Fortune favours the bold

By Donald L. Van Dyke

Subjects: law, Command Airways, Air travel, Airlines, South African Airways, History, Comair Limited, air commerce

Description: They boldly sought their destiny in the skies. Know the true story of Comair Ltd, one of aviation’s greatest successes, set in the exciting background of the African continent. By mastering “the art of bonding brand promise and delivery”, Comair is the most consistently profitable air commerce group in the world, recently announcing its 63rd consecutive year of operating profit! Its set many records, earning many awards including the first British Airways franchise outside Europe. Fortune Favours the Bold offers a fascinating insight into the beginnings and growth of this extraordinary aviation enterprise. It is heavily illustrated and interspersed with capsule commentaries on life in Southern Africa over the past 65 years, often coinciding with the region’s most tumultuous and significant periods. From roots in World War II campaigns in East and North Africa and the early post-war era, through Cold War turmoil, rising liberation struggles and international isolation to today’s evolving democracy, this account traces Comair’s role in the evolution of air commerce in southern Africa and beyond. The book has its share of bizarre and amusing moments, and debunks a number of myths and mysteries. Through it all, Comair’s history reflects the diversity of African experience. This book is one of the best records of an aviation company ever produced. It will be of interest to aviation and military historians, students of business, commercial law and political science, owners and operators of aircraft and anyone drawn to Africa’s mystique.