Reviews by Brigit Hartop
Portals into the Sky: A Collection of Vintage Cockpit Photographs
Vintage Flyer Media LLC, the Connecticut-based small publisher, states its slogan as "telling the stories that slipped through the cracks of time" and John Cilio's two paperback photography collections accomplish exactly that. Over 150 perfect, black and white photographs capture the aircraft that brought eminence and a permanent fascination to the booming industry of flight.
Everyone can name a handful of aircraft, such as Cessna, Piper, or Mooney, but rare peeks inside lesser known cockpits will delight and perhaps surprise even the hardcore aviation buff. Completing each snapshot is a basic summary of the control systems and features of each craft, such as the supercharged WACO SRE, a Rearwin Cloudster, Miles Aerovan, Fleet Canuck, or the Funk Model B-85-C Bee. Also featured in the photos are the occasional celebrity or mogul: movie star Joan Leslie sits in the cockpit of the Lockheed Constellation she was filmed in for the film Janie Gets Married; Howard Hughes pensively examines the interior of the Spruce Goose before the famous first and last flight; and Donald W. Douglas of the Douglas Aircraft company poses proudly with a foot on the step of a 1947 Douglas Cloudster II.
For the perfectionist in historical accuracy, there is little to worry of in John Cilio's research and presentation. An honorary member of the Danbury, CT WWII Lost Squadron Veterans and recipient of the American Marketing Association Silver Effie, Cilio has authored over 200 articles and appeared as a speaker in more than 60 countries.
Far from a dry collection of dusty images, all 111 pages of Portals into the Sky hold at least some small fascination in their own unique way, and will make modern pilots lust after the golden age of flight.
Cessna Sensations: A Collection of Vintage Photographs
In the style of Portals into the Sky, the 90 page paperback Cessna Sensations: A Collection of Vintage Photographs also presents an extensively researched, absorbing portrait of the golden days of the Cessna Aircraft Company. A classic icon of both aviation today and post-Depression era industry growth, Cessna began as a one-man venture that bankers refused to lend money for, to a Fortune 500 company whose 1999 sales orders amounted to over 4 billion dollars.
Boasting another 100 plus sharp black and white photographs, Cessna Sensations begins with the dainty 1911 "Silver Wings", Clyde Cessna's first successfully flying aircraft, and ends with the 1963 Skynight with a top speed of 263 MPH.
For more information on John Cilio and Vintage Flyer Media LLC and to purchase Portals into the Sky and Cessna Sensations, visit www.vintageflyer.com.
contact Brigit Hartop at flying-girl@lycos.com