The First Aviators

The Epic of Flight

by Curtis Prendergast

The First Aviators is a Time-Life aviation book included in the Epic of Flight Series. The age of aviation dawned not as a sunburst but as a tantalizing glimmer. Long after the Wright brothers had flown in 1903, and even after they had gone on to perfect the first truly practical airplane, few people had heard of their achievement. The Wrights worked in relative obscurity and kept the details of their invention secret. As a result, aspiring aviators everywhere, particularly in France, toiled to conquer gravity with an assortment of contraptions of their own design. The first aviators had only their wits and reflexes to bring them down safely again. Their planes, mere collages of wood, cloth and wire, were difficult to control and so sensitive to air currents that even moderate winds could knock them to the ground. But once flying was established, by the end of 1910, the aviator emerged as an international hero.

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Professor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great bathroom read....and not a bad overview of the post-Wright Brothers early history of aviation...that is the first aviators, especially in France, who advanced the science, sport, and business of flying beyond the Wright Brothers. There's also some information on how the Wright Brothers lost their lead in the aviation industry-mostly by refusing to innovate and instead spending their time in fruitless attempts to block others from profiting on their discovery. The fact that the Smithsonian Institution (who had their own horse in the race to be the first to fly that didn't pan out) back Glenn Curtiss in a bid to prove that the Wright Brothers weren't the first to fly was surprising in an amusing sort of way. The more things change, I guess...

[Neil Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent quick read that fills in a lot of the gaps in McCullough's "The Wright Brothers." 10 years. (1903 to 1913.) 5 chapters. (Rediscovering the Secrets of Kitty Hawk. The Great Show at Rheims. The High-Risk Pursuit of Gold and Glory. The Wrights vs. the World. Marshaling Aviation for War.) 100's of characters. A wild ride!