EVERYTHING BUT THE FLAK

Martin Caidin takes off this time in a B-17 Flying Fortress on what is likely to remain the world's last Transatlantic B-17 formation flight. Columbia Pictures needed three Fortresses in England for a film version of John Hersey's The War Lover. Nothing in this film matched the wackiness, adventure, wining, wenching, brawling and wrangling with officials and Interpol that Caidin's cageful of Errol Flynns went through to meet their contract on time. Prominent among them are Greg Broad, an Australian ace who rebuilds planes, and John Crewdson, a British ace who stunt flies and wrecks planes for the movies. They cannibalize the airplane graveyards of the world and assemble B-17's out of standing junk. This feat over, the planes are flown to England with ace Caidin (shooting down his 43rd book) as amanuensis of the alcohol. It is 16 days of flying with scotch in the wingtanks, fogbound low-level ocean flight, burning engines, berserk instruments, perilous landings, disasters, constant entertainment and a camaraderie that laughs at a $600 tab at Maxim's in Lisbon. Obstreperous entertainment.