Very sad news indeed. I just learned from a Facebook post by Andy Saunders, and from an email from Trevor Henshaw, of the passing of
Norman Franks on Sunday 21 May at the age of 83. There can be few dedicated WWI aviation enthusiasts who do not know the name Norman Franks, and who don't have some of his many, many books on their shelves. Yes, we can nitpick and point out where some errors have been discovered, but Norman's strong impetus and contributions to the Grub Street series provided the groundwork for so many of us. He got the work done, and
published in a form accessible to all. He was such a prolific author, his output amazes me (and not just WWI, of course, but WWII as well). I was privileged to meet Norman in person at an OTF seminar which he attended (along with Russell Guest), and to collaborate on a few books with him. He leaves some giant shoes to fill.
R.I.P., old friend.