On the eve of the centennial of the Wright brothers' historic flights at Kitty Hawk, a new generation will learn about the other man who was once hailed worldwide as the conqueror of the air--Alberto Santos-Dumont. Because the Wright brothers worked in secrecy, word of their first flights had not reached Europe when Santos-Dumont took to the skies in 1906. The dashing, impeccably dressed inventor entertained Paris with his airborne antics--barhopping in a little dirigible that he tied to lampposts, circling above crowds around the Eiffel Tower, and crashing into rooftops. A man celebrated, even pursued by the press in Paris, London, and New York, Santos-Dumont dined regularly with the Cartiers, the Rothschilds, and the Roosevelts. But beneath his lively public exterior, Santos-Dumont was a frenzied genius tortured by the weight of his own creation.Wings of Madness chronicles the science and history of early aviation and offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an extraordinary and tormented man, vividly depicting the sights and sounds of turn-of-the-century Paris. It is a book that will do for aviation what The Man Who Loved Only Numbers did for mathematics.

Spacecraft Technology: The early years charts the fascinating story of the early Space Age, encompassing the launch of the first satellites and the landing of men on the Moon. While concentrating on the most significant technology developments, it places them in the context of historical events, specific missions and the individuals that made it all happen. Following a chapter on the pre-history of space exploration and another on the development of rocketry, the book covers the early development of space science satellites, Earth observation satellites, communications satellites, lunar probes and manned space capsules. Three chapters are dedicated to the hardware designed for the Apollo programme and its role in transporting men to the Moon, landing them there and transporting them across the lunar surface. Spacecraft Technology: The early years is aimed at scientists and engineers with an interest in the history of space activity and the general reader who enjoys delving into the background of modern technology.

The book tells the story of the R38/ZR2 airship which broke in half and crashed into the River Humber in Hull England. It also tells the fictitious love story of a local girl and one of the American crew.

Two pioneer balloonists, Tom Gatch in 1974 and Larry Newman in the early 1990s, led widely reported stratospheric expeditions that nearly earned them a place in aviation history. They both used pressurized balloons, a dangerous and sophisticated type of aircraft, and sought the swift wind of the jet stream to carry them forward.

In the first story, a determined, self-financed and self-reliant Tom Gatch in his Light Heart tries to become the first man to conquer the Atlantic Ocean alone by balloon. Ascending under a 10-balloon cluster, he makes it halfway across before disappearing, and the Department of Defense mounts a massive but futile mid-ocean search. What happened to him? Why did he do it?

In the second story, Larry Newman leads an international crew in Earthwinds, the most expensive and heavily marketed balloon expedition ever undertaken, attempting to become the first to fly around the world non-stop. He often said that his 354-foot tall aircraft was more complicated to fly than the Space Shuttle. He makes three ascents, each with a different crew.

With amusing, anguishing and astonishing frankness, the aeronautical adventures of Light Heart and Earthwinds are presented for the first time from a true insider's perspective.

The invention of the airplane redefined the way in which people travel, conduct commerce, spend their leisure time, and wage war. From the Wright brothers' wood-and-fabric Flyer to the modern jet aircraft, the airplane has evolved in countless ways as its many uses have unfolded. The development of safe and efficient air travel required solving multiple engineering riddles about aerodynamics, control, propulsion, and structures. This volume in the Greenwood Technographies series shows how the solutions to these riddles have helped spur dramatic changes in the world's social and cultural life. Airplanes: The Life Story of a Technology: Shows both students and general readers how the airplane has become such an integral part of daily life Shows how the airplane altered military doctrine, completely changing how modern wars are fought and won Demonstrates the importance of govenrment and society in the aeronautical revolution of the 1920s and 1930s Examines the new revolution of jet engines that required new ideas in airplane propulsion and design Discusses the commercial airlines and the effect of economic deregulation. The volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a selected bibliography of useful resources for further information.

British-Australian university dropout Michael Smith built a multimillion-dollar business fitting out movie theatres around the world, before restoring Melbourne's Sun Theatre and becoming one of the last independent cinema operators. After a business deal went bad, and shaken by how close he had come to being wiped out, Smith took an even bigger risk: to become the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane, retracing the 1938 Qantas, Imperial and Pan Am flying boat routes between Sydney, Southampton and New York. With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny single-engine flying boat, the Southern Sun, Smith risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a journey up the Mississippi - Huck Finn-style - landing on the river and sleeping on sandbanks at night. He made eighty stops on his flight around the globe, exploring cities and communities, as well as visiting some seventy cinemas. All along the way Smith was updating his online journal, cheered on by more than 50,000 followers. Smith's historic flight lasted seven months, and took him from Australia to East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Crete, Croatia, Italy, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the United States, Japan and the Philippines, before finally returning to Australia. This is the incredible true story of his journey.

This work analyzes the evolution of the U.S. strategic air force from 1945 to 1955. As commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1948 through 1955, Curtis LeMay shaped U.S. strategic forces to survive the new world. He insisted that the Air Force have access to atomic energy information for strategic planning. He struggled to find, promote, and retain the most qualified pilots and support personnel in the Air Force. This work describes the evolution of Air Force strategic forces, describes the importance of personnel to the SAC mission and how LeMay addressed the problem, examines the development of specialized maintenance in SAC, traces the transition from the B-47 to the B-52, and explores the importance of intelligence and targeting.

Mayday Mayday
Aircraft Crashes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1920-2000
Jeff Wadley and Dwight McCarter
Since the dawn of aviation, more than fifty aircraft have crashed in the Great Smoky Mountains. This book details all of those known incidents from 1920 to 2000, including those that occurred within the area before the establishment of the National Park in 1934. Jeff Wadley and Dwight McCarter, who have been involved in search-and-rescue missions in the Smokies for decades, have researched official documents and newspaper archives and conducted extensive interviews with survivors, family members, and eyewitnesses to record not only tragedies but also triumphs of survival.
The authors tell how the earliest known plane crashes in the Smokies were of the single-engine Curtis "Jenny" biplanes flown by young air aces during the World War I era. In the years since, the Smokies have claimed private planes, military jets, helicopters, and even a hot air balloon. These disasters arose from numerous causes--from fuel depletion and icing to "dare-deviling" or simply flying too low. Wadley and McCarter attest to the difficult duties of search-and-rescue teams in the most remote areas of the park. Of 127 persons involved in crashes, only 56 survived. Readers will be touched by these accounts--such as that of two small children who survived a December 1977 crash that killed their father and older sister.
Mayday Mayday offers both cautionary tales for pilots who fly above these ridges and seasoned advice to those who search for victims. The Smokies have been called by some another Bermuda Triangle; this book explains why and reminds us that no skies are entirely friendly.
The Authors: Jeff Wadley is a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Civil Air Patrol who serves as a mission coordinator and trainer in the Smokies.
Dwight McCarter served as a backcountry ranger in the park for over twenty years and is the author of Lost A Ranger's Journal of Search and Rescue in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.