American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History

I thought this was the most thorough and comprehensive book on American flying boats, float planes, and amphibious aircraft I have found. It covers both military and civilian planes, encompassing aircraft from the 1920s through the 1960s. It includes aircraft that were placed into production as well as “one-of” prototypes and paper projects that never were developed. Tabulations of dimensions and performance characteristics are included. There are black and white photos and three-view drawings if every aircraft. There are three Appendices; Appendix B describes the paper projects of the proposed giant 4- and 6-engine fling boats that were proposed to Pan American or the US Navy but were never developed.There are now numerous books available on flying boats and float planes. Several that I think are especially good are:• “British Flying Boats" by London (2011). The text describes every flying boat from pre-WW I through the 1950s. An appendix provides brief tabulations of dimensions and performance characteristics. There is even a separate chapter on the giant SARO "Princess" that was developed in the late 1940s / early 1950s. There are plenty of black-and-white photos but (sadly) no color photos. There are also no three-view drawings;• “The American Flying Boat -- an Illustrated History" by Knott (1979). The book discusses both civilian and navy flying boats. It combines a technical history of the type's development with nostalgic stories of what they accomplished and the people (designers, pilots, military leaders, and airline founders) and aircraft companies who made it all happen. The only negative I have is that there are no tabulations of aircraft dimensions and performance characteristics. Such information is frequently contained within the text, but it can be a bit hard to find when you're looking just for that kind of information. Each aircraft type is accompanied by a three - view sketch and often by photos;• “Flying Boats and Amphibians Since 1945” by Oliver (1987). This book provides the most detailed information I have found on the airplanes it covers. The text is accompanied by many black and white and some color photos. The book describes 12 flying boat designs that were produced after WW II. My favorite airplanes in the book are: Grumman "Mallard," Grumman "Albatross," Martin "Marlin," Beriev Be-6 and Be-12 (which includes a short discussion of Be-10 jet flying boat), Canadair CL-215, and the Japanese "Shin Meiwa.”• “American Bomber Aircraft Development in World War 2” by Norton (2012). Chapter Six describes flying boats.• “Pan American Clippers – The Golden Age of Flying Boats” by Trautman (2007). First rate story of the Pan Am clipper flying boats in the 1930s and early 1940s. The book also tells the use of the flying boats during World War II as they were purchased or chartered by the US Navy. The fate of every flying boat is also described. Specifications (dimensions, engine horsepower, weights, ranges, cargo and passenger capacity and so forth) are given in an Appendix. The only minor disappointment is that there are few color photos -- probably because color photography was rare in the 1930s. But there are plenty of period black and white photos.

Wish I had bought hard cover, going to ruin covers & pages.

This is a long-overdue publication---a most complete history of US flying boats and amphib aircraft. Considering its high-price for a paperback, the individualaircraft might have featured longer & more detailed facts and histories. But,I commend the author for including details & three-views of planned/speculativeaircraft, too. This is an absolutely essential book for any serious student of USaviation and the long story of aircraft designed to operate (at least in part) onand off water...an always fascinating aspect for aerophiles. As many have notedin past pubs, the artwork by Mr. Jones is superb. This is a terrific book.

Very good compilation of an oftently uncovered topic

Disappointing. I found an error in entry of the the first airplane I checked. Not worth the price.

This volume reviews every American built flying boat and amphibian designed and built from 1912 to the present. Categories covered include, military, airliners, private and conceptual. This is a truly definitive study of these types of aircraft and fills a much needed niche in aircraft history. Historically they pioneered long overwater flight and commercial service. Flying boats offered the advantage of not requiring large airports for their operations and could be serviced by naval tenders at sea. Information covered includes aircraft specifications and features as well as company histories. Excellent full page 3 view drawings are provided by Lloyd Jones. All the photographs are large and sharp; many of which I have never seen. Multiple photos are shown of the more familiar types. The text offers an historical overview of such subjects as hull development, aerodynamics, and power plants. Military influence on design is also discussed, plus an explanation on commercial requirements and airline service histories. A useful addition that doesn't often show up in airplane histories is a bibliography for those of us who desire additional detail on various aircraft described. Some might compare this book with William Greens 1967 "Flying Boats of the Second World War." "Flying Boats and Amphibians" goes far beyond that, with its large format containing big pictures, big 3 views and all the civil aircraft. E.R. Johnson has given us a very well researched and excellent reference book. If you are a historian, student of of aircraft development or model builder this book is a must for your library.Robert Patmore reviewer

I would have liked there to be some kind of commentary linking these designs, but overall this book was amazing! The photos, schematics and background for each craft were fantastic and I highly recommend it.

I was very disappointed receiving this book.First at $49.00 in paperback and the small size I was shocked. The coverage was there but the reference someone else made to two older books by William Green missed the detail that Mr. Green always had in his books. I guess what I'm saying is, Too small,too thin, too costly for $49.00.The cover did pull me in and it is a nice book fully covering the subject but not for $49.00. I expected more.

Eine sehr ausführliche und gut bebilderte Darstellung. Sehr gut geschrieben, auch wenig bekannte Projekte/Typen sind gut behandelt. Kann ich nur empfehlen.

Certes on pourrait souhaiter plus de détails sur l'utilisation opérationnelle de certains appareils comme le Catalina ou le Mariner. Mais cet ouvrage dresse un inventaire précis et détaillé des appareils à coque, qu'ils soient civils ou militaires. C'est donc une excellente base de recherche pour le spécialiste et un ouvrage de référence à recommander pour tous ceux qui s'intéressent à l'aviation.