Why a Booktrail?
1937: Flight of Dreams is a fiercely intimate portrait of the real people on board the last flight of the Hindenburg
Flight of Dreams
What you need to know before your trail
On the evening of May 3rd, 1937, ninety-seven people board the Hindenburg for its final, doomed flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Among them are a frightened stewardess who is not what she seems; the steadfast navigator determined to win her heart; a naive cabin boy eager to earn a permanent spot on the world’s largest airship; an impetuous journalist who has been blacklisted in her native Germany; and an enigmatic American businessman with a score to settle. Over the course of three hazy, champagne-soaked days their lies, fears, agendas, and hopes for the future are revealed.
Locations
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Frankfurt to New Jersey
The Hindenburg
On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany, for a journey across the Atlantic to Lakehurst’s Navy Air Base. It was a flying miracle – measuring some 804 feet and it carried 36 passengers and 61 crew.
The author takes the real life passenger list as the basis for her cast of characters, and weaves various theories for why the Hindenberg blew up and mixes fact and fiction to create a remarkably thrilling and atmospheric story.
Inside the Hindenburg
This was a sight to behold. A flying airship which was state of the art in its day. This was a real flying machine with ornate smoking rooms and lounges, gilded halls and smart furnishings. There is a range of characters on the ship
The ship left Frankfurt for a journey across the Atlantic to Lakehurst’s Navy Air Base. While attempting to moor at Lakehurst, the airship suddenly burst into flames and the hull of the airship incinerated within seconds. Thirteen passengers, 21 crewmen, and 1 civilian member of the ground crew lost their lives.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Flight of Dreams
Destination: Frankfurt, New Jersey Author/Guide: Ariel Lawhon Departure Time: 1937
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