So Away I Went!

by William B. Stout

Second Library Copy- San Diego Air and Space Museum.

Hardcover

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stout was an engineer, jack-of-all trades, and marketer all in one. He thought outside the box and brought innovation to many industries, aviation in particular with his work on metal aircraft. His story is an interesting one. He is, however, not terribly objective and thinks a little too highly of himself. Perhaps the most glaring example of motivated self interest is in his description of the development of the initial version of the Ford TriMotor. Ford, based on Stout's past performance, gave him a very free hand in designing the the 3-AT, which turned out to be very flawed and a disaster. Ford immediately demoted Stout after its first flights, but this is not mentioned in his autobiography. Indeed, he claims that the subsequent redesign was not as good as his. In brief, this volume is a good history, but needs to be read in conjunction with other sources on the subjects therein to get a complete understanding beyond the promotions of the author.