Customer Reviews

Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Sloan Technology)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was disappointed in this book, primarily because I was expecting more information on commercial airlines, their history, problems, and development. There is only one 30 page chapter, "Shake-up and Shakeout", which really talks about airlines in any detail. The rest of the book concentrates on the history of aircraft and related technology as well as some limited information on the aerospace companies (Boeing, Lockheed, etc.) and personalities which produced the aircraft.

The title, "Turbulent Skies", is a little more titillating than this basic historical rundown deserves and the subtitle which mentions "Commercial Aviation" may mislead some people.

Content may be OK for those looking for aircraft development through history but look elsewhere if your interest is in the commercial airlines.

This book spends 350 pages in a very thorough history of commercial aviation. It is an excellent history of the early planes of commercial service. We have many histories of military aircraft and their use in war. This book goes into the early airliners like the DC 2 and DC 3. It tells the story of the magnificent DC 6. The Constellation story is told. All of this is fascinating history for me as I was long ago an aeronautical engineer. The modern period is well done up to the mid-90s and the great story of Southwest Airlines and the 737 will have to be found elsewhere. Still, this is excellent history, very readable and reliable.

This is a great book on the history of commericial aviation in the US. I learned so much from it.

I thought this book was well written. The author, I believe, balanced the large historical events and trends with well placed engaging, detailed insights. This approach allows one to better absorb the context within which the aviation world was growing and changing and appreciate which individuals and organizations were driving those dynamics.

This is a great book, giving a detailed history of commercial aviation, but doing so in a lively manner cognizant of the interests of any reader. It hits on all aspects of the development of commercial flight, paying attention to those connections between actions in the aviation industry and what was going on with the rest of the world at the time.

GOOD BUY FOR ANY AVIATION LIBRARY