Ernest K. Gann's Flying Circus

New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Near Fine in Very Good dust jacket. 1974. 1st Edition; 1st Edition. Hardcover. 0025424009 . Color Illustrations; This book is in Near Fine condition and has a Very Good to Near Very Good+ dust jacket. The book and its contents are in clean, bright condition. The text pages are clean and bright. The text includes 17 two-page full-color plates taken from paintings by Robert Parks. The dust jacket is mostly clean and bright but has several small to smallish edge tears, a couple of small nicks and rubbed spots and a shallow chip out of the top rear panel. "Ernest K. Gann began his love affair with flight in 1935, barnstorming in various wood and fabric bi-planes. Later, as an airline pilot, he flew to many parts of the world in a wide variety of the aircraft, from lumbering trimotored Fords to the latest jets. He shared the world's skies with many of the gallent airmen he writes about here." "For several years Gann flew routes in the northeast for American. During 1942, many U. S. Airlines' pilots and aircraft were absorbed into the Air Transport Command of the United States Army Air Forces to assist with the war effort. Gann and many of his co-workers at American volunteered to join the group. He flew DC-3s, Douglas DC-4s and Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transports (the cargo version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber). His wartime flights took him across the North Atlantic to Europe, and thence to Africa, South America, India, and other exotic places. Some of his most harrowing experiences came while flying The Hump airlift across the Himalayas into China. During the years to come Gann's worldwide travels and various adventures would become the inspiration for many of his novels and screenplays. At the end of World War II, the Air Transport Command released the civilian pilots and aircraft to their airlines. Gann decided to quit American Airlines in search of new adventures. He was hired as a pilot with a new company called Matson Airlines, a venture of the Matson steamship line. He flew from the US west coast across the Pacific to Honolulu. This experience created ideas that were developed into one of his best-known works, The High and the Mighty. Matson ultimately became a victim of the politically well-connected Pan American Airlines, and ceased operations. After a few more short-lived flying jobs, Gann became discouraged with aviation and began writing as a full-time occupation." (from Wikipedia) .