Realizing the Dream of Flight

ISBN 10: 0160831512 / ISBN 13: 9780160831515

Published by US National Aeronautics and Spac, 2005

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Synopsis:

Realizing the Dream of Flight, an anthology edited by Virginia Dawson and Mark Bowles, consists of academic papers presented at a conference celebrating 100 years of flight; it also includes a DVD recording of the conference proceedings. Expertly edited, finely produced, and containing a useful index, this book, like most anthologies, does not rely upon a common theme beyond aviation and space, and the papers vary in quality. The contributors, many of whom deal with their own particular research interests, are highly qualified historians and good writers, but only Alan Gropman has any practical experience with combat aviation. His essay deals with Gen Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a principal player in the painful integration of blacks into the armed forces of the United States and one of the foundations of Gropman's seminal book, The Air Force Integrates, 1945-1964 (1978). The other essay under the category "Military Strategists" (see the book's introduction, p. xi) is Tami Davis Biddle's piece about Gen Curtis E. LeMay, a central player in her important book Rhetoric and Reality in Air The Evolution of British and American Ideas about Strategic Bombing, 1914-1945 (2002). Neither Davis nor LeMay was present at the creation of aviation, which had matured a fair amount by the time they got their wings. If the conference needed to include military operators in the story, then one wonders about the total absence of naval aviators.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Realizing the Dream of Flight
Publisher: US National Aeronautics and Spac
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: hardcover
Condition: Very Good