A Railroad from the Sky

Words on Wings Press is proud to announce new editions of ALL NINE of Don McVicar’s exciting aviation memoirs as sleek and easy-to-read Kindle e-books.

This is the FIRST TIME these volumes are all available in the same format, known as the Streamlined Edition.

Fun fact about e-books; they are also searchable databases! Better than an index, simply type in the name of an airplane, person or place for the full value of the content to be revealed. This is a real boon to aviation historians and other aficionados of the numerous types of now-classic aircraft McVicar flew and wrote of so brilliantly.

A Railroad from the Sky was Don McVicar’s first book to be entirely self-published and printed upon demand.

McVicar was deeply disappointed when his publisher, Airlife in England, declined to accept his book A Railroad from the Sky, saying it was “too Canadian.” They had also refused to run a second edition of his 1981 book, Ferry Command, after the first edition sold out. Showing the same determination and perseverance that had kept him and his aircrews alive during his many thousands of miles aloft as a Captain/Navigator in the Royal Air Force Ferry Command, he figured out a way to self-publish his books on demand. This was quite a feat considering this was 1990 and self-publishing was not usually an option for authors. He began by dividing Ferry Command into its two logical halves, adding new material to both, and having a Montreal printing company comb-bind the photocopies of the master pages he’d printed out on his dot-matrix printer into Ferry Command Pilot or South Atlantic Safari as soon as an order came in.

He knew there was a story of historical significance in the building of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway for the purpose of extracting iron ore from wild and rugged country hundreds of miles from civilization. He knew this because he and his fledgling World-Wide Airways helped to build it. McVicar and his business partner Doug Siple even discovered an abandoned Avro Lancaster in Gander, Newfoundland, and converted the ominous-looking bomber into an instrument of peace. This was the first four-engine charter aircraft in Canada, and it served to deliver thousands of gallons of fuel oil and tons of cement to the construction sites of the railroad. But even before WWA was hired to work on the railroad project, McVicar came up with a bold idea to transport fuel oil up north using a Consolidated PBY5A Canso amphibious flying boat; but not in barrels. Instead, he figured that 730 gallons of oil could be stored in the Canso’s right wing’s tank. Having flown this type of aircraft many thousands of miles across the North Atlantic, McVicar knew one reason for its long range was its huge gas tanks in its massive parasol wing.

But this book is not all about four engines and fuel oil! The romance between Don and his sexy and adventurous girlfriend (and then wife) continues as she continues to be his favorite copilot, flying many thousands of miles together in their single-engine Bonanza, including over the Canadian Rockies at 10,000 feet!

Tragedy, triumph, romance and McVicar’s unique adventures with aircraft are woven through an important chapter in Canadian history.

A Railroad from the Sky went out of print with the passing of Don McVicar in 1997; now for the first time its exciting stories are back for all to enjoy!