Floatplanes Over The Desert: The Adventures of French & British Naval Airmen Over Sea & Desert Sand 1914-1918

Ian M. Burns

Aug 2025 · Little Gully Publishing

About this ebook

This book chronicles the operations of the French Navy’s Aéronautique maritime and the British Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean between 1914 and 1918.

Operating in what was considered a ‘sideshow’ theatre far from the Western Front, these pioneering airmen developed critical techniques for naval aviation, performing vital intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and bombing raids deep behind enemy lines.

Celebrating the resilience and ingenuity of the pilots, observers and mechanics, the book sheds light on their significant, albeit often overlooked contribution to the Allied war effort.

About the author

Ian is a British author and aviation historian with a career rooted in aerospace engineering. He began his journey in aviation as an apprentice at Avro in Woodford, later working as a structural test engineer and structural repair specialist for aircraft in the UK and Canada.

After retiring in 2012, Burns turned his passion for aviation history into a full-time pursuit, focusing on early British naval aviation. His previous works include two books: a history of the seaplane carrier HMS Ben-my-Chree and a broader study of The RNAS and the Birth of the Aircraft Carrier 1914-1918. He has also contributed articles to numerous respected journals, including Aeroplane Monthly, Cross and Cockade International and Over the Front.