Airplane - Hardcover

Spenser, Jay P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061259195 ISBN 13: 9780061259197

Publisher: Collins, 2008

Synopsis

A history of the jetliner introduces key contributors and innovations that followed in the footsteps of the Wright brothers, offering insight into the specific challenges that were overcome throughout the process of airplane invention and development. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

"An engaging text.The lively writing and the number of photographs set it above many of its competitors." -- Library Journal

"A smart .history of a thrilling machine all too often taken for granted." -- Publishers Weekly

"A smart ...history of a thrilling machine all too often taken for granted."--Publishers Weekly

"A story with a new character and a new engineering problem on every other page, each served with a sense of delight in ideas that sent humanity aloft."--Seattle Times

"This is a written like an episode of the old TV show Connections, and is just as entertaining."--Sacramento Book Review

"An engaging text...The lively writing and the number of photographs set it above many of its competitors."--Library Journal

A story with a new character and a new engineering problem on every other page, each served with a sense of delight in ideas that sent humanity aloft. --Seattle Times"

This is a written like an episode of the old TV show Connections, and is just as entertaining. --Sacramento Book Review"

A smart history of a thrilling machine all too often taken for granted. --Publishers Weekly"

An engaging text The lively writing and the number of photographs set it above many of its competitors. --Library Journal"

From the Back Cover:

The inside story of how people invented and refined the airplane.

Who were aviation's dreamers and from where did they draw their inspiration? What lessons did inventors learn from birds, insects, marine mammals, and fish that helped us fly? How did the bicycle lead to the airplane, and hot water heaters to metal fuselages?And who figured out how to fly without seeing the ground, setting the stage for scheduled airline services in all weather conditions?

In this entertaining history of the jetliner, Jay Spenser follows the flow of simple yet powerful ideas to trace aviation's challenges. He introduces us to pioneers across continents and centuries, sheds new insights on their contributions, and evokes those key moments in history when, piece by piece, such innovators as Otto Lilienthal, Igor Sikorsky, Louis Blériot, Hugo Junkers, and Jack Northrop collectively solved the puzzle of flight.

Along the way, Spenser demystifies the modern jetliner. From wings to flight controls to fuselages to landing gear, he examines the parts of the airplane to show how they came into being and have evolved over time. The Airplane culminates in a discussion of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and explores the possibilities for aviation's future.

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061259195
• ISBN 13: 9780061259197
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320