Wings on the River tells the colourful story of flying boats from Brisbane's unique viewpoint. Flying boats represented comfort and safety in reaching distant and exotic places across the sea, and Brisbane was on the doorstep of flying boat travel for more than fifty years. Wings on the River traces the whole flying boat era in Australia through its many changes, its triumphs and adversities, including: * Pioneering flights between the wars by overseas and local flying boats alighting in the heart of the city; * Qantas flying boats on the legendary Empire Air Mail route to Britain flying passengers in unprecedented luxury; * Wartime U.S. Navy flying boat services across the Pacific to General MacArthur's headquarters in Brisbane; * Barrier Reef Airways, Queensland's own flying boat airline, bringing Great Barrier Reef resorts closer to interstate tourists; * The controversy about flying boats using the Brisbane River, and the dramatic accidents which forced them to leave; * The story of Redland Bay's water airport and its little-known service over two decades.

Industry Reviews

"Congratulations to David Jones for such a well written and impressively researched chronicle. Invaluable reading for those interested in the early development and history of flying boat operations in Queensland." Frank Kelly, ex Flying Boat Pilot, Barrier Reef Airways - "David Jones's detailed account of the flying boat operations on the Brisbane River has been well researched. He describes in detail the dreams, the frustrations, the bureaucratic barriers and interference as well as the successes of a band of extraordinary fliers whose vision was to expand aviation transport with flying boats. Enthusiasts and historians alike will enjoy both a factual and technical story that reveals the difficulties of a time when finances were scarce and creating a successful airline in an extraordinarily difficult environment was a real challenge." John Wilson, Flying Boat Historian