Encyclopedia of African Airlines [Hardcover]

Ben R. Guttery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

The rainy season, terrain, and financial hardships have made the construction of highways and railroads nearly impossible in many parts of Africa. This lack of modern infrastructure has been overcome in some part by the development of air transportation. Hundreds of carriers-both small and large, government owned and private-have connected all parts of the continent. Together, they have had a tremendous impact on the African economy and the people. Country-by-country, this comprehensive reference work provides brief histories of over 700 airlines in 54 African nations. Each entry has the years of operation of the carrier, along with information on its origin, growth, and route structure. Aircraft usage, including registration numbers and nicknames, is covered in many cases. Any crashes involving aircraft in the carrier's fleet are also noted. An appendix gives the location of all major African airports.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a solid reference work...a very important publication-the first (in English) that offers comprehensive-and readable-coverage of a huge region and its airlines over the past 70 years" -- Airways

"comprehensive...recommended for libraries supporting international business, with interests in African collections and aviation collections" -- ARBA

"provides a comprehensive and well-organized reference...a useful and carefully detailed volume" -- AB Bookman's Weekly

"the most important volume ever compiled about the history of indigenous African airlines. Nothing else in or out of print approaches the comprehensiveness of Guttery's effort. Recommended for all" -- Choice

About the Author

Ben R. Guttery is an airport planner with the Federal Aviation Administration, working extensively in Africa. He now lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786404957
• ISBN-13: 978-0786404957
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,443,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Encyclopedia of African Airlines (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book, it is very well detailed, Guttery has taken a lot of time and care in writing this book and it shows. It's truly amazing how he could write about so many airlines in such a huge continent. It is an excellent reference book. I'd recommend it for anyone intrested in aviation in Africa.

3.0 out of 5 stars Comments, September 12, 2011

By 

Leonardo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encyclopedia of African Airlines (Hardcover)

It is a nice book, a useful reference for anybody interested in civil/commercial aviation, especially Africa, noticeably one of the less "aviation-known" continents...
Anyway, hard-line fans and historians (as myself....) will soon discover some typing mistakes, some gaps here and there, some miscoordination between carriers (mostly those which changed name and ownership along their operational life), some duplications.
A second (amended) issue would be very welcome. Fully incorporated/registered names of many carriers - especially those from French-speaking nations - must be corrected and spelled in the right way....