# Pioneer flights?



## Marcel (Jun 10, 2013)

Recently I got interested in pioneer flights and especially books written by the pilots themselves. I've now got "Door de lucht naar Nederlands Indie" by van der Hoop, "My old Bus" by Kingsford Smith and "The Spirit of Saint Louis" by Charles Lindberg. You guys could advise on other books? I think I somewhere read that Alcock and Brown also wrote a book about their flight, but I cannot find it, nor can I remember where I even read that. Any others that you would advise me?


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## Airframes (Jun 12, 2013)

Not so much about pioneer flights Marcel, but certainly about a pioneer flyer, "Flying Rebel - the story of Louis Strange", by Peter Hearn, 1994, HMSO Publications (via RAF Museum, Hendon), ISBN 0 11 290500 5. (You might find it on Amazon, or Abe Books).
It's an incredible account about an incredible aviator, from the Box Kite in 1913, through two World Wars, to the Venom in 1955. If it was published as a work of fiction, no one would believe a word!


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## herman1rg (Jun 12, 2013)

I recently read “The Greatest Adventure” By Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, which is all about Breitling Orbiter 3 which was the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop.


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## Marcel (Jun 12, 2013)

Thanks Terry, found that one as a hardcover for a few euro's. Will buy it. 

Also thanks to Herman, I will look for that one as well.


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## Airframes (Jun 12, 2013)

I think you'll enjoy it Marcel. I've read it a number of times and, having just got it back from Karl, I'm going to read it again !


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## Marcel (Apr 20, 2014)

Just bought myself "kapitein Smyrnov verteld" (captain Smyrnov 's story), printen in 1938 for 4 euro's. Captain Smyrnov was a Russian in service of the KLM. He's famous for the Pelikaan flight to Indonesia. Lot's of good stories about the early days of the service from Amsterdam to Batavia.


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## Marcel (Nov 4, 2015)

Had a lucky find, two books, €0.50 each. 
The first is a book from 1935, called " in drie dagen naar Australie" (to Australia in three days) written by Koene Parmentier, the captain of the Uiver. This aircraft did a commercial flight to Melbourn while participating in the McRobertson airrace. They arived second, en passant winning the handicap race while carrying passengers and mail. Very entertaining read. 
The second one is the sequal to above mentioned biography about captain Smirnoff, this time written by himself in 1948 or so about his exploids during the war. Didn't read that one yet, but for 50 cents it must be a good read


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## Airframes (Nov 4, 2015)

Good catch Marcel.


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## Marcel (Dec 11, 2015)

Another new book bought: "Wij vlogen naar Indie", 1933 by Adriaan Viruly, a KLM pilot. I love the smell of old books.


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## Marcel (Sep 12, 2017)

I just found 'Eerste vlucht naar de Noordpool', a 1930 translation of the book by Amudsen. Just 1 euro


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## Marcel (Oct 4, 2020)

A lucky find, I found a little book by Lt. G.A. Koppen: "Holland-Indie-Holland in storm en zonnebrand (1928). It's a small book written by the pilot of a second (actually third) flight to the NEI. 
Apparently there must be a book written by Geyssendoffer about his charter flight with Van Lear-Black in 1927, only 36 pages long. I see references to it in Google books and amazone, but have never seen it. The flight by Geysendorffer was the first international charterflight ever.


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