Book Description

Do you remember the Sky King TV show? Do you know who really flew the planes in the shows? Was Kirby Grant a "real" pilot? How many different "Songbird" planes were there? What happened to the "missing episodes"? What did Kirby Grant do after the TV series ended? Did you know that Kirby Grant was singer?Those of us of a certain age grew up with the Sky King television show. The old black and white TV shows inspired a lot of aviation careers, from pilots and flight instructors to airline pilots and NASA astronauts.I had the personal pleasure of meeting and getting to know Kirby Grant and his wife after they retired to Central Florida in 1971. Shortly after his heart surgery in 1978, Kirby Grant spoke to me about the book he was "writing", taking the title "Out of the Blue" from the iconic opening of the television show. It was only much later after Kirby's passing in 1986 that I learned from his wife, Carolyn Grant, that the "book" had existed only in Kirby's mind and good intentions. This book is the long over due fulfillment of a promise to Carolyn Grant.The title includes the word "legend" because much of what has been written about Sky King has taken on a kind of mythology, and much that is "known" turns out to be fable. We will clear up some of those myths in this book and possibly reveal a few secrets.