Designed in secret by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman in 1928, the five Travel Air Type R "Mystery Ships," which were faster than any plane the U.S. military possessed, dominated the air racing circuit for several years. This heavily illustrated book examines the history of each of the five models of this wire-braced, low-wing, 235-mph racing airplane - and their colorful pilots, including Jimmy Doolittle, Frank Hawks and "Pancho" Barnes.