British Commercial Aircraft

Their Evolution, Development and Perfection 1920-1940

by

Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume

Arthur Ord-Humes second massive study of British aeronautic activity is undoubtedly set to become as much of a benchmark as his earlier work, British Light Aeroplanes.

Just two decades, give or take a few months, separated the birth of commercial aviation in Britain and its effective cessation with the outbreak of World War II. Although it is certainly not true that all commercial flying stopped with the September 3rd 1939 declaration, historians have generally adopted an ambivalent attitude towards the formative years of air travel, in particular as regards the aircraft themselves.

As a result, people are not encouraged to learn about those early days and consequently we are rapidly forgetting much of our aviation heritage. And sure, the superficial knowledge of the masses concerning modern airliners concentrates on the depressingly predictable litany that focuses on size, speed, comfort and the ability to traverse the world in a few hours and have in-flight movies. But further back - much further back - commercial and civilian flying was an uncertain adventure. The people behind the nursling airlines were real characters. Equipment was at best primitive and the basis of regulation, necessary for smooth running, had not even been thought of. . And above all it was the aircraft themselves that were exciting to behold.

So, from an age when British airlines bothered neither with seat-belts nor sound-proofing, let alone cabin heating, this is a story that ought to be told just once before it is too late. Already most of the people featured have gone to that great hangar in the sky where the airliners are never late,overcrowded or suffer technical hitches caused by oil leaks, and where the met officer forever smiles beneath blue heavens. This, then, is the story of human endeavour, people and opportunities. It is the story of the development of the British commercial aeroplane between the wars that smote the first half of the twentieth century.

704 pages fully illustrated with 1,286 photographs and facsimiles, many of which are rare and have never before been seen in print. There are 78 specially-produced multi-view drawings of rare and unusual aircraft and 131 different commercial aircraft are detailed and illustrated, many with both cockpit and passenger cabin pictures.

SPECIFICATION

Binding: Hardback

Number/size of pages: 704/200mm x 270mm

Photographs: 1286 mono - 78 three-view line drawings

ISBN 1 870384 94 6

Price £80.00/$130.00