Davies breaks new ground in commercial aviation history by profiling twenty-five mavericks who defied the establishment in their quest to develop airlines against the odds. The preeminent historian of commercial aviation, Davies writes of the colorful lives & contributions of these enterprising men from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Latin America, Australia & Thailand. Davies presents new perspectives on the efforts of men such as Ralph O’Neill, Marcel Bouilloux-Lafont, Stan Weiss, Orvis Nelson, Howard Hughes & Sir Freddie Laker. But he also discusses, among others, the endeavors of James Slim” Carmichael