More than 150 never before published illustrations, complimented by an exhaustively researched text, document the little-known air war between Bolivia and Paraguay during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Full details of such aircraft as Fiat C.R. 20s, Curtiss Hawk IIs, Curtiss Ospreys, Potez 25s and all other types employed by both combatants, including acquisition, operations, and markings make this a must for historians, modelers, and anyone interested in golden-age aviation.

While volumes have been devoted to the legendary "Flying Tigers," the ultimate American Volunteer Group, another virtually unknown band of flyers preceded them in 1932. When Colombia and Peru became embroiled in what is known as the "Leticia Affair," a little-heralded arms race ensued. The Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation saw an opening and soon had not only sold the Colombians on an impressive assortment of aircraft types but also an American cadre to bridge the gap until their own crews were ready. Illustrated with rare contemporary illustrations, this books tells the fascinating story of these oft-forgotten men and the aircraft they flew.

Heralded by Brazilians as the 'Father of Flight', Alberto Santos-Dumont made the first of several spectacular flights in his lighter-than-air dirigible in France in 1901, two years before the Wright brothers' first fixed-wing flight in North Carolina. Though they are often overlooked, Santos-Dumont and others in Latin America played a key role in the development of aviation. This generously illustrated book tells their story. Written to complement the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's new permanent exhibit, America by Air, ""Conquistadors of the Sky"" celebrates the aviation achievements of twenty-one Latin American nations over the last 100 years - making this chronicle of heroic ventures and epic flights the best reference available on the subject.