Flying African Skies


Book Description




Under African Skies


Book Description

An anthology of short stories by African writers from a dozen countries. The subjects range from war and politics to problems with domestics and African humor. Some stories were written in English, others are translations from Arabic, French and Portuguese. All were written in the latter part of the 20th century.




People Could Fly: American Black Folktales


Book Description

Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of the slaves, but passed on in hope.




African Sky


Book Description

An epic wartime adventure in the heart of Africa. Rhodesia, 1943: Paul Bryant hasn’t been able to get back in an aircraft since a fatal bombing mission over Germany. Instead, the Squadron Leader is flying a desk at a pilot training school in Africa when one of his trainees is reported missing. Pip Lovejoy, a volunteer policewoman, is also trying to suppress painful memories. When Felicity Langham, a high profile WAAF from the air base, is found raped and murdered, Pip and Bryant’s paths cross. Suspicion immediately falls on the local black community, but Pip’s investigations unearth a link between the Squadron Leader, the controversial heiress Catherine De Beers and the dead woman, which throws the case in a new, disturbing direction. What Pip thinks is a singular crime of passion soon escalates into a crisis that could change the course of the war. African Sky is the first instalment in Tony Park’s acclaimed Story of Zimbabwe series.




Stars in the Sky


Book Description

"In all of the stories about aviation and its history, the stories of the first African American stewardesses have been left untold and unknown. We first took to the skies when flying was glamorous and exclusive, when little girls dreamt of being stewardesses, models, or movie stars. We rubbed elbows with the elite and traveled the world when few others could. We flew as pioneers in a global society long before the times of the Internet and globalizaiton. We also kept our heads high, facing down racial prejudice and discrimination. We lived as stars of the sky. I was one of the first African American stewardesses for Delta Air Lines, and I worked alongside other pioneers for almost thrity-five years as co-adventureres and friends. This book tells my story and theirs."--Author's notes.




Into the Bush


Book Description

Sunny Franklin, a forty-three year old from Las Vegas, made a life changing decision to leave her traveling companions in Egypt and venture out on her own. She met two people in Cairo on her first day alone that would have a profound influence on her life. Sunny learned that Caroline and Howard were extremely wealthy people with busy lives and that they were much more than colleagues. That night Sunny had dinner with them and again breakfast the next morning. The instant friendship was solidified when Caroline invited Sunny to come join her at her farm near Kruger National Park, South Africa. This started an adventure for Sunny into the world of the rich and famous. After staying on Caroline's farm for days, Caroline took Sunny to Cape Town for six weeks of parties and galas and more social lunches than she had ever attend in her life. Experiencing the life of a socialite for some time, Sunny told Caroline that was time for her to move on. She thanked Caroline for her hospitality, but she knew it was time to be solo again. Caroline was upset, but it was nothing that a shopping trip couldn't cure. Three days later, Sunny, once again, found herself in the lap of luxury riding the Blue Train north to Pretoria Station near Johannesburg. It was her transition trip from pampering to having to carry a backpack while on safari. Howard gifted Sunny a new laptop. It was the latest and greatest with satellite capabilities to company the international cell phone he had already given her. Howard loved technology and Sunny reaped the benefits. She entered Botswana on her own with high hopes about her safari - seeing the exotic animals and breathtaking landscapes. She shopped in a women's co-op, she took a tour based on Alexander McCall Smith, Number One Ladies Detective Agency books and also visited a the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Sunny was happy and lonely at the same time. With night after night of sexy dreams, Sunny was surprised that Africa woke up her spirit and her sexuality. Sunny met Jamie Bevins, a twenty-eight year old, cocky bush pilot from New Zealand, when he flew her into the bush at Gunn's Camp in the Okavango Delta. On the flight, she could smell Jamie's pheromones... her logic was lost and nothing was left but pure lust. Jamie entered into Sunny's dreams. A week later, Jamie came to Kubu Lodge on the Chobe River for dinner and sat down at Sunny's table. The instant chemistry they had for each other was culminated that night. That night of lust and passion change them and forged a love bond that couldn't be broken. They became inseparable adventurers. Sunny accompanied Jamie to New Zealand for his four-year skin cancer checkup. Jamie asked Sunny to marry him but before they could have a ceremony, they had many issues to resolve. On the one-month anniversary of their marriage, while having sex, Jamie discovered a lump in Sunny's. They were devastated when they received a diagnosis of breast cancer. Sunny went through three surgeries, was on drug therapy and took an antidepressant; slowly Sunny became a ghost of herself. Jamie had finished flight school and was a copilot from Sidney, Australia to Los Angles, California. Jamie felt disconnected to Sunny because he was off flying until one night he found her in the bathtub with a razor blade. They had had so little time together and Jamie was devastated at the thought of losing his love. Howard came to visit his friend Sunny and found that she was not well both mentally or physically. She was admitted to a hospital, which helped her physically, but the emotional scars of breast cancer took much longer to heal. Weeks passed and Sunny regained her health. Jamie took a job in Africa flying jets for Howard's company, Hanley International. This would allow him to be home with Sunny more. Sunny knew they would lead healthy, adventurous and lustful lives when they returned into the bush under African Skies.




Blue Skies, Black Wings


Book Description

Chronicles the history of African-Americans in aviation, from Charles Wesley Peters who flew his own plane in 1911 to the 1945 Freeman Field mutiny against segregationist policies in the Air Corps.




Black Wings


Book Description

Colin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history. The invention of the airplane in the first decade of the twentieth century sparked a revolution in modern technology. Aviation in the popular mind became associated with adventure and heroism. For African Americans, however, this new realm of human flight remained off-limits, a consequence of racial discrimination. Many African Americans displayed a keen interest in the new air age, but found themselves routinely barred from gaining training as pilots or mechanics. Beginning in the 1920s, a small and widely scattered group of black air enthusiasts challenged this prevailing pattern of racial discrimination. With no small amount of effort—and against formidable odds—they gained their pilot licenses and acquired the technical skills to become aircraft mechanics. Over the course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, African Americans have expanded their participation in both military and civilian aviation and space flight, from the early pioneers and barnstormers through the Tuskegee airmen to Shuttle astronauts. Featuring approximately two hundred historic and contemporary photographs and a lively narrative that spans eight decades of U.S. history, Black Wings offers a compelling overview of this extraordinary and inspiring saga.




Open Skies for Africa


Book Description

In Africa, where poor roads, ports, and railways often constrain efficient transportation, air transport holds great potential as a lever for economic growth and development. Yet Africa has suffered several decades of inefficient air services. Uncompetitive flag carriers, set up by newly independent African states, offered primarily intercontinental flights, while the domestic air service market remained underdeveloped and underserved. The 1999 pan-African treaty on liberalization of access to air transport markets, the Yamoussoukro Decision, attempted to address these shortcomings. Yet a decade later, only partial liberalization has been achieved. 'Open Skies for Africa: Implementing the Yamoussoukro Decision' reviews progress made in carrying out the treaty and suggests ways in which the liberalization process can be encouraged. The book analyzes the completed and still-pending steps toward implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision, both on a pan-African level and within various regions. Special focus is given to the challenges posed by the poor aviation safety and security standards that exist in most African countries. Finally, the book measures the impact that certain policy steps of the Yamoussoukro Decision have had and evaluates the economic significance of air transportation and its full liberalization in Africa. The book concludes that the process of liberalizing African air services must continue, and provides policy recommendations for the way forward.




Segregated Skies


Book Description

It was 1964 and black men didn't fly commercial jets. But David Harris was about to change that...