Red Tail Skies A big book of Qantas Stories

Heroic, hilarious and sometimes just plain weird . . . Jim Eames shares great Qantas stories from World War II to the age of the jumbo and beyond.

'These are stories of passion and dedication, of risk and resilience, of excellence and Australian larrikinism, of inventiveness and determination.' Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny on The Flying Kangaroo

'Jim Eames captures the experiences of a small band of brave, professional and pioneering aircrew who confronted the dangers of war.' Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd) on Courage in the Skies

First published as the best-selling Courage in the Skies and The Flying Kangaroo


From the challenges of its earliest days to the significant but little known involvement in Australia's World War II campaigns and its surge into the jet age and beyond, these are the stories of the men and women, the risk takers and the characters who shaped Qantas.

Generous and richly told, Red Tail Skies is a warm-hearted reminder of why Qantas remains so important in the Australian psyche. It is the story of how a uniquely Australian style shaped the safest airline in the world.

Jim Eames has been involved in aviation since he began work as an aviation writer in the 1960s. He has been a ministerial press secretary and aviation adviser to governments and a senior executive with Qantas. The author of eight books including Taking to the Skies, The Flying Kangaroo and Courage in the Skies, he has lived and breathed aviation. He also tells a great yarn.