Experience the history of flight with the world-class aviation collection at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, which attracts millions and millions of visitors each year in Washington, D.C. 
From the moment the Wright Brothers first took flight in 1903 to the modern-day reliance on stealth aircraft and drones, there have been significant advances made in aviation. Milestones of Flight celebrates each era of advancements by showcasing the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's world-class aircraft collection. Authored by Dr. Robert van der Linden, a leading expert on aviation and Chairman of the Aeronautics Department at the NASM, this book is a stunning profile of the advancements in flight from decade to decade, illustrated with beautiful, large-scale photography and enhanced with little-known facts, anecdotes, and insights from major players in the aviation industry.
Climb inside the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis that Charles Lindbergh piloted solo across the Atlantic Ocean, making history. Contrast that with a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. The full-page photos of each milestone-making aircraft are accompanied by timelines to showcase related aircraft as well as sidebars with interesting and little-known facts, stories, and related research.
Milestone categories include:
- Era of Early Flight
- World War I First Fighters
- Long-Range Record-Setting Flight
- Popular Flight
- First Commercial Airliners
- World War II Aircraft
- Experimental Flight
- Cold War Military/Korean Conflict Aircraft
- Commercial Jets
- Modern Military Aircraft
What will the next milestone be?

Milestones of Flight: The Epic of Aviation with the National Air and Space Museum

History

Van Der Linden, Robert

Military

Zenith Press

The most impressive aircraft and spacecraft from the most popular museum in the world.    The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum hosts more than 9 million visitors a year, and the newly opened Dulles Center—three football fields long and ten stories high—is a phenomenon in it's own right: in the first week it was open, some 250,000 people came through the doors.     Best of the National Air and Space Museum features the best of both museums, from the Challenger space shuttle and the Wright flyer to the Spirit of St. Louis and the stealth bomber. Bob Van der Linden, curator of aeronautics, has selected the most historically important, popular, and just plain impressive aircraft and spacecraft from the collection of both museums. The ones he has selected from the Dulles Center will be seen here for the first time; before they were put on display, they were in a sprawling storage and restoration facility in Maryland. Over 300 photographs, including 100 two-page, full-color spreads, showcase these hand-picked items, and the text relates intriguing facts on each item's design, use, mission, specifications, and dimensions. It's like your own guided tour! 100 color photographs, 300 b/w photos and illustrations.

The Best of the National Air and Space Museum

Engineering & Transportation

Transportation

Smithsonian Inst. Pr.

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Books by Van Der Linden, Robert