So how do you test drive a Jumbo? And why did a civil aviation director once taxi a plane down Perth's main street to attend a ball?

From the ridiculous to the downright dangerous, the story of Australian aviation is full of tales of adventure and nation building. It is also a story about tragedy and eccentric characters with wild larrikin spirits. In this surprising, fascinating and sometimes very funny collection, Jim Eames brings together the great forgotten and untold tales of Australian aviation.

Jim Eames explains "This book came out of a desire to revisit events which have marked significant landmarks in Australian aviation, primarily since the Second World War. Some of these events, seen in isolation, might have been well recognised at the time, but the recollections of them have faded over the years. Others provide a sometimes surprising insight into Australia's involvement in aviation, both domestic and international. Others still have remained largely unknown."

Just some interesting facts include:

• Australia has experienced no less than five aircraft hijackings, the first of which occurred years before hijacking was to become established as the weapon of choice for terrorists

• All of the major oceans of the world, with the exception of the Atlantic, were first crossed by Australians