{"product_id":"bristol-brabazon-alan-j-porter-9781399055680","title":"Bristol Brabazon: The Ocean Liner of the Skies and Its Ongoing Legacy","description":"Open any book on strange or abandoned aircraft projects, and you will probably find the Bristol Brabazon featured. Over the years, this huge piston-engine powered, propeller-driven airliner, designed for the vital trans-Atlantic routes, has been referred to as the 'white elephant of the skies', or even 'one of the world's worst aircraft'. But, as the author reveals, such sentiments may well be undeserved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a wingspan and size larger than the jumbo jets we are familiar with today, the Brabazon was designed to fly just sixty or so passengers in supreme luxury from London to New York. During their flight, these lucky individuals could while away the hours at the cocktail bar, enjoy the onboard movie theatre, or have a rest in the fully furnished sleeping compartments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn during the Second World War, the Brabazon first flew in 1949. Maybe, the author asks, it was just ahead of its time. The twin-deck design, for example, is mirrored today in the Airbus A380 airliner, and several of the world's airlines have begun to express interest in using large aircraft configured to provide comfort and style for a limited number of passengers who would pay for such as experience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book is more than just a technical review. Using a combination of existing documentation, archive material and original research, the author sets out to place the whole story of the Brabazon firmly in its cultural social and political context.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow and why was this giant aircraft conceived? What led to it being cancelled in 1952, and the one flying prototype being sold for scrap after millions had been invested in its design, construction and marketing. Who were the people behind the revolutionary technical advances made during its creation? Why was a whole village demolished to accommodate this giant of the skies, and how did that lead to the eventual development of the Concorde SST?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhether you are an aviation enthusiast, interested in engineering history, political sciences or just the history of aviation industry, this study of the Brabazon will help you decide whether it was an engineering masterpiece or a great white elephant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alan J. Porter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1399055682\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781399055680\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Air World\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Alan J. Porter","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46906744570111,"sku":"9781399055680","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4294dd6b-ce96-432f-88ef-2f3e0bc27863.jpg?v=1748771298","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/bristol-brabazon-alan-j-porter-9781399055680","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}