by
Eric Holloway
Published by Serendipity
ISBN: 1843941708
This fascinating book, which covers
the author's involvement in 50 years of aviation, and 20,000 flying hours which
started during the Second World War in Wellingtons and Sunderlands, is almost
unique in that it is written from the perspective of a professional navigator.
The book covers in a fascinating and very readable style the history of
long‑distance flights by passenger aircraft which were so very reliant on Astro
navigation in the early days. The book also clearly illustrates the difficulties
of long‑distance air travel in the late 40s and 50s and to a lesser degree in
the 60s. Readers will feel the very real tension in the air as Erie Holloway
graphically describes a Stratocruiser limping back to Shannon over the Atlantic
disabled by a catastrophic engine failure, escorted by a Royal Air Force
Shackleton with the passengers wearing lifevests and expecting an imminent
ditching. The book also brings into very clear focus many of BOAC's earlier
aircraft types including the York, the Hermes and the Argonaut which are largely
forgotten today. Erie Holloway's story of flying five baby elephants in a York
freighter from Bangkok to Heathrow for Billy Smart's Circus is an epic in
itself, as are the narratives of crossing darkest Africa by Stratocruiser on
dark and stormy nights.
This lively book also provides the
reader with a fascinating summary of the introduction of inertial navigation
systems and the challenges of polar flight. It provides an interesting insight
into the utilisation of navigators within BOAC and their eventual replacement by
pilots and technology. Readers will also be fascinated by the enthralling tale
of the formation of British Atlantic Airways of which the author was one of the
team of five. This lesser‑known airline was taken over by Richard Branson and
his team to become Virgin Atlantic Airways with Eric Holloway remaining as the
last member of that founding team to see the airline become one of the world's
leading airlines and a close fierce rival to British Airways. Readers will be
fascinated to learn some of the hitherto unpublished stories of the foundation
of Virgin Atlantic Airways, its early initial close collaboration with British
Airways and the difficulties faced by the management team in literally getting
the airline "off the ground".
Eric Holloway is one of the most
highly respected navigators in Civil Aviation and he has written an enthralling
book which, once started, is difficult to put down. Its very easy to read
narrative provides an excellent historical perspective of the development of
Civil Aviation and is a quite remarkable tribute to the pioneers of early
passenger flight in the post‑war period and the difficulties they faced.
Terry Holloway
FRAeS
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