A Magnificent Tribute to Some Magnificent Planes
If you believe that real airplanes have round engines, if you thrill to the sound - er, music - of those mighty radial engines of the World War II era and the late 1940s and early 1950s, this book is a "must have." Feast your eyes on these beautiful airplanes and the superb photography with which they are captured, and let your imagination wander.
You will find examples of the venerable Douglas DC-3 (including the C-47 Skytrain/Dakota, Navy RC-4, and C-117 Super DC-3) Douglas Skymaster (in its DC-4, C-54, RD-5 incarnations), Curtiss C-46 Commando, Lockheed Constellation (C-69) and Super Constellation (C-121), Fairchild C-119 Packet (now a rarity), along with less-common types, such as the Junkers Ju-52, Avro Anson, De Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide (and RAF Dominie), De Havilland Drover, De Havilland Dove and Heron, and Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer. Post-War types such as the Boeing C-97, Douglas DC-6 and DC-7, Lockheed Super Constellation and Starliner, Convair 340/440 (C-131 Samaritan), and Martin 4-0-4 are given their due as well.
Each of these magnificent flying machines has been resurrected from a dilapidated or abandoned airframe, as some "before and after" pictures so starkly demonstrate. Graham Robson describes each aircraft and its history, along with other related and fascinating facts. Included are spectacular air-to-air shots (I particularly like the formation shots depicting the Berlin Airlift Historic Foundation with the Vince Rayburn's MATS Connie (which has since left the US to go on display in Korea), along with the South African Historic Flight's DC-3 and DC-4); there are also a handful of nice interior and cockpit photos. Most important, each photo is accompanied by a thorough description of the subject, making for very easy reading. This is indeed a refreshing departure from other aviation books.
My criticisms are few. For one, I would have like to have seen more coverage on two noteworthy airlines and their efforts to keep these wonderful old planes in the air, earning their keep: Air Atlantique and Buffalo Airways. That said, this book nevertheless gives a very nice overview of true propliners, those workhorses hauling passengers and freignt. For other large propeller-driven aircraft of the Second World War, turn to Graham Robson's previous book, Propliner Perfection.
Nevertheless, for anyone who loves these wonderful old planes, I am happy to recommend this book with an enthusiastic two thumbs up.