Queen of the Midnight Skies

Chronicle of not only the aptly named P-61 "Black Widow," but also the Douglas P-70 series, the P-38 night fighter variants, and many other types.

Historical accounts of American night fighter pilots, as well as the complets history of all night fighter squadrons formed during World War II are included, as is the development of radar and modern air defenses.

This book is the product of over twenty years of study and research. Its sources include the National Archives, Northrop Aircraft archived, the US Air Force Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and interviews with P-61 test pilots, designers, and engineers.

Interested in aviation history since his pre-teen years, Garry Pape spent many years in a number of engineering fields in the aerospace industry and participated in numerous aviation organizations. Since retirement he served for a number of years as an air museum curator. He now dedicates his aviation interests to writing. He has had four books published, contributed to two others, and a couple of dozed articles in magazines and museum newsletters; the latest in the fall 2010 American Aviation Historical Society Journal.