The Airplane: How Ideas Gave Us Wings

(Paperback)

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Description

The Airplane by aerospace industry writer Jay Spencer, former assistant curator of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and the Museum of Flight in Seattle, is the definitive history of how we invented and refined the amazing flying machines that enabled humankind to defy gravity. A fascinating true account certain to enthrall and delight aviation and technology buffs, The Airplane is lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs and is the first book ever to explore the development of the jetliner through a fascinating piece-by-piece analysis of the machinery of flight.

Reviews

"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

Author Bio

A former assistant curator of the National Air & Space Museum and the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Jay Spenser works as an aerospace industry writer. He is the co-author of 747 (Smithsonian, 06)