A tale of a lifelong passion for a WWII aircraft that changed the author’s life: “It is almost like an adventure novel except it is true” (Air Classics). This book tells the story of a Dutch boy who grew up during the 1950s in postwar Borneo, where he had frequent encounters with an airplane, the Douglas DC-3, a.k.a. the C-47 Skytrain or Dakota, of World War II fame. For a young boy living in a remote jungle community, the aircraft reached the proportions of a romantic icon as the essential lifeline to a bigger world for him, the beginning of a special bond. In 1957, his family left the island and all its residual wreckage of World War II, and he attended college in The Hague. After graduation, he started a career as a corporate executive—and met the aircraft again during business trips to the Americas. His childhood passion for the Dakota flared up anew, and the fascination pulled like a magnet. As if predestined, or maybe just looking for an excuse to come closer, he began a business to salvage and convert Dakota parts, which meant first of all finding them. As the demand for these war relic parts and cockpits soared, he began to travel the world to track down surplus, crashed, or derelict Dakotas. He ventured deeper and deeper into remote mountains, jungles, savannas, and the seas where the planes are found, usually as ghostly wrecks but sometimes still in full commercial operation. In hunting the mythical Dakota, he often encountered intimidating or dicey situations in countries plagued by wars or revolts, others by arms and narcotics trafficking, warlords, and conmen. The stories of these expeditions take the reader to some of the remotest spots in the world, but once there, one is often greeted by the comfort of what was once the West’s apex in transportation—however now haunted by the courageous airmen of the past.

Beskrivelse af Martin-flyproduktionen, -flytyperne samt -raketprojekter

The book begins with a 24-page in depth review of the origins of the patrol flying boat covering most Curtiss boats (except the NC boats), the Naval Aircraft Factory PN boats and their derivatives (Douglas PD-1, Keystone PK-1, Martin PM-1/2), the Boeing PB-1, and the Hall PH-1/2/3 and XP2H-1. Thirteen 3-view drawings by Lloyd Jones help illustrate this section. The book then goes on to cover the Consolidated XPY-1 Admiral, Consolidated Model 16 Commodore, Martin P3M-1/2 and XP2M-1 before detailing the Consolidated's P2Y Ranger development and squadron usage. The P2Y was the aircraft that put Consolidated on the map of great aircraft manufacturers and led to the PBY and PB2Y flying boats that served with such distinction during WWII.

​Battlefields have been the object of fascination for millions of tourists and the subjects of elaborate interpretation projects. This volume will outline the process and results of developing the WWII Maritime Heritage Trail: Battle of Saipan Project. This book will provide examples of how a group of archaeologists, managers and a community took a specific battle and transformed it from a collection of unknown archaeological sites into a comprehensive storied battlescape that reflects the individuals and actions of those who were involved. It will provide an in-depth view of current maritime archaeological research on submerged battlefield sites, the development of a WWII battlefield maritime heritage trail, as well as the problems and solutions of such an effort. It will cover subjects such as: -heritage and dark tourism-conflict or battlefield archaeology-public interpretation, and community engagement. This volume will serve as a practical review of a project influenced by a range of complementary areas of study and inclusive of many stakeholders, from the public to the professional and beyond. It provides an example of a balanced approach towards research and interpreting archaeological sites through the identification and inclusion of the various stakeholders (professional and community) and an awareness of what was being included, ignored, or inadequately represented in the research and interpretation.

The lineage of Martin and the flying boat can be traced back to the PBM-4 of 1941. Navy last flying boat and the end of a long era of seaplanes in the US Navy. This book covers the complete history of the Martin P5M Marlin aircraft development, construction, systems, squadron, interior, exterior weapons and stores. Marlin losses and casualties photos of the catwalks and some of the hazard of working on a seaplane over the water. There are also sections on the US Coast Guard and French use plus modelers guide.