Last of the Flying Clippers: The Boeing B-314 Story (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) [Hardcover]

M.D. Klaás (Author)

Book Description

Series: Schiffer Military/Aviation History | Publication Date: May 1, 1998

Finally, over 50 years after her last flight with Pan American Airways, the complete story of the famed, Boeing-built, B-314 flying Clipper ship has been written. Author M.D. Klaás, historian and writer of Pan Ams early flying boat era during the 1930s and 1940s, has put together historical accounts of Americas greatest and the worlds largest commercial airplane of the 1930s and early 1940s. It covers the multiple reasons for the planes conception, stages of construction, testing, delivery flights, christenings, inaugural operations, established records, World War II special missions histories, post-war services and the individual demise accounts surrounding each of the twelve models built specifically for Pan Am. The history of sales to and operations with British Overseas Airways (B.O.A.C.) now British Airways is also included in in-depth coverage.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076430562X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764305627
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,284,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great photos, but very poorly written and edited., June 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Last of the Flying Clippers: The Boeing B-314 Story (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Hardcover)

Any 314 or Pan Am fanatic will undoubtedly enjoy this book for its terrific photo coverage of the aircraft. But the writing is so poor that it is hard to discern what the author is trying to say most of the time, and the editing was non-existant. It is sheer torture trying to sit down and read the text, which is a shame because the author unquestionably was in possession of a significant amount of good research material. And typical of most Schiffer books, there was not even an attempt at editing the manuscript for typos, misplaced punctuation, or other errors.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful book, let down by quirky writing style, December 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Last of the Flying Clippers: The Boeing B-314 Story (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Hardcover)

This well presented book is supported by exhaustive research, together with extensive illustrations, mainly from the manufacturer of the wonderful Boeing 314 flying boats. The book is let down however, by numerous spelling errors and typographical mistakes. One example of many is the use of the word 'howser', when the author means 'hawser' in reference to the waterborne handling of the flying boats. The description of crew training and procedures is quite unrealistic and overly emphasised. For example, in talking about radio operators, he persists in saying they gained 'degrees' after studying various technical subjects - these were technical courses for which certificates would have been issued. More concerning is the rather quirky writing style, the meaning of which at times is hard to follow. The author persists in using hypenated expressions which strain the imagination of the reader. One example in the caption to a photograph showing the ladies' rest rooms is 'Female early-to-rise amenities to primp one's self for the Horta arrival were elegantly provided and well thought out when planning for sky-havened powder rooms'. His quoting of statistics (which is extensive), while of interest to the technical reader, would have far better been reserved for a tabular presentation in an appendix. The author has spent a lifetime collecting data on the Boeing 314 flying boat and it is unfortuneate that errors and lack of style editing, which should have been carried out by the publisher, detracts from the overall product. Notwithstanding this however, the book is a definative work on the subject and is worth buying by the flying boat enthusiast.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive aircraft book ever., January 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Last of the Flying Clippers: The Boeing B-314 Story (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) (Hardcover)

This is the most comprehensive book on an aircraft I have ever seen. Unfortunatly the author kills himself with querky writing ( I agree with all the comments from the gentelman from Canberra) In the first half of the book there are many glaring technical errors. The author should have had a technical person edit this book!!!! Unfortunatly this book will remain in this form for many years. I would be happy to have a dicussion with the author on this magnificent but flawed book.