Around The World in 50 Years: The Stories of a Pan American World Airways Aeronautical Engineer

by Vincent P Flury

Vince Flury spent 50 years in the field of Aviation. He started out as an Aircraft and Engine Mechanic in the U. S. Air Force. He attended the University of Miami School of Engineering under the G. I. Bill. After graduation, was hired by Pan American World Airways as an Aeronautical Engineer. He retired from Pan Am after 30 years and opened his own Aeronautical Consulting Service which he operated for 14 years. During those periods, he traveled the world, living and working on all continents except Antarctica. At his 80th Birthday party, Vince was pushed by his children to finally put into writing the stories that they had been hearing about, and sometimes living through, all of their lives. This book is a collection of those stories which take you around the world to strange places, exotic culture, and stirring experiences.

262 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2012

Reviews

[Chris Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vince Flury is an extraordinary man with a head for math who grew up in an extraordinary moment in transportation history. As a high school grad he served in the military following WW2 as a mechanic servicing F86s Sabrejets, (although he thought he had signed up to be a gunner!) He then went on to University of Miami and earned an Engineering degree courtesy of the GI bill. Then, rather surreptitiously, he joined Pan American, the premier airline of the era, just as the world was being ushered into the jet age in the 1950's. What happens next is a rich and entertaining account of an exciting time in aviation history from an insider's perspective.

From his colorful dialogue with none other than the Pope himself, to his having to contend with a bathroom "splash" issue raised by Jackie Kennedy, to the humorously bizarre sagas behind building from the ground-up the operations for several national airlines in Zaire and Yemen, to witnessing first hand a miraculous life saving avoidance of an explosion of an A300 by a keystone cop-esque hilariously dressed local Yemeni fire-brigade (who were only in a position to act by pure freakish chance), Flury has many fascinating stories to tell over his impressive 50 yr career in this quick read interlaced with wit and humor throughout. (I'm still laughing over his face cloth prank with his Swiss roommates...)

I spent a portion of my childhood in Kinshasa with my family in the 1970s and have incredibly fond memories of the Flury's, their fun family parties, and their Dad's endless sense of humor as he jovially dispensed crazy story after story, always with arms dynamically waving and a cigar in-hand. (That antelope's head that he killed was actually stored in a freezer in my bedroom for a year if I'm not mistaken....to think that I thought nothing of having a giant creepy frozen antelope head buried deep in a big icebox in my own bedroom as a young boy tells you how we as little kids just rolled with the punches growing up in Central Africa....at least now I know where that creepy head came from!)

Its one thing to go through life clinging to gradually fading memories of growing up in a distant third world country from a 9 year old's perspective. Its a completely different and eye-opening experience to read as a 51 year old adult, the story and business rationale behind why we were there (my Dad and our family are mentioned on page 96), and, perhaps more importantly, why all of the other families were there and the roles they played in the overall project back in the day, (I recognize just about every name he mentions in his chapters covering Kinshasa - the Galans, Conrons, etc.).

Thanks to the pleas of the Flury children, Vince wrote this book and helped me connect the dots on so many data points of my childhood that were otherwise growing fuzzier by the day with age. Perspective is a wonderful thing and for that alone, I am grateful!

Looking beyond my own connection to this story, I found this to be a highly entertaining read that is worthy of anyone's weekend who is interested in the craziness of life as an ex-pat in a third world country or in aviation history, or in world history for that matter. Just be prepared to laugh out loud as you crack this book open...