Brian Yockney

Am I REALLY the first to write a review of this extraordinarily readable book? I found it to be a unique approach to what might have been a cold, more matter-of-fact listing of some very unflyable machines but, instead, Mr Gilbert has combined scientific reasoning and historical accuracy with humour, punctuating this with his comments that are funny and imaginative. The descriptions of, for example, starting all six engines (which had to be hand-swung from a 40-foot high gantry and took an hour to achieve!) of the giant Tarrant Tabor to the chaotic towing aloft of the huge WW2 German Messerschmit tank-carrying glider, the whole assemblage crashing in confusion into the Black Forest amid shouts of "Achtung! Gott in Himmel!" and the crazy but true exploits of 'The Balloonatics' and the disastrous Gee Bee Racers...and more, all make for highly entertaining reading for anyone with even the slightest interest in aviation. Literary-minded readers will enjoy the brilliant use of simile such as that used to describe an early attempt at flapping wings, the machine bouncing around 'like an over excited puppy.' (!) I certainly recommend this little book because it is so very readable; highly entertaining and informative. There are even photographs included. Well done, Mr Gilbert! My only criticism concerns the poor binding of the book; my copy is shedding its pages...badly!