Wings: A History Of Aviation From Kites To The Space Age"A superb history of flying machines . . . the best one-volume analysis of the subject."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review The invention of the airplane ushered in the modern age—a new era of global commerce, revolutionary technologies, and total war. Whatever the practical consequences, the sheer exhilaration of flight captured the imagination. No longer bound to the surface of the earth, humans took the first steps on a journey that would eventually carry them to other worlds. Tom Crouch weaves the people, machines, and ideas of the air age into a compelling narrative. He tells how the enthusiasm of amateurs spawned an industry that determined the rise and fall of nations. Yet this is not a tale of unalloyed progress. Moments of exaltation were tempered by bitter disappointment and stark terror. Blind alleys were the price of technical progress. In the end, there is no more fascinating cast of characters than those who wrote history in the sky. Theirs is a fascinating story of realizing an extraordinary dream and riding it. |
Contents
Well Ned Its Wonderful | 3 |
Foundation Stones | 19 |
Talking to the Air | 54 |
The World Takes Wing 19041909 | 85 |
From Experiment to Industry 19091914 | 119 |
Into the Fight The Airplane at War 19141918 | 151 |
Laying the Foundation 19191927 | 195 |
Big Business 19271935 | 239 |
Toward New Horizons | 443 |
From Aviation to Aerospace 19452003 | 487 |
Cold War Hot War | 537 |
A World in the Air 19452003 | 592 |
Conclusion | 633 |
Glossary | 641 |
Notes | 649 |
Bibliography | 677 |
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aerial Aero aerodynamic aeronautical aerospace Air and Space Air Corps air power Air Service aircraft manufacturers airlines airmen airplane airports airship Atlantic attack aviation balloon became began biplane Blériot Boeing bomber bombing British brothers built carriers century Charles Charles Lindbergh combat Command commercial contract Corporation craft crew Curtiss Douglas early engine factory feet fighter firm flew flight flown flying boats flying machine Fokker France French German Glenn Glenn Curtiss glider helicopter Jack Northrop landing later launched Lindbergh Lockheed Louis Blériot Martin military missiles monoplane NACA National Air naval Northrop Office operations Orville Wright passengers percent pilot pioneer plane postwar president problems produced propeller quoted Sikorsky Smithsonian Institution Soviet Space Museum speed targets tion took transport U.S. Air Force U.S. Army U.S. Navy United Washington weapons Wilbur wing World World War II Wright brothers York Zeppelin