excellent book, ties together many details you only get in pieces anywhere else, & well organized. If you are an airplane nut like me, you'll occasionally be mystified by a non-pilot's aeronautical terms (like a temperamental plane that "overdived"), but otherwise it's the best I've read on the topic, and I've read a few. :-)

A good introduction to the topic

There's nothing too densely technical here, but this is a good overall introduction to the area of black US aircraft and reconnaisance projects. Peebles may be a bit shy on the technical details, but he has documented the history of the U2, SR-71, F-117 and other, lesser-known craft very well. He also does an excellent job of piecing together and tracing the origins of various legends and rumors that are passed around as if they were fact, like the mythical "Aurora" aircraft. One small detail: In the SR-71 section Peebles refers to the problem of titanium panels being corroded by "pencil marks", and the footnote identifies the source as a public lecture. Ben Rich's book, "Skunk Works", states that it was "Pentel" pen ink that was the problem. Well, we can forgive him that one slip.Overall a useful and entertaining read.