Wingtip to Wingtip

You've got a front row seat--actually, a cockpit seat--for watching some of the world's most spectacular aerial precision performance teams in action. Seen by thousands of spectators every year (down on the ground, squinting up into the sun), the United States Air Force's "Thunderbirds," the Navy's "Blue Angels," Canada's "Snowbirds," England's "Red Arrows," France's "Patrouille de France" and Italy's "Frecce Tricolori" are beautifully photographed here in this 3-volume set highlighting their most famous aerial acrobatics. Despite some similarities, each team has something that separates them from the others: the "Blue Angels" perform an incredibly tight diamond formation, the "Frecce Tricolori" have a heart-stopping ten man opposition cross-over, the "Snowbirds" are known to push the envelope more than any other team, and the "Red Arrows" offer a crowd-pleasing mixture of team and individual stunt flying. There's a ready-made audience for this attractively priced boxed set, which is enthusiastically recommended. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)