Pan American Clippers: The Golden Age of Flying Boats

Author Trautman is clearly enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable. The book contains a wealth of information and rare photos of Pan Am's giant flying boats. The story is a bit tarnished though by his weak writing skills (I could easily be convinced that several sections were written by a college freshman, yet to master paragraph construction) and geographical howlers (e.g., that Trinidad lies west of Miami and that Haiti occupies the eastern half of Hispaniola). Amateurish as the writing might be, the story remains fascinating and very thorough.

I've done a lot of reading over the years on the fabled Pan Am flying clipper ships, and this book out of the dozens I have read was by far and wide the most informative book of all, and it was filled with amazing photos that I thought had been lost to time forever. This is a book I know that I will refer to many times in the future. Great photography and fantastic writing!

James Trautman's book on the Flying Boats of Pan Am provides the reader with a peak into the golden age of the Pan Am flying boats. He tells the story behind the scenes and provides some never seen before images from his personal collection. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the romantic, golden age of flying on the Pan Am flying boats.

This is an excellent book on the Pan Am Clipper flying boats. It is written in a chronological order and well written with the laymen in mind, not being too technical. The photos are interesting, crisp and well done. For anyone interested in flying boats and/or Pan Am, it is a great book and a good value.

The book fully met my expectations. I like the size and feel of the book. It is a welcome addition to my books on aviation. The historic photos are perfect in telling the story of travel before the age of flight advanced enough to allow international travel other than by these clippers.

Very well put together!

A well researched and comprehensive history and exploits of these marvelous flying boats. Excellent photos. I highly recommend this book [2nd. edition which is expanded]. Very pleased that I finally got it.

Beautiful book on the B-314

I’ve really enjoyed discovering this detailed and well illustrated book. It’s well researched and written, particularly covering the Boeing 314’s and WW11 service. Recommended.

Fery fery nyce!🤩

I was really hoping for something akin to a combination of passenger guide and flying manual for these aircraft, or at least a lot more interior photos. What we get, however, is an often tedious and repetitive history (naming every last name involved) of Pan American, Juan Tripp, and, worst of all, Charles Lindbergh, famous Nazi sympathizer. (Yes, he flew across the Atlantic, but the Nazi stuff rather overshadows that.) There are several pages that are simply taken verbatim from a construction worker's journal, a man helping to construct a Pacific base for Pan American flying boats. Finally, the text contains a surprising number of typos and sentences that come to odd ends. All-in-all, a bit of a disappointment.

PARA OS AMANTES DA HISTORIA DA AVIAÇÃO COMERCIAL MUNDIAL, ESTE É UM LIVRO IMPRESCINDÍVELABSOLUTAMENTE FANTÁSTICO..