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Informationen zum Autor ROBIN HIGHAM taught military history at Kansas State University from 1963 to 1998. He is the author of more than 140 articles, 14 monographs and the editor of numerous bibliographical volumes. He was the editor of Military Affairs from 1968 to 1988 and Aerospace Historian from 1970 to 1988 , and has been editor of The Journal of the West since 1977. Between 1939 and 1946 BOAC (the British Overseas Airways Corporation) was the nationalised airline of Great Britain. Highly illustrated and meticulously researched, this book presents a complete study of BOAC from the early days before jet travel to the de Havilland Comet and the Vickers VC10 to the dawn of supersonic passenger aviation. Zusammenfassung Between 1939 and 1946 BOAC (the British Overseas Airways Corporation) was the nationalised airline of Great Britain, and between 1946 and 1974 it exclusively operated all long-haul British flights. With its iconic 'Speedbird' logo and its central role in the glamorous 'jet age' of the 1950s and 1960s, BOAC achieved a near cult-status with admirers around the globe, yet to date there has been no comprehensive history of the organisation, covering its structure, fleet and the role it played in the critical events of the age; from the Second World War to the end of empire, BOAC played a pivotal part in projecting British political power, even as that power was waning. During the Second World War, BOAC operated a limited wartime service and prepared for the return of commercial flight in the postwar era. But it was through it's service in the Britain's colonies, and later during the process of decolonisation, that BOAC achieved its most pivotal role.The development of flight technology enabled much faster connections between Britain and her imperial possessions and, as the colonies prepared for independence, BOAC ferried diplomats, politicians and colonial administrators between London and the far-flung corners of Africa and Asia much quicker than had previously been possible. In this book, acclaimed historian Robin Higham presents a unique comprehensive study of BOAC, from the early jet travel of the de Havilland Comet and the Vickers VC10, to the dawn of supersonic passenger aviation. Highly illustrated and meticulously researched using previously unseen sources, this book will be essential reading for all aviation enthusiasts and anyone interested in the history of modern Britain. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of Boxes, Charts, and IllustrationsAuthor's Note (1976)Author's Note (2012)Preface Part 1: Airline in Wartime, 1939-1945Chapter 1. The Corporation at War Chapter 2. Wartime Routes and Services Chapter 3. Planning the Return to Commercial Operation Part 2: Highs and Lows, 1946-1964Chapter 4. Re-Establishing a Commercial Airline Chapter 5. Postwar Operations, 1945-1949 Chapter 6. Apex and Aftermath: The Miles Thomas Era, 1949-1956 Chapter 7. Organization and Operations, 1949-1956 Chapter 8. The d’Erlanger Regime, 1956-1960 Chapter 9. Aircraft Procurement?Turbo-Prop and Big Jet Chapter 10. The Slattery Regime and the Crisis Part 3: 'Magna Carta' to Dissolution, 1964-1974Chapter 11. Beginning the Last Decade Chapter 12. Edwards and the Second Force Chapter 13. Challenges and Responses in the Final Decade, 1964-1974 Chapter 14. Further Challenges and Responses, 1964-1974 Chapter 15. Concluding the BOAC Story Appendices British Governments by Prime Minister Ministers Responsible for Air and Aviation, 1939-1974 Chairmen of BOAC Members of the Board of BOAC Salaries According to Whitaker’s Almanac BOAC Companies Comprehensive BOAC Fleet List AbbreviationsNotesBibliography Index About the Author...
