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Classic Propliners
Paperback with light edgewear, including crease to lower rear corner. Faint marks to inside of front cover. Pages are clean and images are bright. AD
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1992
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May 12, 2013
Long Live Big Round Engines
Stephen Piercey started it all – he was the enthusiast of vintage propeller-driven aircraft who drew worldwide attention to the breed as they started to disappear from the skies in the mid-1980s. Since then, the community of propliner fans has continued to grow, and so have books of beautiful photographs and interesting commentary. A new author (in 1992) has added his collection of fine photographs to the fray, for those of us who cannot get enough and eagerly snap up every Motorbooks and Airlife publication that comes our way.
“Classic Propliners” represents Colin Addison’s ten-year span of capturing these vintage airplanes still earning a living in some corner of the world. The DC-3 is a good place to start, as more of this type have been built and preserved than any other; indeed, the first few photos show DC-3s in schemes reminiscent of the days when the type was in front-line airline service. After that is an interesting section on the Basler Corporation of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a company that refurbishes old DC-3s, updates their avionics, and installs efficient Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines, ensuring that the type, known as the BT-67, will be flying for many more years. And the pages of photos of DC-3s and C-47s in glorious schemes keep on coming.
We move onto another ambitious restoration project, Save-a-Connie’s exquisite Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, before catching a glimpse of the TWA “Star of Switzerland,” a beautifully restored specimen at the Pima Air Museum and the oldest surviving Connie in the world. No book on Constellations in modern-day service would be complete without showing off the birds of Aerochago, the Dominican carrier that was the last commercial operator of any Connie. (Stephen Piercey captured the Super Constellations of another Dominican carrier, Quisqeyana, which flew the world’s last passenger services.) Next come the big Douglas recips flying in and out of Miami and Opa Locka to destinations throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. These are old, tired workhorses. In one rare photo, you can see the Convair 240 prototype in the background and another full picture of the airplane when complete; two other books of this genre, “Miami Props” and “Sky Trucks USA” show this rare bird in pieces. We catch a glimpse of older turboprops and civil and military airplanes used as fire bombers. The one picture I find disturbing is one showing a burnt-out DC-4 – why did the author have to include that one? Also featured are Convair liners, both recip and turboprop, several Martinliners thrown in for good measure. Toward the end of the book, one can enjoy a beautifully restored Junkers Ju-52, Ford and Stinson Tri-Motors, and a gaggle of lovely Grumman amphibians. Exotic types include a Carvair and a Bristol Freighter, along with a De Havilland fixed-gear Heron, still with her original Gypsy engines. The variety is breathtaking; dividing the book into chapters would allow for some rest and better organization, avoiding long, descriptive paragraphs – such as this.
Stephen Piercey started it all – he was the enthusiast of vintage propeller-driven aircraft who drew worldwide attention to the breed as they started to disappear from the skies in the mid-1980s. Since then, the community of propliner fans has continued to grow, and so have books of beautiful photographs and interesting commentary. A new author (in 1992) has added his collection of fine photographs to the fray, for those of us who cannot get enough and eagerly snap up every Motorbooks and Airlife publication that comes our way.
“Classic Propliners” represents Colin Addison’s ten-year span of capturing these vintage airplanes still earning a living in some corner of the world. The DC-3 is a good place to start, as more of this type have been built and preserved than any other; indeed, the first few photos show DC-3s in schemes reminiscent of the days when the type was in front-line airline service. After that is an interesting section on the Basler Corporation of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a company that refurbishes old DC-3s, updates their avionics, and installs efficient Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines, ensuring that the type, known as the BT-67, will be flying for many more years. And the pages of photos of DC-3s and C-47s in glorious schemes keep on coming.
We move onto another ambitious restoration project, Save-a-Connie’s exquisite Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, before catching a glimpse of the TWA “Star of Switzerland,” a beautifully restored specimen at the Pima Air Museum and the oldest surviving Connie in the world. No book on Constellations in modern-day service would be complete without showing off the birds of Aerochago, the Dominican carrier that was the last commercial operator of any Connie. (Stephen Piercey captured the Super Constellations of another Dominican carrier, Quisqeyana, which flew the world’s last passenger services.) Next come the big Douglas recips flying in and out of Miami and Opa Locka to destinations throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. These are old, tired workhorses. In one rare photo, you can see the Convair 240 prototype in the background and another full picture of the airplane when complete; two other books of this genre, “Miami Props” and “Sky Trucks USA” show this rare bird in pieces. We catch a glimpse of older turboprops and civil and military airplanes used as fire bombers. The one picture I find disturbing is one showing a burnt-out DC-4 – why did the author have to include that one? Also featured are Convair liners, both recip and turboprop, several Martinliners thrown in for good measure. Toward the end of the book, one can enjoy a beautifully restored Junkers Ju-52, Ford and Stinson Tri-Motors, and a gaggle of lovely Grumman amphibians. Exotic types include a Carvair and a Bristol Freighter, along with a De Havilland fixed-gear Heron, still with her original Gypsy engines. The variety is breathtaking; dividing the book into chapters would allow for some rest and better organization, avoiding long, descriptive paragraphs – such as this.
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