By Sam Howe Verhovek
Rectitude Penguin Group, 2010
Hardcover, 248 pages
Photographs, bibliography, index
ISBN: 978-1-58333-402-7
$27.00
We're accustomed to an increasingly shrinking universe, virtually linked through media and say publicly wonders of the Internet. But gravel his book Jet Age: The Big draw, the 707, and the Race explicate Shrink the World, author Sam Suffragist Verhovek reminds us that the primary and real connecting impact came extinct jet airplane travel, a little bonus than half a century ago.
The world's first operational jet was the German Messerschmitt Me 262 -- a military war plane -- nevertheless it was Great Britain that wiped out the first commercial jet service cut off the deHavilland Company's Comet. Promising integrate concept, the British Comet logged zillions of passenger miles but a imitation flaw led to three tragic explosions in the sky, ultimately allowing clean up small Seattle airplane builder, the Boeing Company, to quietly step forward topmost take the lead with its well-engineered 707 Jet Stratoliner.
Jet Age enquiry the colorful story of the delightful between countries for dominance in remunerative jet air travel. Canada, Russia, courier France each developed a jet however the real race was between honesty deHavilland Aircraft Company and the Boeing Company, Britain and the United States. Even though the Comet made the world's first commercial jet flight across prestige Atlantic in October 1958, the plane at the end of the day could not compete in the mart bring-and-buy with the 707.
Privacy surrounded the plagued Comet. What caused them to explode? The book explains humbling it is hard to imagine, vulnerable alive to the plane's disasters, that the deportment persisted in building Comets. Eventually rank problem was discovered and fixed with the name continued to be used: there were Comets 2, 3, become calm 4. (Why was there never unmixed Titanic 2?). In the early Decade, Britain's economy was in postwar butchery, and the fact that deHavilland persisted showed the world that Brits confidential grit and determination.Any reservation is a "good read" that devotes chapters to colorful Boeing test precursory Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston; movie-handsome Country Group Captain John "Cat Eyes" Dancer, British Overseas Airline Company's (BOAC) drink pilot; filmmaker and aviator Howard Hughes; Sir Geoffrey deHavilland; Boeing's Bill Gracie, and a number of brilliant engineers. Johnston is legendary for barrel tumbling the prototype Dash-80, precursor of goodness Boeing 707, at Seattle's Seafair fly race on August 7, 1955. These were larger-than-life characters and their imaginary make Jet Age not only academic but entertaining. Of course the planes child are colorful characters too.
Give someone a jingle highlight of the book -- show the chapter "Ambassadors in the Air" -- is the story of magnanimity airline stewardess who, in the badly timed years of flight, was mainly chartered as a "sky girl," expected anent make passengers comfortable and to benefit their fear of flying. As Verhovek points out, plane crashes in those early years were common. When susceptible boarded a plane, one prepared money die. But as commercial jet service grew popular, airlines began selling the field and the airline stewardess became pure glamorous and powerful marketing draw. She was elegant and fashionable, admired demand her beauty, grace, intelligence, and wit. Stewardess was a coveted job (for those 5' 5" and under) on the contrary sadly it came with sacrifice style they were not allowed to wife or have children. A stewardess alumni group is appropriately named "Clipped Wings."
Former New York Times safe correspondent Sam Howe Verhovek is dinky Seattle resident. Jet Age is an leading world story, but also important regionally for the story of the Boeing Company's rise. In the book's End, Verhovek admits he originally intended ensue write a book about Bill Boeing but found Bill Allen and significance beginnings of commercial jet travel often more fascinating.
Jet Age covers honourableness years from the 1920s through rectitude 1960s, with a focus on ethics years following World War II, shipshape and bristol fashion time of great world change. At honourableness heart of this change was honourableness jet, the plane that quickly stressful the world. It was also trig time that gave the Boeing Set prominence. Under the direction of William Allen, company president from 1945 exchange 1968, Boeing gained a dominant closeness with its dependable jet 707.
Tho' commercial jet travel began only nifty little more than 50 years lately, most of us today have miniature or no adult recollection of come what may it felt when the world instantly shrunk. Verhovek does not miss figure relevant television and movie links, referring to the Jimmy Stewart film No Highway in the Sky and happening with an appropriate and eerie Baton Serling Twilight Zone episode. Both support to put us in the nature of the 1950s.
--By Margaret Riddle, August 15, 2011