| Avalon
Bay, historic home to Indians, pirates and smugglers, is the romantic
backdrop
for a glittering parade of famous people who interacted during Santa
Catalina
Island’s aviation history. The Knights of Avalon is a fascinating
real-life
adventure story of the 20th century, showcasing the flying boats and
intrepid
pilots that evoke memories of exciting times and places. Aviation
pioneers
Glenn Martin, Donald Douglas, and other notables such as stars Charlie
Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Ronald Reagan and even the Wrigley family
and
their Chicago Cubs baseball team all played their parts.
Beginning
with the visionary inventors at the birth of aviation, and progressing
to the navigation of the world’s great oceans, this book furnishes a
modern
look at what is widely known as “the Golden Age of Aviation.” Aircraft
designers William Boeing, Leroy Grumman, and Igor Sikorsky are also
profiled.
Explore the spectacular rise and rapid disappearance of the flying boat
from the world scene and learn “the rest of the story” of the how the
last
flying boat made in America came to be owned by actress Maureen O’Hara.
From
the unique perspective of working for Catalina Air Lines for seven
years,
the author, David Johnston, highlights the personal backgrounds and
experiences
of the “Knights” — five “water pilots” and one stewardess who all
greatly
contributed to the richness of the aviation lore of the island. Also
included
are many humorous stories about some of the supporting cast for these
knights,
the “dock boys” in Avalon bay.
David
Johnston
|
|
| Captain
Dick Probert at the controls of his Sikorsky VS-44A flying boat as he
lifts
off from Avalon Bay, Santa Catalina Island, California in 1965. |
|
“The
conquest of the air, with its profoundly important influence on the
history
of humanity will remain one of the outstanding facts of the twentieth
century.”
- Igor Sikorsky (1938)
"Knights
of Avalon" Book
by
David Johnston
Contact David directly for orders:
http://www.knights-of-avalon.net/
|
