Jet Age by Same Howe Verhovek
I recently had the chance to sit down and read Jet Age by Sam Howe Verhovek (See competition rules to win a copy). The book centres on the head-to-head battle between the first two jetliners ever built – the Comet and the 707. Only a few pages in, however, I realized that the book was so much more – it provides an incredibly rich reader experience, painting a fact-filled and lively timeline of how each aircraft’s manufacturer got entangled in the then-crazy notion of creating a passenger jet plane.
Using famous aviation events as mile markers, the book cleverly introduces an array of lesser-known events and characters, including engineers, pilots, politicians, executives and tycoons, that played a part in the events that precipitated the birth of each aircraft. This spectrum of events and characters is really what gives the book its colour; each being an ideal segue to introducing a new layer of complexity and detail to this very well-researched story.
This book would be interesting for anyone whose life has not straddled the jet and pre-jet ages of commercial aviation – irrespective of their level of interest in aviation. It blankets the reader with such perspective that it forces an appreciation for how far the science of aviation has come, in relatively little time, thanks to the brilliance and drive of some of the most amazing people you’ve probably never heard of, and some you have.
Competition Rules
To win a free copy of this book simply follow @airceo on Twitter and use the Twitter button below any post on airceo.com to tweet it. Each post you tweet will get you one entry in the draw. Tweets linking to this post will get you two draws. There is no limit to the amount of entries you can earn in the draw. Competition starts at the time this article was published and closes at 23:59 GMT on Friday the 22nd. One winner will be selected at random. Good luck!
