I just found out that one of my favorite aviation authors passed away last month, just short of his 81st birthday. Rene Francillon wrote Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War for Putnam, which is still the standard reference on the topic. He also wrote the books for Putnam on both of my primary employers, Grumman and Lockheed, as well as their two-volume set on McDonnell Douglas. His book Vietnam: The War in the Air is one of the two best reference books on the topic, and his two books on the Air National Guard, one for Aerofax and one for Airtime, are the best on that topic as well. And that's just part of his legacy. R.I.P. Rene, you will be missed.
