THIS week we have a short story by renowned pulp author Frederick C. Davis. Davis is probably best remembered for his work on Operator 5 where he penned the first 20 stories, as well as the Moon Man series for Ten Detective Aces and several other continuing series for various Popular Publications. He also wrote a number of aviation stories that appeared in Aces, Wings and Air Stories.

This week’s story features that crack pilot for Tip Top News, the greatest gelatine newspaper that ever flashed on a silver screen—Nick Royce! Davis wrote twenty stories with Nick for Wings magazine from 1928-1931.

You’d think that once Tip Top News decided to acquire the Weekly News Reel, there wouldn’t be any more shenanigans when Nick and Art set out to get footage of the latest calamities—but you’d be wrong! Turns out, when you move up the ladder of success, there’s just a bigger more unscrupulous outfit making sure you don’t succeed. Maybe you expect that from the other outfit, but not from one of your own. Why that would be “Cloud Treason!”

From the February 1929 Wings, it’s Nick Royce in Frederick C. Davis’ “Cloud Treason!”

Nick Royce, sky-eatin’ newsreel pilot, is back again! And in tumbling skies he rides alone to bring traitor ships to showdown!

• Download “Cloud Treason” (February 1929, Wings)

THIS week we have a brief story by “Ace Williams.” I put his name in quotes because Galactic Central believes Ace to be a house pseudonym. Either way, what we have is a ripping good yarn and more on this house pseudonym after the story.

Andy Hart in his D.H.6 turns hand-springs across the sky in this battle-scarred, fast-moving, quick-shooting novelette of air thrills above the Fields of Flanders. This story is based on actual happenings of the Great War so the location has been disguised as Dieppe.

• Download “Devils of Dieppe” (January 1929, Flying Aces)

William’s “Devils of Dieppe” caused a stir with one reader which eventually led to the whole deal being revealed. “Devils of Dieppe” was published in the January 1929 issue of Flying Aces. A concerned reader had his letter published in the April 1929 issue’s Tailspins column.

“Ace’s” response followed Al’s Letter.

However, three months later in the July issue, the truth comes out in Ace William’s actual response to Al Thomas’ letter.

AGE OF ACES will be back at PulpFest again this year where we will be debuting our two new titles!

We’ll be premiering our two new books for 2026 at PulpFest as we usually do. And this year we have two more series volumes you can pick up for your aviation library!

First up we have a second volume of the further exploits of that madcap crew of a Handley Page bomber:

The Casket Crew Comes Back
by ARCH WHITEHOUSE

The Casket Crew’s unspoken code was a simple one: “One for all, and all for one!” Their loyalty was forged in a blazing, withering hell of bullets and steel and dynamite. It was fused and toughened in the cold wind of Death that breathed whenever they flew. On the ground their viewpoints were many-sided and conflicting; but when old No.7 hoiked her trucks from the uneven fi eld of the Independent Air Force at Cassel, the six men that rode along were merged into a perfect, frictionless unit of destruction known as The Casket Crew!

Arch Whitehouse ruled the pages of the air war pulps in the 1930’s. He drew upon his own experiences as a tail-gunner in the Royal Air Force to bring his colorful characters to life. The Casket Crew fl ew their Handley Page bomber through adventures in several magazines—Aces, Wings, War Birds and then back to Wings to fight WWII. This volume collects five more of their WWI adventures from the pages of Aces and Wings: Tracer Target (10/32), and Ambassadors from Hell (12/32); and three from Wings Magazine: The Casket Crew Comes Back (4/34), The Casket Crew Fights Back (7/34), and Highway to Hell (9/34). That’s 362 pages of hellbent for leather excitement for only $17!

That’s a great read!

Paired with this is the fourth and final volume of Donald E. Keyhoe’s Mad Marines—The Devildog Squadron—in five more Weird World War stories!

Devildog Squadron: Coils of the Cobra
by DONALD E. KEYHOE

“Cyclone Bill” Garrity and his Mad Marines match their planes—and their wills—against battalions of Boche baddies in the skies of Weird World War I, and the missions have never been madder: A German squadron that can seemingly be in two places at once; A revenge plot four years in the making; A vengeance-seeking villain in a gold mask that marks his victims with the sign of a cobra; Kamikaze falcons and the mystery of encoded hula-girl tatoos; An invisible wall around Paris that reaches into the sky; And 100-foot-long shells that can destroy entire aerodromes in one deadly shot. As the enemies’ coils draw tighter the action gets hotter for the 28th Pursuit Squadron in five thrilling adventures from the pen of Donald Keyoe, later author of The Flying Saucers are Real.

This fourth volume includes the final five adventures of those Mad Marines form Sky Birds Magazine: Satan’s Courier (3/35), Falcons of Fury (4/35), Coils of the Cobra (6/35), The Devil’s Dynamo (7/35), and Shells of Satan (9/35)!

Five great stories! It’s a shame there aren’t any more after this.

In addition to these new books, we’ll have all of our other titles on hand as well as our previous convention exclusive—Arch Whitehouse’s Coffin Kirk, and 2022’s two book set of Steve Fisher’s Sheridan Doome! So if you’re planning on coming to Pittsburgh for PulpFest this year, stop by our table and say hi and pick up our latest releases!

We hope we see you there!

THIS week we have Frank Sumner’s “Hell Birds” from the August 1929 Flying Ace!

The roar of propellers—the whistling of wind through the wires—the insane chatter of guns—furious breath-taking battle in the clouds! Fighting in the sky-lanes over the scarred fields of Flanders was a thrill to Hellbird—but Hellbird was grounded for disobeying orders! Could any ace with that moniker stay out of a fight?

• Download “Hell Birds” (August 1929, Flying Aces)