Essays about various planes told in a personal way. ( )

In this volume, Gann gives us an overview of the history of manned flight from his personal experiences as an aviator. He starts by telling the story of a fellow flyer from the barnstorming days who is killed doing a show. He concentrates on chronicling the lives of important airmen and aircraft and aircraft designers. Names that appear in the narrative include Tripp, Saint-Exupery, Fokker, Ford, Farman, Boeing, Lockheed, Noorduyn, Martin and McDonnell.
Each chapter includes a coloured painting by Robert Parks of the aircraft that is the focus of that chapter. The final chapter covers the delivery of a DC-3 to an airline in Samoa. Gann was asked to fly it there and after some serious thoughts about the risks, he agreed. It had been 19 years since he had last flown a DC-3. His description of the trip is a wonderful conclusion to his history of flight as he witnessed it since he was sent back in time flying a plane that most people would consider an antique. It lacked modern navigation equipment and its speed would turn a four hour trip in a modern jet into a 14 hour marathon.

In this volume, Gann gives us an overview of the history of manned flight from his personal experiences as an aviator. He starts by telling the story of a fellow flyer from the barnstorming days who is killed doing a show. He concentrates on chronicling the lives of important airmen and aircraft and aircraft designers. Names that appear in the narrative include Tripp, Saint-Exupery, Fokker, Ford, Farman, Boeing, Lockheed, Noorduyn, Martin and McDonnell.

Each chapter includes a coloured painting by Robert Parks of the aircraft that is the focus of that chapter. The final chapter covers the delivery of a DC-3 to an airline in Samoa. Gann was asked to fly it there and after some serious thoughts about the risks, he agreed. It had been 19 years since he had last flown a DC-3. His description of the trip is a wonderful conclusion to his history of flight as he witnessed it since he was sent back in time flying a plane that most people would consider an antique. It lacked modern navigation equipment and its speed would turn a four hour trip in a modern jet into a 14 hour marathon.

His descriptions of Juan Trippe, founder of Pan Am Airlines, as a tough operator confirms what I have read in other sources. ( )

A thrilling read from an early flight pioneer and a master skipper of deep-sea sailing (see his wonderful "Song of the Sirens". This is real 'seat of the pants' flying when you "felt' your 'plane's behaviour. mail runs, barn-storming, commercial - a true circus of flight.
Thoroughly recommended.