Aviation Century the Early Years

The speed of technological change most people are familiar with today is related to computing. I am old enough to remember doing math calculations with a slide rule and am now writing on a laptop computer connected wirelessly to the internet! What I never appreciated was the similar speed with which aircraft changed the world once the Wright brothers solved the problem of controlled flight. Did you know they flew their first short hops in 1903, that the first plane took off from a ship in 1912, that the Capronis had multi-engined aircraft less than 10 years after the Wrights first flew and that the 12 passenger Goliath (looking more like a glorified railway car inside than an airliner) was flying as early as 1919? The text of this book, written by Air Vice Marshal Ron Dick, is an easy and informative read full of facts but sprinkled with human interest stories about the inventors, engineers and pilots that makes it a well balanced and enjoyable narrative. The book covers the early inventors and barnstormers, the First World War, commercial aviation (air mail and early airliners) and concludes with a section on great names in aviation history.Dan Patterson's spectacular color photographs of the aircraft and collections of period memorabilia from flying history collections around the world combined with historical photographs and paintings make this book a visual feast - there are beautiful illustrations and photographs on almost every page. Since "The Early Years" is the first in a series of five volumes that will cover the full aviation century, this collection promises to be the definitive work on the subject and I recommend it to everyone interested in the history of aviation.This partnership has also written several other books and was commissioned to write the history of the US Air Force on the occasion of its 50th anniversary - see also "American Eagles".

Of all the 100 year anniversary of aviation books out there - this is the one to get...Lots of large color photographs on nearly every page, authoritative and interesting text - a good read for anyone who enjoys aviation and good value for a book of this size with so many color photos of early aircraft from around the world. Also "The Early Years" is volume 1 of 5 that will complete "The Aviation Century" so if you get it as a gift for someone who loves this stuff, you're set for the next four gifts as well!