Customer Reviews

Douglas Jumbo's The Globemaster

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2 star:		(2)
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Allowing for the fact that the section on the C-17 will be, of necessity, short this is still a very brief look at the three airframes that have borne the Globemaster name.

The parts dealing with the C-74 and C-124 (which are presumably why the majority of purchasers would want this book) leave far, far too much of the story of this interesting transport untold. There is a good book to be written on the Globemaster story but this is not it.

A further annoyance is that the book is absolutely littered with spelling mistakes.

Buy this only if you're a real die-hard Globemaster enthusiast.

This book covers three different aircraft, the rare early piston powered C74 Globemaster I, the C124 Globemaster II - this is the best known of them and the best treated. A final section covers the jet C17 transport in current service with the USAF, which revived the Globemaster name. In my view the inclusion of the latter is not a good idea and it would have been better to concentrate on the two earlier models. Of course some readers will like the C17 too. If a second edition is published the author may like to note that the rare Globemaster I is also featured in a movie. The film "The Italian Job", set in Turin, used one as a supposed Chinese aircraft from which bullion is unloaded. This bullion is the subject of the theft which is the theme of the film. Obviously written by a man who likes the engineering aspects of - Old Shakey -the big C124's .

The book was apparently written by a flight engineer assigned to the Hamilton AFB 336 MAS in the aircraft's later years. While fairly detailed regarding the aircraft's mechanical systems, it is either in error or otherwise devoid of the bird's flying characteristics, navigation and communication systems. The typical mission from Travis to Vietnam was not typical of anywhere else in the world. As a former navigator, the book was simply wrong regarding flying over Africa, S. America, Antarctica, the northern latitudes, the Atlantic, and most other places in the world. There are many interesting and factual stories to be told, and a lot of former crew members who would be willing to share them.

I really enjoyed the book and Mr. Tambini did an excellent job of researching the material. As a former crewmember (flight Engineer) of the C-124s in the 374th Troop Carrier wing during 1952 to 1954 I didn't find any errors in describing the aircraft. I would like to talk to the author about some additional information I can supply about indiviual aircraft by serial number. If Mr. Tambini reads this review I would like to have him E-Mail me. If any other members of the 374th wing especially the 22 Troop Carrier Sqd read this review E-Mail me.

I was hoping for more about the C-74. Most of the book is dedicated to the C-124. There were only a handful of pictures of the C-74. My Dad had flown this plane out of Brookley and I was looking forward to more pictures I guess.

I came across this book by word of mouth. Although I am not an aircraft expert, I did find this book very informative. The author knows how to keep the readers interest at a peak with his stories of the Vietnam War, etc. I look forward to additional publications by Mr. Tambini.

I love this book! But let me quickly add that I was a line mechanic assigned to the 904 CAMS during the general era that Sgt. Tambini was flying with the 336th, and I also hold Airframe & Powerplant licenses. It is the mechanical systems that interest me. Shaky was a fun airplane to work on. Big, robust, large pieces that could tolerate young airmen wrenching on them. "A reader's" review below is correct: "[the book is almost] devoid of the bird's flying characteristics (note: Shaky's glide ratio resembed a rock) , navigation and communication systems" but there are other books that provide such info. Perhaps Berlin's book would provide more of that. If you want to see what it was like to "work around" this great airplane, this book will give the flavor of the task. I would give a great amount to be back on the flightline at Hamilton on a 25 degree morning listening to the engineer try to coax the 4360s to life for a flight. Coughing, sputtering, clattering, clouds of oil smoke, and then it finally came to life. Radial engines offer a symphony of sensations that contemporary aircraft cannot provide.

One of the interesting sections is a list of all the the "mishaps" that affected Shaky over the years. Suffice it so say that 1958 was not a good year.

Here's a joke from the era. "How would you describe a 124, airman?"... "Ten-thousand rivets flying in loose formation...."

This author does a good job describing "Old Shakey". I think that it would be particularly intersting to former crew members, especially those who flew both the C-74 and the C-124. As the Author states, the C-17 was relatively new when the book was written. The book is written from the perspective of a Pacific Division crew member but most of it is quite relevant to the Atlantic. I highly recommend this book.