Popular Aviation Combined With Aeronautics

From 1918 to 1929 American aviation progressed through the pioneering era, establishing the pattern of its impact on national security, commerce and industry, communication, travel, geography, and international relations. In America, as well as on a global basis, society experienced a dramatic transformation from a two-dimensional world to a three-dimensional one. By 1929 aviation was poised at the threshold of a new epoch. Covering both military and civil aviation trends, Roger Bilstein's study highlights these developments, explaining how the pattern of aviation activities in the 1920s is reflected through succeeding decades. At the same time, the author discusses the social, economic, and political ramifications of this robust new technology. Aviation histories usually pay little attention to aeronautical images as an aspect of popular culture. Thoughtful observers of the 1920s such as Stuart Chase and Heywood Broun considered aircraft to be an encouraging example of the new technology-workmanlike, efficient, and graceful, perhaps representing a new spirit of international good will. Flight Patterns is particularly useful for its discussion of both economic and cultural factors, treating them as integrated elements of the evolving air age.

On 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, NC, the Wright brothers succeeded in achieving controlled flight in a heavier-than-air machine. This feat was accomplished by them only after meticulous experiments and a study of the work of others before them like Sir George Cayley, Otto Lilienthal, and Samuel Langley. The first evidence of the academic community becoming interested in human flight is found in 1883 when Professor J. J. Montgomery of Santa Clara College conducted a series of glider tests. Seven years later, in 1890, Octave Chanute presented a number of lectures to students of Sibley College, Cornell University entitled Aerial Navigation. This book is a collection of papers solicited from U. S. universities or institutions with a history of programs in Aerospace/Aeronautical engineering. There are 69 institutions covered in the 71 chapters. This collection of papers represents an authoritative story of the development of educational programs in the nation that were devoted to human flight. Most of these programs are still in existence but there are a few papers covering the history of programs that are no longer in operation. documented in Part I as well as the rapid expansion of educational programs relating to aeronautical engineering that took place in the 1940s. Part II is devoted to the four schools that were pioneers in establishing formal programs. Part III describes the activities of the Guggenheim Foundation that spurred much of the development of programs in aeronautical engineering. Part IV covers the 48 colleges and universities that were formally established in the mid-1930s to the present. The military institutions are grouped together in the Part V; and Part VI presents the histories of those programs that evolved from proprietary institutions.

More like a roller coaster than a plane, the general aviation business has soared, plunged, and risen again since its romantic takeoff in the Lindbergh era. This engaging closeup on the history and future of the general aviation industry will fascinate pilots, business aviation professionals, historians, and aviation enthusiasts of every ilk. 36 illustrations.