In honor of the 100th anniversary of the very first Tom Swift novels, the first 4 were rewritten to make them more accessible--and more appropriate--for today's readers. Racial slurs were replaced although the speech cadence of the only Black character was retained. Additional mechanical and science information was added and sentence structure was modernized and tightened.
In this 3rd novel, Tom Swift and his new friend, balloonist John Sharpe, whom he rescued from certain death in the second volume, finish constructing a new type of airship, part dirigible and part aeorplane. In it, they hope to travel all up and down the eastern coast of America. They are joined by Tom's older friend, Mr. Damon Wakefield but not before Andy Foger makes Tom's life very uncomfortable.
He reports seeing Tom coming from the site of a robbery, and when the young inventor and friends sail off into the sky, it only serves to make the police believe the spoiled teen's tale. The problem is, neither Tom nor his companions know about the police report.
They encounter angry people who want them captured and returned for questioning (and perhaps a reward), a raging inferno that nearly does them in, get shot at, and it is only when they return that Tom must help the authorities find the real culprits. And, they turn out to be old acquaintances!
