William Langhorne Bond (November 12, 1893- July 17, 1985) From 1931 until 1948 he was operations manager and vice-president of China National Aviation Corporation (First for Curtiss-Wright Corp, then Pan Am).
real-life saga of the flying band of brothers who opened the skies over China in the years leading up to World War II--and boldly safeguarded them during that conflict--China's Wings is one of the most exhilarating untold chapters in the annals of flight.

At the center of the maelstrom is the book's courtly, laconic protagonist, American aviation executive William Langhorne Bond. In search of adventure, he arrives in Nationalist China in 1931, charged with turning around the turbulent nation's flagging airline business, the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC).

China's Wings (2012) really does live up to its title "War, Intrigue, Romance, and Adventure in the Middle Kingdom During the Golden Age of Flight". Written with novelistic techniques I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. At the same time it is a serious history by a professionally trained historian who spent 8 (?) years working on it, complete with extensive footnotes (and reliable, I checked some). Finally it's a tribute to a small and little known but important part of the American involvement in China during the 1930s and 40s. I learned a lot about the Sino-Japanese War which I knew little about; about DC-2s and DC-3s and the early development of airline industry; a history of Pan American's Clipper line which was the first to cross the Pacific with commercial flights; the first commercial airliner in history to be shotdown; new perspectives on flying "The Hump" including a great story of survival. And so on, so many stories. Really this is much more than a history of China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) though it plays the center role (along with William Langhorne Bond) it's a grand sweeping drama. ( )

It's a novel first...an incredible story. Secondly, this is a missing chapter from your history books. Amazing detail, it's a puzzle of politics, people and adventure you get to unravel... If you are not a history buff, don't worry. The impact of CNAC on China (and the world) is thoroughly explained. Because of all the primary sources, Crouch gives the reader an intimate view of the time, place and people. His writing takes you there, into each scene and pulls you along. Bond has earned his place in history, as have all the pilots who stood behind his vision. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, aviation, politics, China, true-adventure, or who just wants to read a great book! ( )