Wings to the Orient: Pan American Clipper Planes, 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History

This is a very interesting and informative book. You learn about the history of Pan Am and the aircraft that made it what it became. It's a great source of information on the planes and their operation. It's a shame that none of the aircraft or their bases were saved. If you're interested in seeing a base, the Miami City Hall is the old passenger terminal. There are some great pictures and memorabilia in it. They are just now completing redoing the hangers. Amazing work given all of the metal work involved. The book is a great starting point. My only nit is that it would be great if the wonderful pictures were enhanced as can be done these days. But all things considered this is a must read.

A remarkable book. Yes, there are other, more flashy books on the flying boats. But this author lays out the most instructive history (in words and photos) of the genesis, arduous planning and construction of the entire trans-ocean system that Pan American Airways had to build in order to offer a reliable commercial aviation system from California to Manila and points beyond. Every page is worthy of being studied in order to get a full picture of this amazing period from 1935 to 1945 when the Clippers ruled the Pacific.

My husband was curious about the clipper planes. This is an excellent, fact filled book about a group of planes who made history. Very well written

I was looking for a book that not only covered the Clippers themselves, but also their logistics, bases, and other infrastructure , as well. I found it with this one. Excellent work on the overall operation.

I can't get me enough airline AND I love the Pacific. This is a perfect book to help recreate the exciting experience of flying PAA in the "good 'ol days". Lots of great photos. A must for anyone interested in Pan Am and or airline history.

For the lay person who doesn't understand aeronautical engineering, but thinks the Clippers were possibly the coolest thing in the world, this is a great book to have around. The pictures are excellent, there's enough--not too much--technical info to make it interesting and it's a concise introduction to this phase of history.

The book gave me the whole story of the Clippers. I had always wondered when they were first built and when they were gone. The Clipper's were the most beautiful airships of their time. This book is in my permanent library.

The book is a readable and well illustrated comprehensive record of the history of Pan American Airlines and the man who founded it. The research by the author was an in depth study of the origin of one of the great airlines of our time and is a delight to read. I highly recommend the book to anyone above the age of twelve years interested in aviation and its pioneers.

I have always been fascinated by aviation and had been looking for some time for a biography on Juan Trippe, Pan Am's founder. I eventually found the book I had been looking for ("An American Saga, Juan Trippe and his Pan Am empire") on Amazon's Kindle site as the book is now well out of print.Since reading that book and being captivated by just how innovative, influential, in many cases maverick and not to forget utterly ruthless Juan Trippe and Pan Am were in those days, I became hooked. Indeed Pan Am wrote the book on modern aviation - from the uniforms the flight and cabin crews wear through aircraft development, maintenance schedules and route selection and not forgetting the small detail that the Boeing 707 & 747 exist today because of Pan Am.After finishing that book, I read "The long way home" by Ed Dover which recounts the journey home by one of Pan Am's spectacular Boeing 314 flying boat "Clippers", after Japan bombed not only Pearl Harbour, but also Midway and Wake Islands in early December, 1941, blocking the route back via the Pacific. This forced the crew to fly back to the US via Australia, Asia, the Indian Sub-continent, Africa, across the South Atlantic to South America arriving ultimately in New Yorks La Guardia airport. All this by using school atlases, dead reckoning and under complete radio silence in an aircraft with no wheels to land on dry land; negotiating for fuel, food and provisions wherever they landed...That sparked my interest in finding out more about the Pan Am Flying Boats as whilst the other books describe these in some detail, they do not really show how amazing they truly were. This book is the illustrated story of those amazing flying boats which graced the air during the 30's and were instrumental in diplomatic relations during the war by ferrying VIPs including Churchill and Roosevelt across the Atlantic. It explains in detail everything about the aircraft and people including development, features, cabin accommodation that we can only dream of today, flight deck and nature of these magnificent aircraft.A picture tells a thousand words and this book does not disappoint being extremely well illustrated giving a glimpse into a world few knew or could experience, even then.It's a perfect coffee-table book sparking conversation even with people with little or no interest in aviation due to the sheer opulence and romance of the era. Highly recommended!

If you are into your PanAm stuff this is the bible!!!!