Nevil Shute was a power & a pioneer in the world of flying long before he began to write the stories that made him a bestselling novelist. This autobiography charts Shute's path from childhood to his career as a gifted aeronautical engineer working at the forefront of the technological experimentation of the 1920s & 30s. The inspiration for many of the themes & concerns of Shute's novels can be identified in this enjoyable & enlightening memoir.