The Boeing 247: The First Modern Airliner

This book is a very comprehensive work regarding the development, creation, and implementation of an influential though little-known aircraft, the Boeing 247. On it's surface it would seem to be a very limited appeal book about a fairly obscure subject but the insight into the thought processes of the Boeing Company prove to be excellent. A fair bit of ink is devoted to the internal decision making process and, ultimately, how wrong they got it regarding the 247 and how doing so threw the door open for Douglas to create the DC3 and take an early lead in the commercial aircraft market. I would certainly highly recommend this book for anyone interested not just in the 247 but anyone interested in the Boeing Company and/or in the dawn of commercial aviation would get a great deal out of the read as well. I shared my copy with my dad, a 50 year veteran Boeing engineer, and he appreciated pretty much exactly the elements of the book that I did. There is another book on the 247 out there but my dad agreed with me that it covered no new ground and the "old ground" wasn't covered in as much depth. The author's access to archival material (and obvious willingness to spend the time reviewing same) from several key sources is readily apparent. Five stars for anyone interested in the Boeing 247, the Boeing Company ca. 1930's, the dawn of "modern" commercial aviation or in Golden Era aviation in general.