Twenty-Thousand Miles in a Flying Boat : My Flight Round Africa

by Alan J. Cobham

Air-route development in Africa was a direct result of Sir Alan Cobham's 1929 flight through and round Africa in a flying-boat. Beginning in France and crossing the Mediterranean, the route was via Malta, Egypt, East Africa through Kenya and Nyasaland, from Beira to Lagos, across to the Ivory Coast, from Freetown to Cape Bojador and through the Canaries, essentially navigating most of the coast of Africa. Lady Cobham accompanied her husband throughout the long journey, in so doing establishing a record for air travel by a woman. This Sir Alan Cobham's first-hand account of his journey; first published in 1930, this new edition is illustrated with over 50 photographs from the trip, including some previously unpublished and straight from the family archive.

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2007

Reviews

[John A. Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This account of a flight by Sir Alan Cobham, an early pioneer of commercial flight is a fantastic read for anyone interested in Flying. The flight takes place in 1929, and it is astonishing to read about the fragility of the aircraft, and how repairs are made by the flyers themselves.
The flight begins in November in the south of England, and encompasses a flight down the French coast, across the Mediterranean to Egypt and then Africa. Much of the focus of the book is the time spent traversing the East coast, and there is some back and forth as Cobham’s negotiates rights for future commercial operations. The trip north from South Africa up the west coast is covered in less detail, but is equally fascinating.
This is a first-hand account of the journey is accompanied by many original photographs from the trip which add a depth to an event that took place close to a century ago. This flight takes place just a couple of decades after the first powered flight, and the pioneering spirit of the trip takes centre stage throughout. Outstanding.

[Ben Palm Beach. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recollection of Sir Alan Cobham’s circumnavigation of AFRICA is an enjoyable book to read, however I feel it could have been so much better.

Unfortunately, for the Aviation enthusiast,Sir Alan appears to enjoy taking more about where and with whom they dinned for Dinner with than about the true flying experiences. There were so many questions left unanswered in my view, such as what happened to his Crew Member Green, whom he left in Africa? What were the root causes of trouble in the Right Engine that made you stranded? What caused leaks in the hull? What was the outcome of the flight for Aviation in Africa and whom took up the challenges.

This book could have been so much more as it was an amazing feat in endurance and human adventure. Unfortunately, so much detail was left out.