Bill Gunston


Bill Gunston was a British aviation and military author. He flew with Britain's Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948, and after pilot training became a flying instructor. He spent most of his adult life doing research and writing on aircraft and aviation. He was the author of over 350 books and articles. His work included many books published by Salamander Books.

Early life

Born William Tudor Gunston in London on 1 March 1927, Gunston was educated at Pinner County Grammar School. In his spare time, he was Flight Sergeant in the school Air Training Corps squadron and, for several months, the London Philharmonic Orchestra's librarian.

Royal Air Force

Gunston joined the Royal Air Force in 1945 and went to University College, Durham on an RAF cadetship. In 1946 he moved to No 4 Flying Training School in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia to train as a pilot. He later moved to No 5 Flying Training School at Thornhill where he continued training and then became an instructor flying the North American Harvard. He later flew the de Havilland Vampire F3 a single-seat jet fighter before he left the RAF in 1948.

Author and editor

Gunston attended the Northampton Engineering College until 1951 then he joined the staff of Flight International magazine, where, writing as "W.T.G.", he was appointed Technical Editor in April 1955. From 1969, he was part of the production team on the annual publication Jane's All the World's Aircraft, editing the 2015/16 edition. He was editor of Jane's Aero-Engines from 1995 to 2007.

Family life and death

Gunston married Margaret Jolliff, who had been his secretary, and they had two daughters. He died on 1 June 2013.

Honours and awards

  • 1 January 1996, Bill Gunston was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to aviation journalism.

    Books

  • Early Supersonic Fighters of the West, London: Ian Allan Ltd, 1973
  • Bombers of the West, London: Ian Allan Ltd, 1973
  • Attack Aircraft of the West, London: Ian Allan Ltd, 1974
  • Submarines in Colour, Blandford Colour Series, Blandford, 1976
  • The Encyclopedia of the World's Combat Aircraft, New York: Chartwell Books Inc., 1976
  • Hitler's Luftwaffe: A Pictorial History and Technical Encyclopedia of Hitler's Air Power in World War II, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1977
  • Transport, Pan Macmillan, 1978
  • The Encyclopedia of the World's Airpower, New York, New York: Crown Publishers, 1979
  • An Illustrated Guide To Bombers Of World War II, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1980
  • Technology at Work, Facts on File, 1980
  • Coal , Franklin Watts, 1981
  • Fighters of the Fifties, Specialty Press, 1981
  • An Illustrated Guide to Allied Fighters of World War II, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1981
  • An Illustrated Guide to Military Helicopters, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1981
  • An Illustrated Guide to the Israeli Air Force, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1982
  • Motorcycles, Rourke Punlishing, 1982
  • Water, Silver Burdett Press, 1984
  • An Illustrated Guide to Future Fighters and Combat Aircraft, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1984
  • The Illustrated History of Fighters, 1985
  • World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens, 1986
  • Mikoyan MiG-21, Osprey, 1986
  • Canal and River Transport, Silver Burdett Press, 1986
  • Railways, Hodder Wayland, 1987
  • Water Travel, Rourke Publishing, 1987
  • An Illustrated Guide to Modern Fighters and Attack Aircraft, Prentice Hall Direct, 1987
  • Modern Air Combat, 1988
  • An Illustrated Guide to Modern Bombers, London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1988
  • Stealth Warplanes, Osprey Combat Aircraft Series, 1988
  • Grumman Sixty Years Of Excellence Crown, 1st USA edition, 1988
  • Plane Speaking, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1991
  • Chronicle of Aviation, London: Chronicle Communications Ltd / Paris: Jacques Legrand / Dortmund:Harenberg Kommunikation, 1992
  • Faster Than Sound: The Story of Supersonic Flight, London: Haynes, 1992
  • Development of Piston Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1993
  • World Encyclopaedia of Aircraft Manufacturers, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1993 https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781557509390
  • The Development of Jet and Turbine Aero Engines, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1995
  • Fighter! A Pictorial History of International Fighter Aircraft, Bristol: Parragon, 1997
  • Fedden – the life of Sir Roy Fedden, RRHT, Historical Series Nº26, 1998
  • Soviet Air Power
  • The US War Machine
  • The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Modern Military Aircraft
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Rockets and Missiles
  • ''Modern Fighting Aircraft''