Mosquito Racer

Words on Wings Press is happy 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.

Mosquito Racer was first published as a hardcover book in 1985 by Airlife in England, and follows A Change of Wings, when Royal Air Force Ferry Command Captain/Navigator Don McVicar begins a new post-war career in commercial aviation. After seven months as Chief Pilot for the brand-new British West Indian Airways, and upon return to Canada, a sketchy business venture involving a float plane and the fur trade, McVicar sets up an office in Montreal to help his fellow Ferry Commanders and other pilots find gainful employment doing what they’re good at: flying airplanes. In 1946, his new venture, World-Wide Aviation Agencies & Sales began to ferry aircraft using these same talented airmen, but for companies such as Canadair and airlines such as KLM and Swissair; fifteen countries total.

Along the way, McVicar purchases a couple of Dakotas (also known as DC-3s or C-47s) in England which he intends to turn into charter aircraft; one major problem: the Canadian Government has made Trans-Canada Airlines its “Chosen Instrument” meaning entrepreneurs such as World-Wide are forbidden to compete for the best routes. It’s from about this time onward that McVicar begins to realize that he lacks the powerful alliances in Ottawa that are necessary for success in Canadian aviation.

Interesting stories arise from his association with Beechcraft as Walter Beech agrees to McVicar becoming Canadian distributor of the brand-new V-tail Bonanza; WWA pilots also ferried numerous Bonanzas to South America and Europe. His favorite co-pilot was his sexy and adventurous girlfriend Loretta, who had entered his life to become a major character in A Change of Wings. But there’s another character who carries out a dastardly deed that shakes the blunt, honest McVicar to his core.

During the war, McVicar had ferried several de Havilland Mosquitoes and had become fond of the fast bomber known as the Wooden Wonder despite its challenging nature. After attending the National Air Races with Loretta, he came up with the wild idea to purchase a Mossie and race it in the cross-country Bendix Trophy speed dash of 1948. How all of that went down is well-told with McVicar’s penchant for making the reader feel like he or she is crammed into the crowded cockpit with the author.

This is the first time since Mosquito Racer went out of print that its thrilling story has been available!