Bell, Dana 1950-

PERSONAL:

Born September 30, 1950.

CAREER:

Historian. National Air and Space Museum Archives, Washington, DC, curator; also worked at the U.S. Air Force Still Photo Depository.

WRITINGS:

(Compiler) U.S. Air Force Colours, illustrated by Don Greer and Rob Stern, Arms and Armour Press (London, England), 1979, also published as Air Force Colours, Squadron/Signal (Carrollton, TX), 1980.

(With Ken C. Rust) Thirteenth Air Force Story—In World War II, Historical Aviation Album (Temple City, CA), 1981.

Air War over Vietnam, Arms and Armour Press (Harrisburg, PA), 1982.

A10 Thunderbolt II, Arms and Armour Press (New York, NY), 1986.

A-10 Warthog: In Detail & Scale, TAB Books (Blue Ridge Summit, PA), 1986.

Vietnam Warbirds in Action, Arms and Armour Press (New York, NY), 1986.

USAF Colors and Markings in the 1990s, Greenhill Books (London, England), 1992.

Colors & Markings of the A-10 Warthog, Kalmbach Books (Waukesha, WI), 1994.

(Editor, with Tom Alison) At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits, photography by Eric F. Long and Mark A. Avino, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (Niagara Falls, NY), 2001.

(Editor) The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes: Their Designers and Manufacturers, Greenhill Books (London, England), 2002.

(With Norman Polmar) One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 2004.

In the Cockpit: Inside 50 History-Making Aircraft, Collins Design (New York, NY), 2007.

Smithsonian Atlas of World Aviation, Collins (New York, NY), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Dana Bell is an aviation historian. He has worked for the U.S. Air Force Still Photo Depository and served as a curator at the National Air and Space Museum Archives for nearly thirty years before retiring. Bell has published a number of books focusing primarily on aviation history. He compiled his first book, U.S. Air Force Colours, in 1979, which included illustrations by Don Greer and Rob Stern. The following year the book was released in the United States as Air Force Colours. In 1981, he published Thirteenth Air Force Story—In World War II with Ken C. Rust. The following year Bell published Air War over Vietnam through Arms and Armour Press, which went on to publish a number of Bell's other books.

Bell published three books in 1986, including A10 Thunderbolt II, A-10 Warthog: In Detail & Scale, and Vietnam Warbirds in Action. In 1992, Bell published USAF Colors and Markings in the 1990s. He followed this with Colors & Markings of the A-10 Warthog in 1994. With Tom Alison, Bell edited At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits in 2001, including photography by Eric F. Long and Mark A. Avino. In the Cockpit: Inside 50 History-Making Aircraft was published in 2007. The following year, Bell published the Smithsonian Atlas of World Aviation.

In 2002, Bell edited The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes: Their Designers and Manufacturers. The book aims to be a source of information on all types of aircraft and their designations. Bell worked on the project, which was commissioned by the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian, in order to create an airplane directory that would better describe the museum's aircraft reference files. Bell also includes a brief profile about the manufacturers of the planes.

Steve Horn, writing in Air Power History, found the choice of photography included in the book to be "somewhat baffling" initially. However, he decided that "it became obvious that Bell cleverly used the photos to explain in more detail some of the vagaries of aircraft designations and names." He also noted that the research is "meticulous." Horn concluded that "this work is a very comprehensive and up-to-date reference. It should find its way into the libraries of all aviation historians and airplane enthusiasts. It will probably settle many arguments, but it may also start a few."

Bell published One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft in 2004 with Norman Polmar. The authors collected what they view as the one hundred most significant aircraft of military aviation's first century. Each of the entries includes a description of the plane, its photograph, and a list of characteristics unique to the aircraft, including armament, dimensions, crew size, bomb loads, and electronic subsystems. The authors also include a bibliography, categorized by the countries that flew the planes.

Peter B. Mersky, writing in the Naval Aviation News, called the photo selection "sparse but adequate." Mersky concluded that "both authors bring a wealth of knowledge to the text and nuggets abound awaiting the serious researcher or general aviation buff who browses the pages." John Braddon, writing in Air Power History, noted that "the aircraft are described in an identical, easily read format that makes the book an ideal quick reference." Braddon summarized that "despite glaring omissions and doubtful inclusions, the manner of presentation, accuracy of the accounts, and ease of finding vital characteristics make this book beneficial to anyone interested in military aviation history."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Air Power History, fall, 2003, Steve Horn, review of The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes: Their Designers and Manufacturers, p. 48; spring, 2006, John Braddon, review of One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, p. 51.

Aviation History, March, 2003, C.V. Glines, review of At the Controls: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book of Cockpits, p. 62; January 2005, C.V. Glines, review of One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, p. 54.

Naval Aviation News, September 1, 2004, Peter B. Mersky, review of One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, p. 40.

SciTech Book News, December, 2002, review of The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes, p. 175; March, 2004, review of One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, p. 179.

Sea Power, August, 2003, Sherry L. Gardner, review of The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Directory of Airplanes, p. 46; February, 2004, David W. Munns, review of One Hundred Years of World Military Aircraft, p. 47.