Winged Gospel (01 Edition)

Exploring these early years of aviation, Joseph Corn describes the fascinating, and often bizarre, plans for the future of manned flight and brings back to life the famous and lesser-known aviators who became American heroes.

Corn (history, Stanford U.) describes the development of American aviation and the enthusiastic, romantic, and often utopian response that this major new technology inspired, particularly during the period from 1910 to 1950. An epilogue discusses subsequent technological utopianism. Originally published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1983.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

From the day when two bicycle mechanics made the first flight at Kitty Hawk until the end of World War II, Americans invested extraordinary hope in airplanes, expecting them to revolutionize daily life and transform the world. For many, the flying machine became a virtual god. Exploring these early years of aviation, Joseph Corn describes the fascinating, and often bizarre, plans for the future of manned flight (including the Depression-era dream of an airplane in every garage) and brings back to life the famous and lesser-known aviators who became American heroes--Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Calbraith P. Rodgers, and many others. Rich in colorful detail, The Winged Gospel: America's Romance with Aviation provides a vivid picture of America in the first half of the century and the exuberant and often utopian response to a major new technology.