Aviation History - July 2016

58 AH july 2016

> Today’s weary air

travelers, who are routinely

shoehorned into six-abreast,

elbow-to-elbow seating on

delayed jetliners, would likely

be astounded by the opulence

depicted in this book. An

archival image from at least

50 years ago shows elegantly

attired passengers enjoying

Lufthansa’s top-of-the-line

service, apparently oblivious

to engine noise and turbu-

lence, just as if they were hav-

ing cocktails at Delmonico’s.

Another photo shows a small

army of smiling chefs, decked

out in starched white jackets

and toques, climbing an air-

stair to deliver platters full

of fresh-baked pastries to

ticketholders aboard a silver

ship in the storied Eastern Air

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Sprinkled throughout

the book are entertainment

superstars riding high. A

young and trim Elton John

is shown making a toast at a

piano bar aboard his private

jet. Elvis, Sinatra and Zsa Zsa

Gabor are all pictured get-

ting into or out of airplanes.

There are even stills of

Bergman and Bogart in the

climactic airport scene from

the movie Casablanca.

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table book was envisioned

by VistaJet as a party favor

for its jet-setting clientele. Of

course, anyone who can pick

up the phone or send a text

message to summon a private

jet from an on-call inventory

has already arrived. This

elegant volume lets the rest

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luxurious style in which past

and present-day high rollers

travel the globe.

Philip Handleman

reviews

THE ART OF FLYING

by Joshua Condon,

Assouline Publishing, 2015, $175.

Art book publisher Assouline partnered with the

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extravagant offering, showcasing the glamour

evinced by old-time airliners and uber-sophisti-

cated private jets. Journalist Josh Condon, whose

informed and expressive text aptly supplements

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ing as prioritizing passenger comfort—and joy. >