New Zealand's Long White Clouds have been the playground for 'flying machines' for over a hundred years. and Wri on Wings - Jim Hopkins' fascinating collection of aviation stories - brings together a selection of the best writing by and about Kiwis with wings.

Some did It purely for pleasure, and the challenge of a new and exciting technology - some made it their living, creating new occupations as topdressing pilots, taking incredible risks in old Tiger Moths. Others learned a life-changing skill that would see them defending their home- land from afar, in the dangerous and bloody skies over Europe and the Pacific during the World Wars.

In a unique historical overview of aviation In New Zealand, Words on Wings includes tales from the age of pioneering balloonists and Richard Pearse, the lonely genius from Waitohi, through to the wartime exploits, of Alan Deere and Jimmy Ward VC. Much-loved classics, including Jean Batten's record breaking flight from England to Auckland sit alongside newly uncovered gems in one fascinating volume, to bring you the dramatic, courageous and often funny stores of the incredible men and women who helped create a legacy of flying Kiwis.