The amazing chronicle of our passion for the sky Flight– subject of poetry, art, scientific inquiry, and war– continues to fascinate us. From the days before ballooning to the development of the Boeing 777, flight has fired our imaginations and transformed our lives. Meticulously researched and filled with entertaining first-person anecdotes, little-known historical facts, and offbeat humor, A Brief History of Flight puts into context the social, political, and economic factors that have stoked ou passion for flight. You’ ll see how big business has helped the most daring– and expensive– inventions get off the ground, laugh at some of history’ s most bizarre flight attempts, and even get a rare peek inside some of the earliest passenger " flight kits."

Whether you’ re an aviation buff, a business reader, a technology watcher, or simply interested in flight, A Brief History of Flight will leave you wondering what the world of aviation can possibly do for an encore.Critical Praise for T. A. Heppenheimer

" Countdown is by far the best history of space flight I have ever read. It is detailed, lucidly written for the layman, and full of fascinating stories." – ADRIAN BERRY, Daily Telegraph, ON Countdown: A History of Space Flight" A lively account of the development of space activities in the U.S. and the Soviet Union . . . as good a one-volume overview of space as exists." – Scientific American ON Countdown: A History of Space Fli " With the precision of a scientist, a good reporter’ s marshaling of disparate facts, and the vigor of a natural storyteller, Heppenheimer offers an absorbingnarrative." – RICHARD SNOW, Editor, American Heritage, ON Turbulent Skies:

The History of Commercial Aviation

Heppenheimer—an aerospace engineer who has written several histories of aviation and space flight—recounts the events that led to developments in commercial and military aviation, explaining the economic and political forces that led to each invention's creation or demise. The book features biographies of key inventors, scientists, pilots, and businessmen, such as Germany's Red Baron, Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, and Chuck Yeager.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A narrative history of aviation covering all the key milestones, technological breakthroughs, and leading innovators and entrepreneurs from the dawn of balloon flight in 1783 to current innovations that offer a hopeful beginning for the world's third century of flight.

In this work, the aviation writer T.A. Heppenheimer captures the essence of man's eternal obsession with flight, in a narrative that carries readers from the dawn of flight to modern-day supersonic travel. Zeppelin, the Wright brothers, Lindburgh, Whittle and more - can all be found in this book.

The soaring chronicle of how man conquered the skies

Even in these days of frequent flying, the idea of flight still holds a special fascination in our minds. Now, acclaimed aviation writer T. A. Heppenheimer captures the essence of that eternal obsession with a thrilling narrative that carries readers from the dawn of flight to modern day travel. Along the way, readers will meet a host of colorful characters-brilliant innovators Howard Hughes and Bill Lear, Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen, and Jimmy Doolittle; plane builders Donald Douglas, William Allan, and Jack Northrup; entrepreneur Juan Trippe of Pan Am; and today's inventors Paul MacCready and Burt and Richard Rutan. No one who has ever been moved by the sight of a rising balloon, or watched in awe as a jumbo jet gracefully lifts off the tarmac will be able to resist this wonderful history of mankind's adventures in the air.

T.A. Heppenheimer (Fountain Valley, California), has written six books, including Countdown: A History of Space Flight and Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation. He holds a PhD in aerospace engineering and is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Aerospace.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 435-442) and index.