The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe, Pan Macmillan

A terrific tale of three pilots – based on the life of aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of renowned children’s book The Little Prince. We meet Antoine putting on an acrobatic air show in Paris, 1922, for his friends. His family are impoverished Lyons aristos, whose castle has “1000 too many rooms to heat”. When he falls in love with Louise de Vilmorin, she wants the Forces pilot to stop flying. He tries but “It’s like fish not thinking about sea.” Syria,1923. Veteran pilot Jean Mermoz is in charge of medical flights. Toulouse 1926. Antoine meets Henri Guillaumet, measured mail pilot, who introduces him to Mermoz. “The weaving of an invisible thread of friendship has begun.” The trio fly for Aeropostale, on dangerous new routes in North Africa and South America.