Wings of Yesteryear: The Golden Age of Private Aircraft

Rating:
Summary: Interesting presentation of the Golden Age of Aviation.
Review: Geza Szurovy has put together a very interesting and educational presentation of the private aircraft of the the Golden Age of Aviation. The book is compete with lots of high quality photos and very concise history behind the development of each aircraft and those who contributed to their development. I recommend this book to anyone interested in in general aviation and the technological advancements that enhanced the development of private aircraft.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting presentation of the Golden Age of Aviation.
Review: Geza Szurovy has put together a very interesting and educational presentation of the private aircraft of the the Golden Age of Aviation. The book is compete with lots of high quality photos and very concise history behind the development of each aircraft and those who contributed to their development. I recommend this book to anyone interested in in general aviation and the technological advancements that enhanced the development of private aircraft.

Rating:
Summary: A superbly executed book with a unique focus.
Review: Geza Szurovy, a pilot and photographer who is extremely knowledgeable on aviation and its history, has published many books and articles on various aspects of the subject.

Wings of Yesteryear, The Golden Age of Private Aircraft is the first book I've encountered that focuses on the history of aircraft as private transportation.

Szurovy chronicles the development of private aviation from the early Bleriots to the apogee of aircraft as individual and executive transport in the 1930s and 1940s with superb cabin class aircraft such as the Beechcraft Staggerwing, the Stinson Reliant, the Waco series, and the Howard DGAs. (This latter is an airplane that is often overlooked in aviation history books, but finally gets its due here as the roomy, luxurious, capable, and quite fast airplane it was. And continues to be for those lucky enough to own a restored one.)

The history covers the great sportsman aircraft such as the Monocoupes and continues on through the post-war era that began the popularization of private flying through the less luxurious, but more affordable, easier to fly airplanes like the Cubs, Champs, Ercoupes and Cessna 140s.

Szurovy's chronicle is richly photographed, exquisitely reproduced, and entertainingly written, with plenty of sprightly anecdotes to leaven the thoroughly researched facts.

Its perspective is such that Wings of Yesteryear does not often overlap other histories. And extensive photographs and commentary on restored examples of the great planes refreshes the story. A definite recommendation for the library of anyone who loves the great vintage private aircraft.