Air Disaster (Vol. 4: The Propeller Era) [Paperback]

MacArthur Job (Author), Juanita Franzi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

This book looks at the immediate postwar are to look at the way the unforeseen hazards of heavy, high performance long distance transport flying progressively came to light through harsh operational experience. For all their grim consequences, these costly lessons helped prepare the way for today's global transport system. There are the stories behind 20 disasters to four engine transport aircraft in different parts of the world during the developmental years of propeller driven civil aviation. This book covers the period 1948 to 1971.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Australian Aviation (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187567148X
• ISBN-13: 978-1875671489
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,719,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Air Disaster Volume 4" -- Many Prop Accidents Explored, December 30, 2005

By 

David Von Pein (Mooresville, Indiana; USA) - See all my reviews

The fourth installment in Macarthur Job's outstanding "Air Disaster" series of books focuses attention on "The Propeller Era" of commercial aviation accidents.

While not quite as intricately detailed as Volumes 1 through 3 in this series of aviation publications, Volume Four's 184 pages are still filled with many interesting-to-read accounts. There are 20 individual chapters here, covering a timespan of 1950 to 1971.

Prop plane accidents explored include two incidents on the very same day -- September 17, 1961 -- when a Northwest Airlines Lockheed L188 Electra went down in Chicago and a Transair Sweden DC-6 crashed in Northern Rhodesia.

Other air disasters that get a chapter in Volume 4 include the crash of an Eastern Airlines L188 Electra in Boston on October 4, 1960, a Northwest Orient Stratocruiser accident in Washington State on April 2, 1956, and another Stratocruiser accident suffered by Pan Am in October 1956.

Also included is a chapter covering the "Grand Canyon Collision" of June 30, 1956. This terrible accident took 128 lives as a TWA Super Constellation collided in mid-air with a United Airlines DC-7 above the Grand Canyon.

Featuring a wealth of vintage aircraft photographs from the pre-jet age of air travel, plus many excellent illustrations, charts, maps, and original artwork, Volume 4 of "Air Disaster", published in 2001, is yet another worthy addition to the library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BEFORE THE JET AGE, April 11, 2008

By 

Severin Olson (Hyattsville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Air Disaster (Vol. 4: The Propeller Era) (Paperback)

Although this volume is listed as the fourth in a series, the author admits it ought to have been the first, covering the period from 1950 to 71, before the total dominance of jets in aviation. Chapters here discuss the crashes of the Lockheed Electra, Boeing Stratocrusier and Vickers Vanguard among others. I found the chapter on the 1956 mid air collision between TWA and United to be especially interesting.

It will be clear to the reader very quickly here how much safer planes are today. The propeller craft suffered constant maintenance problems likely to put occupants at risk. In some accidents described, a 'runaway propeller' creates enough drag to bring down a four engined airplane. Apparently ocean ditchings on Pacific routes was common enough to require coast guard ships on stand-by! It would take a brave passenger these days to cross under those conditions.

In many ways this is a five star read. I have given it four due to my bias for major historic crashes. Job includes some of these, but also many of interest for other reasons. And the illustrations are not as good as in the earlier volumes, Matthew Tesch not doing the artwork. If you enjoyed any of the other books in this series, you should like this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled in a missing piece of family history for me, May 14, 2008

By 

Teresa Rothaar "Teresa" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Air Disaster (Vol. 4: The Propeller Era) (Paperback)

I purchased this book because my uncle, Joseph J. Cieslak, was one of the 28 victims of the November 17, 1955, crash in Riverton, WA, described in Chapter 6. Because of this crash, I know my uncle only from photos and personal possessions. I felt compelled to know exactly what happened, and the detailed account given in this book gave me some answers. It also led me to a New York Times news article about the crash.

I'm really glad I found this book.