Well if you want a good book on such matters, I have to recommend "Beyond the Blue Horizon" by Alexander Frater. It's a bit old now but still very relevant. Alex is a fellow old airliner buff over here in London, and also a prominent journalist. About 20 years ago he set off from London for Australia, stopping at every point that the old Imperial Airways flying boat service did on the same route in the mid 1930s. He constantly draws comparisons between the old (having dug out many books of the time) and his current journey. I see it's on e-books now, though I still prefer the traditional print format; my copy is really smashed up now because I always take it with me when heading to any of the points along the way he did.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterston...ook29/8700399/