Aviation's Most Wanted

by Ruffin, Steven A.

• ISBN13: 9781574886740
• ISBN10: 1574886746
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-30
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

Ever since the caveman gazed longingly at the winged creatures above him, mankind has been enamored with the idea of flight'”of just taking off and soaring away. Steven A. Ruffin celebrates that spirit, that sense of wonder, with Aviation's Most Wanted'„¢: The Top 10 Book of Winged Wonders, Lucky Landings, and Other Aerial Oddities. With dozens of top-ten lists focusing on notable flights, memorable planes, famous and infamous aviators, aircraft combat, air travel'”even space travel'”and so much more, Ruffin provides a treasure trove of fun facts and amazing anecdotes celebrating the world's love affair with flight, plus the hurt that accompanies any deep love. Will Rogers died in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, with aviation legend Wiley Post at the controls. Rogers was writing an article at the time of the crash; eerily, the last word he typed was 'œdeath.' Isoroku Yamamoto, who masterminded the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, met his fate in similarly sneaky fashion. U.S. forces intercepted and decoded information on Yamamoto's travel plans and 'œPearl Harbored' his plane, shooting it down into the island jungle of Bougainville. The safest seat in a crash depends on if you crash on takeoff or on landing'”so flip a coin! You'll read about the first and worst of flight, aces and races, and everything from crimes, sex, and controversy to planes so fast they can outrun the sun. With Aviation's Most Wanted'„¢you'll get the history of flight from the early balloon adventures of the eighteenth century until the present, laid out with trivia and tales to amuse and amaze!

Table of Contents

List of Photographs	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Preface	xv
I. Notable Flights-The "Ups" and The "Downs"	1	(48)
Flights Before the Wrights	3	(4)
Top Flights	7	(4)
High Flights	11	(3)
Round-the-Worlders	14	(4)
Chopper Milestones	18	(4)
Departures of No Return	22	(6)
Airship Catastrophes	28	(5)
Space Firsts	33	(6)
Records Out of This World	39	(4)
Space-Age Disasters	43	(6)
II. Fantastic Flying Machines	49	(38)
History's Most Significant Aircraft	51	(6)
Aircraft of the Highest Order	57	(5)
Goliaths of the Air	62	(6)
Machines Faster Than a Speeding Bullet	68	(6)
Hall of Fame Homebuilts	74	(3)
Unforgettable Aircraft Names	77	(4)
Lighter-Than-Air Heavyweights	81	(6)
III. Aeronauts, Aviators, and Others in High Places	87	(48)
Founding Fathers of Flight	89	(4)
First-Flight Contenders	93	(5)
Pilots with the Best Stuff	98	(8)
First Ladies of the Air	106	(6)
Racial Barrier Breakers	112	(6)
Stars in the Sky	118	(5)
Falling Stars	123	(5)
Presidential Flyers	128	(7)
IV. Flying to Kill-Aerial Combat	135	(50)
Aces and Asses	137	(7)
Greatest Aerial Operations	144	(4)
Elite Air Combat Units	148	(5)
Flying Fighting Females	153	(5)
Naughty Nicknames	158	(5)
Good Missions Gone Bad	163	(5)
Combat Flyers on the Carpet	168	(6)
Famous and Infamous Shootdowns	174	(5)
Most Deadly Bombing Raids	179	(6)
V. Flying the Skies, Friendly and Otherwise	185	(40)
Safety Tips for Happy Landings	187	(6)
Busiest Airports	193	(6)
Aerospace "Sex-capades"	199	(5)
Lapses in Judgment (and Other Screw-Ups)	204	(5)
Sky Crimes	209	(5)
Arresting Airline Encounters	214	(5)
Worst Air Disasters	219	(6)
VI. Aviation in Print and on Screen	225	(16)
Great Aviation Books	227	(3)
Silver Screen Air Classics	230	(5)
Flying on the Tube	235	(3)
Soaring Through Cyberspace-Useful Websites	238	(3)
VII. Miscellaneous Aeronautica	241	(38)
Axioms of the Air	243	(3)
Memorable Quotes	246	(5)
Controversies	251	(6)
Fantastic Escapes	257	(5)
Myths and Misconceptions	262	(4)
Jumps for the Record Books	266	(4)
Hoaxes and Frauds	270	(6)
Inventions and Innovations	276	(3)
Selected Bibliography	279	(6)
Index	285	(30)
About the Author	315