Aloft, it cruised at about one hundred miles per hour, and the pilots said it had had a built-in headwind, but despite its lethargy, the Loening Air Yacht was rugged and durable and economical to operate, crucial characteristics for an airline to consider if it hoped to operate successfully, and for a profit, in China. It was the most useful commercial airplane in the Middle Kingdom when William Bond arrived in China on St. Patrick’s Day, 1931, the opening scene of my book, China’s Wings.
Here’s a photo gallery of the Loening in China in the 1930s.
My “Loening Air Yacht” tag will help you find my other posts related to that airplane, including some good photos.
I make posts relevant to the book in my Posts Related to…China’s Wings menu tab.
