Beauty of the Skies - de Havilland D.H. 91 Albatross

Rob J.M. Mulder and Grahame M. Simons

This monograph on the de Havilland D.H. 91 Albatross tells the full story of one de Havilland’s most beautiful aircraft. The book is long overdue. It gives the reader an insight in the development, test work, and operation of the Albatross. Only seven of these most stylish of aircraft were built. The appearance of the aircraft left an everlasting impression on the passengers and enthusiasts who all fell in love with the stunning lines of this aircraft. It is unbelievable that in the time of all-metal American airliners, this wooden aircraft made such an impression.

Learning from his experiences with the D.H. 88 Comet, Arthur Hagg produced a remarkably refined aircraft. The Albatross had no peers in elegance thanks to his outstanding aerodynamic design. Initially intended for transatlantic mail service, the type had limited service both as a mailplane and subsequently as a passenger aircraft. The first flight of the prototype was made on 20 May 1937. It did not enter service with Imperial Airways until November 1938. In many ways the Albatross was an outstanding aerodynamic design, and in particular the method of fuselage construction was a completely novel in its day. The Albatross would eventually disappear from the skies in July 1943, but its story is well worth telling.

The book, by two well established and respected authors, is well-illustrated with many photographs, colour profiles (by renowned illustrator Juanita Franzi), three view drawings, and new cutaway drawings of both the passenger as mail version.

210 x 297mm, hardback, 460 photos (incl. 6 in colour), 375 pages, 20 colour profiles.