When the China Clipper shattered aviation records on its maiden six-day flight from California to the Orient in 1935, the flying boat became an instant celebrity. This lively history by Robert Gandt traces the development of the great flying boats as both a triumph of technology and a stirring human drama. He examines the political, military, and economic forces that drove its development and explains the aeronautical advances that made the aircraft possible. To fully document the story he includes interviews with flying boat pioneers and a dynamic collection of photographs, charts, and cutaway illustrations.

This book is an effort to preserve the records of the most perfect type of sailing ship at the very height of its development, and it has been written entirely for sailors and those who are interested in shipping. I have put down as simply as possible the personal histüry of certain ships and that in the plain language of the sea without any attempt to explajn technical or seafaring terms for the benefit of the landsman. The materiell gathered together in this book has been culled from countless abstract log books, as well aa from information supplied to me, not only by the men who sailed the ships but also by their owners, designers and builders. Indeed I have to thank so many people for their help that a page of print would not contain their names, and I can only hope that this book may, perhaps, recall some pleasant sea memories and thus in some slight way recompense them for their kindness und trouble. Reprint of the original edition (1899)

"The book discusses strategies used to represent the clipper as a paragon of U.S. interests, values and beliefs. The main focus of the work is the variety of ways this iconographic status manifested itself through toys, movies, pulp fiction, comic books and music. An appendix explains different models of the clipper flying boats"--Provided by publisher.

An intimately detailed description of the great sailing ships designed for fast passages. The drawings elucidate the architecture and handling. An International Marine book for sailors, modelers, and commercial and marine historians. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"Illustrated with rare period photographs, vintage travel posters, magazine ads and colorful company brochures, Pan American Clippers covers every aspect of the era of flying boats, from 1931-1946. Trautman explains PanAm's founding and growth, their wartime activities, and the design choices that made the company a symbol of luxury. "--

"...the story of the Pacific Clipper, a B-314 caught between Noumea, New Caledonia and Auckland, New Zealand at the outbreak of World War II and ordered to return home by flying west around the world in radio silence to avoid capture or destruction by enemy forces."--P. [4] of cover.

This is the thoroughly researched story of John Smith, whose career saw him rise from boy on a Greenland whaler to the position of master of the Lahloo, one of the most successful China tea clippers.