Flight: 100 Years of Aviation

This work presents a journey through a century of flight, capturing the spirit and excitement of aviation past and present, from the Wright brothers' first airborne attempts to the story behind the space race. Bone-jarring moments of flight with pioneers such as Orville Wright, Harriet Quimby and Roland Garros are presented, along with absorbing profiles of the key personalities and the planes they flew. Readers can follow the swift advances in aviation technology that took place with the onset of war, as supremacy in the skies became a crucial factor. Eyewitness accounts and images bring air reconnaissance, aerial bombing and spectacular "dogfights" to life. Adventurous fliers like Lindbergh and Earhart pushed the boundaries even further during the "golden age" of flight in the 1920s and 1930s. R.G. Grant describes how these trailblazers conquered transatlantic routes and paved the way for new luxury passenger jets. The book concludes with a glimpse into the future of flight: from anti-terrorist strategies to light aircraft, pilotless planes and space vacations.