Wings Over Istanbul

Book excerpt: In 1931, just four years after Lindbergh flew the Atlantic, Johnny Polando and Russell Boardman left from Floyd Bennett airfield and flew their single engine Bellanca nonstop to Istanbul, Turkey. After 5011 miles in the air, the duo landed with only 15 minutes' fuel remaining in their tanks, but they set the record for long-distance nonstop flight. In recognition of their contribution to aviation, Boardman-Polando field in Hyannis, Massachusetts, was named in their honor on the 50th anniversary of their flight. Two years after this amazing journey, Boardman was killed in a crash, but Polando flew for the rest of his life, mainly in New England. The book recounts his 1934 participation in the 11,123-mile MacRobertson race from England to Australia, in which he and his copilot got only as far as Calcutta after landing in the Persian desert where Polando was briefly held captive by Arabs. And it tells of his experiences as a World War II pilot. Polando's wife, Dorothy, assembled the material for this book and reviewed it with him before his death in 1985.