Star Dust Falling - Softcover

Rayner, Jay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0552999083 ISBN 13: 9780552999083

Publisher: Black Swan, 2003

Synopsis

In August 1947 in the highest of the High Andes, one of the earliest long haul passenger aircraft, a Lancaster called Star Dust, disappeared en route to Santiago, Chile. It left behind only questions: was it sabotage; was there a horde of gold on board; and what was the meaning of the radio operator's mysterious final message before the air waves fell silent? Only with the discovery of the wreckage by two Argentinian climbers in January 2000 could those questions finally begin to be answered. "Star Dust Falling" is the story of those on board that pioneering aircraft and of the ramshackle airline British South American Airways which sent them to their deaths. Run by an austere Australian war hero newly arrived from bomber command, BSAA's flying crew consisted entirely of ex-bomber pilots. The fleet of converted Lancaster Bombers operated on a shoestring, regularly flying without sufficient fuel or access to adequate weather forecasts. The result was that it became one of the most dangerous airlines in the western world. Yet it wasn't until a third of its planes had crashed and dozens of its passengers had died that the Government finally called a halt. In this account, Jay Rayner recreates the events surrounding the loss of Star Dust and her discovery 50 years later, piecing together the lives of the characters involved: the Chilean-Palestinian passenger with a diamond stitched into the lining of his suit; the King's Messenger with his bag full of diplomatic secrets; the crew of fearless pilots working in unbelievably strenuous conditions; the Argentinian climbers who risked their lives to find the wreck; and the Argentinian military men who declared war on each other in an attempt to claim the credit.

About this title

Review:

At 13.46 on August 2, 1947 a British South American Airways plane called Star Dust took off from Buenos Aires to fly over the Andes to Santiago in Chile. It never arrived there. The radio tower at Santiago received a message from Star Dust at 17.41 saying that the plane was a few minutes away from landing. The message ended with the mysterious word, "STENDEC" which was repeated three times. After that there was silence. Star Dust had disappeared.

Many theories were advanced to explain the disappearance. There had been an explosion on board. Despite the message to the contrary, the plane had not made it over the Andes. Aliens had abducted it. (A UFO spotters' magazine later took that last, enigmatic word "STENDEC" as its title.) It was to be more than 50 years before two Argentinian climbers stumbled across debris from Star Dust which led to an explanation of its fate.

Jay Rayner is a fine journalist and the disappearance of Star Dust is a great story. His book gives a gripping and readable account of the plane's last journey and of the modern expedition to locate its final resting place. And, in reconstructing the background to the disaster, he pays a belated tribute to the memory of the 11 people who disappeared with the plane. --Nick Rennison

Review:

'A great success...Rayner is a brilliant storyteller' -- Daily Mail

'An intriguing piece of investigative journalism...cleverly done' -- The Times Literary Supplement

'Fleshes out the story exhaustively...Rayner navigates with an easy fluency' -- Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Swan
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0552999083
• ISBN 13: 9780552999083
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272