Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail

by Barry Rosenberg, Catherine Macaulay, Barry Rosenberg

Book Overview

It was the pilots of the U.S. Air Mail service who made it possible for flight to evolve from an impractical and deadly fad to today's worldwide network of airlines. Nicknamed "The Suicide Club," this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060529490
• ISBN13: 9780060529499
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

An Accessible Introduction to Early Air Mail Service

"Mavericks of the Sky" seems to have generated a small firestorm of debate over whether it is an outstanding book or not even worth the time and effort to read. Having just finished the book, here's my assessment of the pros and cons of this book: PROS 1) This is a good introductory look at the history of early commercial and air mail aviation. I've never read anything about this subject before, and was captivated by the bare-knuckle drama of the entire enterprise. 2) The book immediately immerses the reader in the danger and unexpected nature of early flight within the first few pages. 3) The authors do a great job of presenting the astounding obstacles of time, money, weather, manpower and resources to the development of a reliable air mail service. 4) The research is documented and footnoted in the back of the book to assist further reading. 5) The photographs are wonderful glimpses into an all-but-forgotten world, where the joie d'vivre and devil-may-care attitude of early flight (as well as the lines of care and constant exposure to danger) are clearly visible in the eyes and faces of the aircrews involved. CONS 1) There are no maps in a book that talks about developing landing strips and air routes in little-known areas of the country. At least one good map in a book of this nature would have been most useful. 2) A bibliography would have been helpful to those seeking further reading. 3) The bios of the pilots might have been better served as sidebars or separate vignettes entitled "The Airmen" or some such, rather than weaving them with varying effectiveness throughout the story (i.e., "Wild" Bill Hopson). 4) The tone of the book fluctuates unexpectedly between scholarly and popular fiction, and sometimes even goes completely over the top (such as inventing an imaginary shooting script for Douglas Fairbank's war bond air mail promotion). 5) At times, the passage of time is difficult to track as the authors jump forward, then backtrack to tell other portions of the story. As a popular and easily accessible introduction to the world of early air mail, "Mavericks of the Sky" is a fine read despite the few failings and foibles noted above. The best recommendation that I can give is what I'll do next ... pass it on to a friend who is a pilot and loves the history of early aviation.

Educational and Entertaining

A chance purchase at the airport bookstore resulted in an enjoyable flight across the country while immersed in the early days of Flying. Having already been captivated by this subject after reading Beryl Markham's "West with the Night", this view of flight's maturation and the start of its commercialinzation process was fascinating. It led to many questions including what lessons might be derived from this experience as NASA attempts to move towards commercialiation efforts of its own. It made me crave more in depth analysis of specific problem solving methods and long for a map of the various fields and distances. There are intriguiing modern day parallels on how to apply technology and the process via which technology can be deployed to affect improvement, efficiency, and service. There is no better material than that which entertains, leades to questions, and furthers an interest! If you already have an interest in the topic or if you never wondered how the whole thing got started but it now sounds intriguing, I strongly recommend this book!

Covering the aces who both pioneered flight and linked the airplane to the US Air Mail Service

Any interested in the mail service and its origins must pursue MAVERICKS OF THE SKY: THE FIRST DARING PILOTS OF THE U.S. AIR MAIL: it highlights a nearly-forgotten piece of history in covering the aces who both pioneered flight and linked the airplane to the US Air Mail Service, from the inaugural New York to Washington DC flight in 1918 to the night flight which would make airmail a mainstay. These pilots were World War 1 aces who returned as heroes but wanted to translate their flying skills to civilian life: MAVERICKS OF THE SKY charts their course and their impact on today's mail services. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

A wonderful read!

In the historical non-fiction, Mavericks of the Sky, the authors have recounted the exacting tale of bold men during the last stages of World War One. With hardened courage they worked against the grain of public and political opinion, and boldly took steps to create the first United States Air Mail Service. With a shoestring budget, cast-off military equipment and neophyte pilots with a sense of daring unequalled in this day and age, two sons of Texas--Albert Burleson and Otto Praeger--stood firm in their convictions. The future of the United States Postal service lay in creating a service that would take advantage of the Wright Brothers flight accomplishment only a few years earlier. The feat accomplished by Praeger and his men in less than three years was the precursor to all flight operations that take place on a day-to-day basis in this country today. From an inauspicious and somewhat deadly beginning, the US Air Mail Service was forged by the guts and sweat of Praeger and the first pilots of the aptly nicknamed "Suicide Club." This small group of dedicated men spawned the first commercial U.S. airlines and the person-to-person connection by mail that we hold so dear today. The account of the first transcontinental flight on February 22-23, 1921, from San Francisco to New York, is awe-inspiring in itself. The fact it was accomplished in the time (33 hours and 20 minutes) we consider industry standard today is astounding. The bar was set high during those two days. The difference: today we use high-flying jet aircraft to deliver our airmail shipments. In 1921 a half dozen pilots used a variety of single engine, open cockpit aircraft made of canvas and wood, in all weather, rarely flying higher than ten thousand feet. Armchair Interviews says: In Mavericks of the Sky Barry Rosenburg and Catherine Macauley extensively researched and gave us a concise accounting of these men and the trials and tribulations they endured in the effort to construct the delivery systems for the U.S. Mail.