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stepwilk
6th Oct 2011, 22:09
It may be that this thread belongs in Aviation History & Nostalgia, in which case it'll get moved, but for the pictorial book I'm working on, on stewardesses (yes, stews specifically), does anybody know any great stewardessing stories from the flying-boat era, or can point me toward possible sources for such stories?

They don't have to be tales of incredible derring-do, just accounts that can give the flavor of what it was like to work the cabin on such flights, either PanAm or the Empire Boats or anywhere else that stewardesses served.

And of course I'd love to hear from anybody who actually worked aboard the big boats during that era, including stewards.

Liobian
17th Oct 2011, 12:15
Possibly not exactly what you want, but maybe worth finding a copy of 'Corsairville' by Graham Coster; published by Penguin in 2000. Some nice period comment therein and will maybe link you to other sources.

Mr Mac
17th Oct 2011, 12:33
Also a book called "Beyond the Blue Horizon" by Alexander Frater about a journey down the old Imperial Airways route London to Brisban has bits on flying boats, as well as being a very good travel book in ita own right.:ok:

Bergerie1
17th Oct 2011, 12:42
I don't think you will find that airlines employed stewardesses during the flying boat era, as far as I know, only stewards were employed and they had also to act as clerks and to help with mooring procedures.

stepwilk
17th Oct 2011, 18:04
Bergerie, I've already determined this is definitely not true.

Liobian, jut ordered a copy of "Corsairville" from Amazon, so thanks.

Mr.Mac, somewhere I have a copy of Frater's excellent book; I'll go look it up.