Tom Swift and His Air Glider: Seeking the Platinum Treasure

The book opens with Tom trying with mixed success to get someone to go along with him and try out an airplane that he had recently been working on. After getting off to a good start and proving that his concept worked, the plane's engine died and Tom had to volplane back to earth. Upon checking for a problem, Tom found that his platinum-tipped spark plugs, due to the extremely bad quality platinum, had crystallized. Platinum, it seems, was becoming an ever-rarer commodity, and it was nearly impossible to get good quality samples of the metal. While Tom was wondering what he would do, a Russian who lived nearby came up to him and offered him a quantity of the metal he needed. Upon testing, Tom found that the platinum he had been given was of the highest grade. Excited, Tom asked the man where he had obtained it. The man told him that it came from a lost platinum mine in Russia that had been discovered when he and his brother (who was exiled in a Russian mine) were lost in the mountains. Later, the Russian authorities recaptured them and discovered the platinum ore samples they carried, but they were unable to find the lost mine. Tom immediately decided to go to Russia with this man, rescue the man's captive brother, and try to locate the platinum mine. To help their search for the mine (which was located in an area of extremely strong wind), Tom built a glider that used the wind to power the aircraft. With this new air glider stowed away in another aircraft of his, Tom, Mr. Damon, Ned, and the Russian went off to Russia. Did Tom make it to the mine? Did he rescue the man's brother? All these and more are answered in the book Tom Swift and his Air Glider. It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition of this timeless adventure.