A History of British Waterplanes - Flying Boats, Seaplanes and Amphibians, by Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume
Book published by Stenlake in 2018, 304 pages. Large A4 size softback (N6956)
Brand New Book
This book is a fascinating and immensley detailed history of the flying machines that took off and landed on water. Although they played an important role in defence, communication, freight transport and early civil aviation hardly any trace of them remains today. Aircraft were not preserved and these fine craft have no museum of their own. The author wants this book to deal with the subject comprehensively. Hence it has a preface lasting five pages and an introduction of four pages followed by eight chapters starting with the early machines of 1909/1910 and ending with the post-war period and the subsequent decline. ‘Whitehall decision-makers...bereft of an excess of intellect who had difficulty understanding how things flew’ get a bit of a pasting from the author whose text is in his usual style. Contents include:
In the Beginning: Flight from Water & Realities
The Pioneers: Windermere and Round Britain
First World War and Naval Needs
Post-War Endeavours and Seaside Joy-Riding
The Schneider Competitions: Speed and Streamlining
Practical Applications: Airlines and Linking the Empire
The 'Thirties and Wartime Expansion with Flying Boats
Peace, Atlantic Crossings - and Declining Appeal
People & Makers behind British Waterplanes
A massive appendix details the people and the makers involved and the book is fully indexed as well as being profusely illustrated with lots of fascinating photographs.