Books: recommendation for a flying boat library

rreis · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 441

Dear Wiixers

What would be your recommendations for a flying boat library (not a library you would take in your flying boat but one about flying boats

).

Right now, in my possession (or almost):

- Dornier Wal "a Light coming over the Sea" by M. Michiel van der Mey
- Pan American Clippers: The Golden Age of Flying Boats by James Trautman
- An illustrated history of seaplanes & flying boats by Maurice F. Allward
- Speedbirds by Laurent Negroni

and am eagerly waiting a copy of GRUMMAN AIRCRAFT SINCE 1929 - RENE FRANCILLON

any other suggestions?

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:04 am

It's still a huge area, can you give us a bit more of an idea what you are interested in?

http://www.seawings.co.uk/ is a great resource.

Sea, Sky & Stars by MJ Hardy on Grumman is pretty good on Grumman without the Putnam's obsession with numbers.

British Flying Boats by Peter London is a good overall history of the area of the title.

In Dutch, Dornier Do 24 by Pieter van Vijngaarden & Prudent Staal.

There's a couple of good histories on the Empire 'boats, one available on PDF form free on the web.

http://www.users.waitrose.com/~mbcass/

Adventurous Empires: The Story of the Short Empire Flying-boats by Philip E. Sims

Maritime is No.10 is the official history of 10 Sqn RAAF based in the UK with Sunderlands from the start of W.W.II to the end. Ivan Southall writing on flying as a Sunderland captain is the best account of what it was like to be there. Corsairville is a fascinating read, Osa's Ark likewise.

The VP Navy website is excellent for that material, and hints to related publications.

The old MacDonald series Fighters, Bombers, Floatplanes and Flying Boats ...of W.W.II series are good on obscure French, Russian, and Italian types, for instance.

Performance and test pilot data of many W.W.II era types is covered by Eric Winkle Brown's books.

And so on...

rreis · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 441

Thanks for the tips. I'm fascinated by flying boats and float planes and just starting to dwell more on them. let's see where they will take me.

Steve Crewdog · **Joined:** Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:14 pm **Posts:** 52

China Clipper: The Age of the Great Flying Boats by Robert Gandt. http://www.amazon.com/China-Clipper-Gre ... 905&sr=1-1

Nathan · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:02 am

"PBY in action" by Squadon.
"USN PBY Units of WWII" by Ospery.

Eric Presten · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:17 pm

There are about 85 color pictures of water based airplanes in my latest book. Search "Vintage Flyers II" on E-bay.

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:28 pm

rreis wrote:

Thanks for the tips. I'm fascinated by flying boats and float planes and just starting to dwell more on them. let's see where they will take me.

China Clipper, the Peter London book, and Adventurous Empires are a good start on the golden age of flying boats, I'd suggest, then.

John Dupre · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:25 pm

I can't remember the name of the book or the author but I once read a book about a Pan Am captain that was very interesting. For example in the 1930s every Pan Am pilot had to become a rated Aircraft Mechanic by working on Pan Am's flying boats for at least a year or two before ever flying. This particular captain flew a Boeing Clipper around the world. It was during WW2 and it was easier as the Japanese rampaged through the Pacific to keep flying West rather than try to return to San Francisco.

Another book was about an Australian PBY captain who flew GUBA around the Pacific. I think he was the first land an aircraft at Easter Island. He described a technique of sailing a nonflyable flying boat using the flight controls to help with control as I remember it the aircraft traveled backward or tail first while sailing.

hairy · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:45 pm

PBY - The Catalina Flying Boat by Roscoe Creed is very good in-depth look at the Catalina.

Steve Pierce · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:01 pm

Black Cat Raiders of World War II
by Richard C. Knott
http://www.librarything.com/work/546923
Great book.

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:15 pm

John Dupre wrote:

Another book was about an Australian PBY captain who flew GUBA around the Pacific. I think he was the first land an aircraft at Easter Island. He described a technique of sailing a nonflyable flying boat using the flight controls to help with control as I remember it the aircraft traveled backward or tail first while sailing.

You are thinking of Gordon Taylor, one of the few record-breaking airmen of the 1930s to survive that decade of exploration.

His postwar Cat (PBY if you prefer) Frigate Bird II is preserved in Sydney's Powerhouse museum. Guba was his pre-war aircraft.

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collect ... irn=207900

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120204b.htm

Quote:

A writer of distinction, subtle and realistic, Taylor published eight books: Pacific Flight (1935), VH-UXX (1937), Call to the Winds (1939), Forgotten Island (1948), Frigate Bird (1953), The Sky Beyond (Melbourne, 1963), Bird of the Islands (Melbourne, 1964), and Sopwith Scout 7309 (London, 1968).

I think it's in Frigate Bird he talks about 'sailing' the aircraft.

Kdmoo · **Posted:** Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:29 am

Shorts Aircraft since 1900 by CH Barnes is a good one I refer to all the time. Most of the Short Brothers designs were flying boats so you can't lose on this book.

Kevin

Warbird Information Exchange

Books: recommendation for a flying boat library

Who is online