Reading Volume 2 (again) from your last book published and, naturally enjoying it with all the details researched (including the pics I have surprisingly not seen before), I am wondering.

What is your next project? When do you expect to publish? Or are you taking a well deserved sabbatical?

I had two projects in the works with Osprey that were shelved, because their WW1 titles aren't selling well enough anymore. Their big sellers are WW2 and Vietnam. I have an Albatros D project in the works with Aeronaut Books but recently I've been doing a lot of illustrating for other authors with Aeronaut. Lance Bronnenkant's Blue Max Airmen Volume 10 is just now being published, and Bruno Schmaeling's book on Jasta 23b will be published soon. That one has something near 70 profiles in it.

Aeronaut Books has fantastic titles! Here's a link: http://www.aeronautbooks.com/

Thanks! Will certainly check it out.

Sad to hear Osprey books are not selling well. I guess we will to have to find other publishers, sadly, not very well distributed here in Europe.

Interesting that the Vietnam Air War Is a hot topic of study.
While a personal interest of mine (got plenty of books on it anyway) it pales in comparison to my love of WW1 stuff.
WW2 has always been sexy but, at the risk of sounding like an arrogant arse, I have read so much on that topic over the years there is really nothing new there for me.

Can’t explain why WW1 aviation has always been attractive to me ever since I was a young lad.
Course...why ask why?

Oh. Forgot to ask JFM.
I thought the “print on demand” thing (used for your MvR book) eliminated the need for a million+ book orders?
But obviously you still have to make a living. Shame the interest isn’t there.

It does, Duke, but that's with Aeronaut Publishing. The shelved book projects were with Osprey Publishing, which does not do print on demand.

With Vietnam, my guess is there are a lot of retired/retiring baby boomers who have time and money to spend on books about a war they well remember/fought in/lived through.

For me, I love all planes. Well, most planes. Funny how one or two well-regarded, excellent machines completely miss my interest. Such as the Sopwith Camel, Spitfire, F-15. And then there are less regarded machines that I just love, such as the TBD Devastator and DH5.

Devastator and DH5!!!
They make medicine for that kind of love sir!

The DH-5 is loved so much by me that I built a 1/4 scale RC model of it! I drew my own plans and made all of the fittings. I made the plug for the cowl then molded it and the cowl stiffeners and attached them together. I even noticed pictures in the Datafiles by Bruce that show a center section wing cut out and the upper wing fuel tank on the outside of the wing panel joint in one version! That's the one I built. It has the letter 'E' on the sides. I am a HUGE fan of Golden Age Race planes and vintage sailplanes, too. The older the better! Sorry for hijack! I have a lot of the Osprey books!

DH5 eh?
Another WOFF plane I have never flown. Hardly have enough hours in a week to fly the ones I like.
Oh well. Retirement will happen soon enough.

The DH5 gets knocked for its "poor rearward vision," but the same thing can be said of the DH2 and FE2. But since those planes are media darlings, they never get the same criticism.

That 1/4 scale model sounds awesome, ARUP! Any photos?

The Devastator really wasn't a bad plane. It's considered to have become obsolete in the then quickly-evolving world of aviation. But even more than that, mostly it was a victim of the poor torpedoes it carried. Having to slow down to 80 knots--80 knots! That's Cessna 152 speed-- and 80 feet altitude (conditions Devastator pilot George Gay wrote that the torpedoes required for a successful launch) to attack a naval fleet is suicide. Especially unescorted in the face of hordes of Zeros, as with Midway. None of that was the TBD's fault. I dare opine Torpedo 8 would have had the same or nearly the same fate had they all flown unescorted Avengers that had to be slowed to 80 knots. As an example, the six VT-8 Avengers on Midway were all slaughtered, except one. VT-3 and 6 fared little better.