Rider in the Sky : How an American Cowboy Built England's First Airplane

by HULLS, JOHN R.WEITZMAN, DAVID

• ISBN13: 9780375911064
• ISBN10: 0375911065
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-04-01
• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary

Samuel Cody grew up on the western frontier, a true American cowboy. With nerves of steel and dauntless courage, he would be one of the first to cross another frontier: the frontier of flight. As a young boy Samuel Cody was fascinated with kites. Living in England years later, Cody created the first kites strong and big enough to carry a man high into the air. Like the Wrights and other early aviators, Cody was determined to build an airplane. He faced not only the technological hurdles of his day, but the apathy of the British military. Against these obstacles, Cody used his ingenuity, his skill, and a great deal of daring to create England's first airplane in 1908. His is an inspirational story of American willpower and determination. From the Hardcover edition.

Author Biography

<b>John Hulls</b> learned to fly when he was a teenager and has been flying ever since. A scientist, he works on planes, race cars, and other things with wings.<br><b>David Weitzman</b> has shown his talents for depicting mechanical wonders in many books, including <i>Model T.: How Henry Ford Built a Legend</i>, which he also wrote.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>

Table of Contents

Introduction	iv
All the World's a Stage	1	(5)
Bigger Kites	6	(7)
Meanwhile...Kites, Krakatoa, and Cold, Cold Weather	11	(2)
Understanding the Wind	13	(9)
The Cowboy Meets the Colonels	22	(9)
Meanwhile...Sparks, Steel, and Structures	29	(2)
Aldershot and America	31	(7)
Second to None?	38	(10)
There'll Always Be an England	48	(7)
Meanwhile...Power, Performance, and Perfume	53	(2)
Turmoil and Triumph	55	(7)
Fliers or Liars?	62	(6)
Meanwhile...One Good Turn...	66	(2)
Wright or Wrong?	68	(7)
Vindication?	75	(4)
Flights to Fame	79	(4)
Winning on the Wind	83	(6)
Farnborough and the Tree	89	(3)
Appendix A: A Life Full of Airplanes	92	(4)
Appendix B: Significant Moments in Early Flight: From Daedalus to Delayed in Dallas	96	(4)
Author's Note, Acknowledgments, and Selected Sources	100	(3)
Index	103