Wings over Florida

Images of America: Florida

by Lynn M. Homan and

Florida’s contribution to aviation history cannot be underestimated. Wings over Florida chronicles the story of flying in the “Sunshine State,” from the early pioneers in gliders and balloons, to the recent developments in the space program. The story of Florida in flight is even older than its statehood, with Colonel John Sherburne planning to use balloons as early as 1840 in the Second Seminole War. Not only was the first scheduled passenger airline (the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line) begun in Florida, but it is also home to the world’s oldest international airline. Many heroes and heroines of the air came from Florida. Even those who were not Floridians by birth spent time flying in the ideal conditions that Florida provided. Pioneers, such as Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Peter Sones, and Jacqueline Cochran, all took to the air over Florida.

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[Desiree Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly always love the books in this series, but this one is particularly well done. Fascinating history of flight, with a lense toward Florida contributions. Well organized and with great tidbits of info.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terrible, but it is missing quite a bit of Florida's aviation history. While Ruth Elder is mentioned in the introduction, she is not mentioned anywhere else in the text. There's certainly no mention of George Haldeman, even though his decades long career in aviation had more lasting impact than Ruth Elder's. I was glad to see the Clifford sisters of Lakeland were mentioned. But there was not a peep about the Lodwick School of Aeronautics.