Seaplanes of the World

Bill Yenne presents a feast of beautiful passenger-carrying aircraft that took off and landed on the sea. The book is a delight to hold and behold; however, I must agree with the previous reviewer that some types have been omitted or underrepresented. I would have like to have seen more on the mighty Empire-class flying boats that served the British Empire before World War II. The Saunders-Roe Princess and its proposed jet-powered successor certainly deserved mention, as did the Vought-Sikorsky VS-44A, of which a beautifully restored example resides at the New England Air Museum. Also lacking are the many Soviet Beriev amphibians, along with the highly unusual Soviet Ekranoplan designs, aircraft that float on a cushion of air. Were this book more complete, it would have earned five stars; nevertheless, with these shortcomings, this is a book worth having.