Aviation : An Historical Survey from Its Origins to the End of the Second World War

by GIBBS-SMITH CHARLES H.

• ISBN13: 9781900747523
• ISBN10: 1900747529
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Michigan State Univ Pr

Summary

In this classic account, Charles Gibbs-Smith traces the story of aviation from the invention of the kite in China to the beginnings of the jet age. In particular, the book gives a lovingly reconstructed account of the experiments, disasters and successes in many countries which culminated in the achievement of a genuine flying machine by the Wright brothers in the United States. A large part of Gibbs-Smith's story also covers the early years of aviation before 1914. This period, rich in eccentric characters and extraordinary efforts, laid the foundation for future progress. The second edition of Gibbs-Smith's authoritative text, out of print for many years, is here republished with a number of new illustrations. It will delight a new generation of aviation enthusiasts.

Author Biography

Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith, who died in 1981, was a Research Fellow at the Science Museum, London.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 4
Preface to Second Edition	p. 6
Prologue	p. 7
Dreams, myths and devices	p. 11
From classical antiquity to the end of the sixteenth century	p. 15
The seventeenth century	p. 21
The eighteenth century	p. 24
Cayley, and the first half of the nineteenth century	p. 34
The 1850s and 1860s	p. 46
The 1870s	p. 56
The 1880s	p. 66
The powered prelude to practical flying: 1890-1903	p. 72
The gliding prelude to practical powered flying	p. 89
The Wright brothers and the invention of the practical aeroplane: 1899-1905	p. 113
The beginnings of practical aviation in Europe: 1902-08	p. 127
The aeroplane as an accepted vehicle: 1909	p. 167
Practical powered flying: 1910-14	p. 183
The First World War: 1914-18	p. 207
Between the wars: the first period: 1919-29	p. 216
Between the wars: the second period: 1930-39	p. 231
The Second World War: 1939-45	p. 244
Table of powered flights	p. 256
Chronology	p. 263
Glossary	p. 275
Addenda	p. 283
Further reading	p. 288
Index	p. 289
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