In August 1947 in the highest of the High Andes one of the earliest long-haul passenger aircraft, a Lancastrian called "Star Dust", disappeared en route to Santiago, Chile. It left behind only questions: was it sabotage; was there a hoard of gold on board; and what was the meaning of the radio operator's mysterious final message before the airwaves fell silent? Only with the discovery of the wreckage by two Argentinian climbers in January 2000 could those questions at last begin to be answered.
'Star Dust Falling' is the story of those on board that pioneering aircraft and of the ramshackle airline - British South American Airways - which sent them to their deaths. Run by an austere but charismatic Australian war hero newly arrived from Bomber Command, BSAA recruited its flying crew almost entirely from among ex-bomber pilots. The fleet of converted Lancaster bombers operated on a shoestring, regularly flying without fuel reserves or access to adequate weather forecasts. The result was that it became one of the most dangerous airlines in the western world.
In this fascinating and compelling account, Jay Rayner recreates the events surrounding the loss of "Star Dust" and its discovery fifty years later, piecing together the lives of the characters involved: the Chilean-Palestinian passenger with a diamond stitched into the lining of his suit; the King's Messenger with his bag full of diplomatic secrets; the crew of fearless pilots working in unbelievably strenuous conditions; the Argentinian climbers who risked their lives to find the wreck, and the Argentinian military men who declared war on one another in an attempt to claim the credit.
Combining the glamour of the early days of long-haul flight with the solving of one of aviation's greatest mysteries, 'Star Dust Falling' is an exhilarating and moving read.
