Twenty Thousand Miles in a Flying Boat - Softcover

Cobham, Alan

9781590481004: Twenty Thousand Miles in a Flying Boat

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590481003 ISBN 13: 9781590481004

Publisher: The Long Riders' Guild Press, 2001

Alan Cobham was an aeronautical daredevil before they even coined the phrase. Soon after the First World War, he mustered out of the Royal Air Force and set off to make history with "one aeroplane, one hammer, some copper wire, a tank full of petrol, and a few shillings". Cobham began by flying over a war-weary England, but soon set his sights abroad. In 1921 he flew over Europe for three weeks, noting that the air was so clear that he could see for 200 miles in any direction. In 1924 he made history again by being the first person to fly from his British base to India, and back, a fact not to be believed in those innocent days. In 1924 Cobham declared that he was tossing caution to wind. He proposed to command one of the new experimental "Flying Boats" around the entire perimeter of the African Continent. Keeping in mind that this was in the days of the Imperial British Raj, the English airman planned on making the entire trip by landing only in British colonies situated along the coast of Africa. The resultant journey changed aerial history and proved that air travel was no longer merely exotic, but immensely achievable.

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About the Author:

Sir Alan Cobham was a pioneering aviator and a great figure in the history of aviation. Colin Cruddas is the Cobham family archivist. He has unearthed some new treasures for this revised edition.

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