The Flight Of The Century

In late May 1927 an inexperienced and unassuming 25-year-old Air Mail pilot from rural Minnesota stunned the world by making the first non-stop transatlantic flight. A spectacular feat of individual daring and collective technological accomplishment, Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris ushered in America's age of commercial aviation. In The Flight of the Century, Thomas Kessner takes a fresh look at one of America's greatest moments, explaining how what was essentially a publicity stunt became a turning point in history. He vividly recreates the flight itself and the euphoric reaction to it on both sides of the Atlantic, and argues that Lindbergh's amazing feat occurred just when the world--still struggling with the disillusionment of WWI--desperately needed a hero to restore a sense of optimism and innocence. Kessner also shows how new forms of mass media made Lindbergh into the most famous international celebrity of his time, casting him in the role of a humble yet dashing American hero of rural origins and traditional values. Much has been made of Lindbergh's personal integrity and his refusal to cash in on his fame. But Kessner reveals that Lindbergh was closely allied with, and managed by, a group of powerful businessmen--Harry Guggenheim, Dwight Morrow, and Henry Breckenridge chief among them--who sought to exploit aviation for mass transport and massive profits. Their efforts paid off as commercial air traffic soared from 6,000 passengers in 1926 to 173,000 passengers in 1929. Kessner's book is the first to fully explore Lindbergh's central role in promoting the airline industry--the rise of which has influenced everything from where we live to how we wage war and do business. The Flight of the Century sheds new light on one of America's fascinatingly enigmatic heroes and most transformative moments.

Whether you are an aviation enthusiast, history buff, or air traveller, don't miss the third in a series of photo essays on aviation in Canada, covering almost 100 years of flight by Canadians. Dramatic visuals accompany each step of aviation's advances, from Canada's first military aircraft to the Harvard II, from the earliest bush planes to the Bombardier Global Express. This comprehensive history showcases 50 aircraft. Whether famous or forgotten, all were designed, built, and/or flown by Canadians.

Lavishly illustrated and richly told, using the full resources of the Canada Aviation Museum — Canadian Wings is a stunning tribute to the men, machines and daredevil achievements of Canadian flight. This book gives a full and copiously illustrated account of how powered flight developed during its first century in Canada, as well as the contribution that Canadians made to the wider story of flight in the world. Canadian Wings draws on the unparallelled collections of the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, for its nearly 200 images including archival photographs, paintings, and memorabilia. It features the artworks of Robert Bradford, former director of the Museum, and Dan Patterson, photographer and author of several aviation books. Combined with compelling history and colourful anecdote, this beautifully illustrated book will give readers a new appreciation of how northern wings have helped to build, defend, and explore this vast nation, and to project its image abroad.

On December 17, 1903, on the windswept beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright piloted the world's first powered flight, in one of the most famous moments in history. Within a few short years, airplanes of various designs were lifting into the air over Europe and America. Soon, the entire world was caught up in the fevered advance of flight and airplanes, Zeppelins, autogyros and helicopters were making the world a much smaller place. To celebrate the first full century of powered flight premier aviation historian Christopher Chant and world-famous illustrator John Batchelor have joined forces to showcase an astonishing march of progress. From the early experiments of gliderman Otto Lilienthal to the moon walk of Neil Armstrong, it has indeed been A Century of Triumph. From the golden age of Zeppelins to the extreme design experiments of World War II to the fierce modernism of supersonic fighter jets, A CENTURY OF TRIUMPH demonstrates the full richness of mankind's flying craft. In addition to Batchelor's illustrations, the book features never-before-published vintage watercolour posters of pre-World War I aviation races and a treasure trove of photographs. Chant's text combines full histories of the planes themselves with biographical essays on some of the great figures of the twentieth century: the Barnstormers, Igor Sikorsky, Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, and the Apollo XVII astronauts, among others. A CENTURY OF TRUMPH is a visual and factual feast for anyone who marvels at the majesty of flying.

All technologies differ from one another. They are as varied as humanity's interaction with the physical world. Even people attempting to do the same thing produce multiple technologies. For example, John H. White discovered more than l 1000 patents in the 19th century for locomotive smokestacks. Yet all technologies are processes by which humans seek to control their physical environment and bend nature to their purposes. All technologies are alike. The tension between likeness and difference runs through this collection of papers. All focus on atmospheric flight, a twentieth-century phenomenon. But they approach the topic from different disciplinary perspectives. They ask disparate questions. And they work from distinct agendas. Collectively they help to explain what is different about aviation - how it differs from other technologies and how flight itself has varied from one time and place to another. The importance of this topic is manifest. Flight is one of the defining technologies of the twentieth century. Jay David Bolter argues in Turing's Man that certain technologies in certain ages have had the power not only to transform society but also to shape the way in which people understand their relationship with the physical world. "A defining technology," says Bolter, "resembles a magnifying glass, which collects and focuses seemingly disparate ideas in a culture into one bright, sometimes piercing ray." 2 Flight has done that for the twentieth century.

Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight lets pilots of all ages and abilities experience history in the cockpit of such famous planes as the Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Douglas DC-3. This official strategy guide, written with the full cooperation of Microsoft Game Studios, will help you deepen your knowledge and enjoyment of every aspect of flight, whether you're trying to land that Comet in a crosswind or request take-off clearance from ATC so you can get that 737 full of passengers to Chicago on time. Inside you'll find: Detailed specifications, statistics and flying tips for all the historical and modern aircraft. Exciting flight challenges so you can apply concepts and techniques, such as difficult navigation and approach procedures. Thorough coverage of all flight aspects, from taxi and takeoff, to in-flight navigation, to approaches and landings. Fun role-playing scenarios that let you become a bush pilot, airline pilot, or aerobatic pilot. Details on the Flight Simulator community, with dozens of great add-ons and Internet resources. Exclusive designer tips straight from the Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2004 team.

Collection of fiction, nonfiction and poetry on the topic of air travel.