Famous first flights: sixteen dramatic adventures

Description

"Within this classic volume are the tales, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs behind some of the most spectacular and breathtaking aerodynamic feats of early twentieth century aviation. Recounted firsthand from the annals of history, Famous First Flights will lift readers directly from the pages and into the action. Join the exhilarated crowd as they watch French flying ace Louis Bleriot make the first air journey over water in 1909. Be on the ground in Paris to welcome Lindbergh and his magnificent The Spirit of St. Louis upon the landing of the first solo transatlantic flight. Hold your breath with Ross Macpherson Smith and his crew on their infamously trouble-plagued trek from London to Australia in 1919. And relive the excitement and awe experienced 'round the world as 'The Magellans of the Air' completed the first circumnavigation of the globe via air in 1965. In these and thirteen other accounts of jaw-dropping feats, celebrated aviators Lowell Thomas and Lowell Thomas Jr. deliver another must-have volume in the Explorers Club Classic Series. With over forty photographs and new updates on ballooning and space flights, Famous First Flights is must-have compendium for every arm-chair pilot and aviation enthusiast"--;Foreword to the 2004 Edition / by Buzz Aldrin -- Foreword to the 2016 Edition / by Richard and Owen Garriott -- Introduction to the 2016 Edition / by Ted Janulis -- Prologue: A Word Before the Takeoff -- A 22-Mile Flight that Startled the World -- Alcock and Brown Fly the Atlantic -- Halfway Around the World -- Kelly and Macready Ride a Hudson Bay High -- The Magellans of the Air -- Mr. Cobham Flies to Cape Town -- A Spaniard Flies the South Atlantic -- The Race to the North Pole -- Lindbergh Flies Alone -- The Wilkins-Eielson Trans-Arctic Flight -- The Saga of the Southern Cross -- Byrd, Balchen, June, and McKinley Fly over the South Pole -- "Pang" Flies the Pacific -- From Moscow to the U.S.A. via the North Pole -- First Across the Antarctic from Africa to Australasia -- Around the World by Way of Both Poles -- Epilogue: A Salute to Those Who Failed.