Book Description

"If man were meant to fly, he'd have wings." Luckily, the intrepid pioneers of aviation didn't let that little detail stop them. Dedicated to the history of human flight, this richly illustrated retrospective spans centuries of innovation from the drawings of DaVinci to the daring deeds of John Glenn. Strap yourself in for a thrilling, sometimes bumpy ride as the uncertain attempts of the medieval period give way to the excitement of the Wright Brothers' advances and eventually the sophistication of the Space Shuttle. Whether warplanes, transport and tourism crafts, acrobatic machines, seaplanes or helicopters capture your imagination, you'll find every type of aircraft described in vivid detail. Marvel as technology leads to the development of convertiplanes, 21st century superfighters, and the controversial Concorde. You'll even glimpse the future of air travel with prototypes of commercial airliners yet to be produced by Airbus and Boeing.