Gordon Pirie is Professor of Geography at the University of the Western Cape in greater Cape Town, South Africa

“The field of academic air transport historical geography may be a very small one but Air Empire sets dauntingly high standards of scholarship and accessible, elegant prose”. Brian Graham Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010) p. 761“ … a thoroughly researched and well-written and illustrated volume which will appeal to a wide audience. Pirie convincingly recounts the tortuous path which led to the formation of imperial civil aviation, and the effect this had – not necessarily on Empire, but on the imaginations of Empire within Britain.” Federico Caprotti, African Affairs, 110 (2011), pp. 148-149.“[a] hugely informative and entertaining study”.Stephen Constantine, Twentieth Century British History, 2010."He skilfully interweaves a narrative history of imperial civil aviation with a fascinating exploration of less obvious topics" Journal of Historical Geography"a triumph for its author, and for the Studies in Imperialism series ..."Prof Ashley Jackson, review in Journal of Southern African Studies, 36 (4) (2010) p. 966

• 1. IntroductionPART 1 LOOKING UP2. Ideas and initiatives3. Empire airway pioneering4. Conferring and agitatingPART 2 TALKING UP5. Organising Empire civil aviation6. Route reconnaissance7. Propagating Empire aviationPART 3 HOLDING UP8. Trunk route development9. Route organisation10. Eastern crescent11.African arcPART 4 SHORING UP12. Arguing about Imperial Airways13. Reconfiguring Empire aviation14. Transformation15. Conclusion

Gordon Pirie is Professor of Geography at the University of the Western Cape in greater Cape Town, South Africa

“The field of academic air transport historical geography may be a very small one but Air Empire sets dauntingly high standards of scholarship and accessible, elegant prose”. Brian Graham Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010) p. 761“ … a thoroughly researched and well-written and illustrated volume which will appeal to a wide audience. Pirie convincingly recounts the tortuous path which led to the formation of imperial civil aviation, and the effect this had – not necessarily on Empire, but on the imaginations of Empire within Britain.” Federico Caprotti, African Affairs, 110 (2011), pp. 148-149.“[a] hugely informative and entertaining study”.Stephen Constantine, Twentieth Century British History, 2010."He skilfully interweaves a narrative history of imperial civil aviation with a fascinating exploration of less obvious topics" Journal of Historical Geography"a triumph for its author, and for the Studies in Imperialism series ..."Prof Ashley Jackson, review in Journal of Southern African Studies, 36 (4) (2010) p. 966

• 1. IntroductionPART 1 LOOKING UP2. Ideas and initiatives3. Empire airway pioneering4. Conferring and agitatingPART 2 TALKING UP5. Organising Empire civil aviation6. Route reconnaissance7. Propagating Empire aviationPART 3 HOLDING UP8. Trunk route development9. Route organisation10. Eastern crescent11.African arcPART 4 SHORING UP12. Arguing about Imperial Airways13. Reconfiguring Empire aviation14. Transformation15. Conclusion

Gordon Pirie is Professor of Geography at the University of the Western Cape in greater Cape Town, South Africa

“The field of academic air transport historical geography may be a very small one but Air Empire sets dauntingly high standards of scholarship and accessible, elegant prose”. Brian Graham Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010) p. 761“ … a thoroughly researched and well-written and illustrated volume which will appeal to a wide audience. Pirie convincingly recounts the tortuous path which led to the formation of imperial civil aviation, and the effect this had – not necessarily on Empire, but on the imaginations of Empire within Britain.” Federico Caprotti, African Affairs, 110 (2011), pp. 148-149.“[a] hugely informative and entertaining study”.Stephen Constantine, Twentieth Century British History, 2010."He skilfully interweaves a narrative history of imperial civil aviation with a fascinating exploration of less obvious topics" Journal of Historical Geography"a triumph for its author, and for the Studies in Imperialism series ..."Prof Ashley Jackson, review in Journal of Southern African Studies, 36 (4) (2010) p. 966

• 1. IntroductionPART 1 LOOKING UP2. Ideas and initiatives3. Empire airway pioneering4. Conferring and agitatingPART 2 TALKING UP5. Organising Empire civil aviation6. Route reconnaissance7. Propagating Empire aviationPART 3 HOLDING UP8. Trunk route development9. Route organisation10. Eastern crescent11.African arcPART 4 SHORING UP12. Arguing about Imperial Airways13. Reconfiguring Empire aviation14. Transformation15. Conclusion