Showing titles in Aviation

Undaunted is the captivating true story of the spirited, intrepid aviation pioneer who inspired the countless daring pilots and astronauts who came after him. A consummate adventurer, Jimmie Mattern was seemingly impervious to pain or despair. After every misfortune, he climbed right back into the cockpit and set his sights on the next horizon—unafraid and unfaltering.

In Sky High, award-winning journalist Tarun Shukla presents a detailed account of how one dream, two media-shy friends and some great execution created an aviation behemoth. Based on years of research, extensive interviews and authoritative data, this is a fascinating story of patience, planning and persistence.

The 747 that went up whole and came down in 876 pieces invaded every part of my life. My only consolation is that, without being able to turn around, she never saw the giant hole where the rest of the aircraft should have been. It was an oblong oval opening to the tumbling sky, bordered by torn cables, shredded aluminum aircraft skin, sheared beams, and spars, and accented with sparking severed wires.

Anthony Fokker: The Flying Dutchman Who Shaped American Aviation tells the larger-than-life true story of maverick pilot and aircraft manufacturer Anthony Fokker. Fokker came from an affluent Dutch family. Despite not receiving a traditional education, he stumbled his way into aviation as a young stunt pilot in Germany in 1910. He survived a series of spectacular crashes and rose to fame. A combination of industrial espionage, luck, and deception then propelled him to become Germany's leading WWI aircraft manufacturer. When the German Revolution swept the country, Fokker made a spectacular escape to the US.

A behind-the-scenes look at the fast and furious world of airplane racing, Fly Low, Fly Fast vividly depicts a classic season in the unlimited championships of the Reno Air Races, chronicling the history of the sport from the 1930s and capturing the wild personalities who participate.

In this collection of true-life survivor tales, people from all walks of life - a freelance writer, a crew member of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, a naval flight surgeon, a teenager, and a newlywed on her honeymoon, among others - recount their traumatic narrow escapes as engines stalled, fuel ran out, hazardous weather conditions descended, and landings did not go according to plan.

From the simple plaything of hobbyists to the high-tech guardians of national security, the story of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a thrilling flight into the frontier of technological innovation. "Eyes in the Sky" charts this breathtaking ascent, offering readers an inside look at the machines and systems shaping the modern world, both in the air and on the ground. Embark on a journey that spans continents, delving deep into the extraordinary uses of UAVs across military, civilian, and commercial sectors. Learn how these devices gather intelligence, conduct surveillance, and even wage...

Without a Trace: 1881-2016 explores the most interesting of these disappearances: mysteries that have baffled investigators for years. Occasionally tragic and frequently amusing, Without a Trace: 1881-2016 is unerringly accurate and informative. Sylvia Wrigley introduces the crews, innocent bystanders, and rescuers in this collection of true stories. Documenting the popular theories from each case, she uses her knowledge and experience as a pilot and an aviation journalist to demystify aviation jargon and narrow down each disappearance to the most likely explanations.

Final Destination: Disaster informs the public, for the very first time, of what actually precipitated the controversial sale of Eastern Airlines - at one time the second largest airline in the free world - to Frank Lorenzo's Texas Air Corporation, which led to its certain demise. This unbelievable story is written by an 18-year veteran Eastern pilot who was intimately involved in many aspects of the tumultuous events that culminated in the sale.

Since he was a young boy, Joe Balzer dreamed of flying. He pursued his goal with passion and earned his pilot licenses, piling up hours of flight time with a wide variety of planes and jets with one overarching goal: to one day fly for a major airline. But Joe had a problem. He was an alcoholic and refused to admit to himself that he had a problem. His alcoholism caught up with him in March 1990, when Joe was arrested with two other pilots for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol.

July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 mysteriously fell from the sky, claiming the lives of all 230 people aboard. Associated Press reporter Pat Milton offers a rare inside look at the investigation of the unexplained explosion and the experts who struggled to find the truth behind one of America’s most disturbing aviation disasters.

Kelly Johnson designed the Blackbird, a plane that flew non-stop from London to Los Angeles in less than four hours, outracing the sun and landing four hours before it had taken off, a remarkable feat - and this was more than 35 years ago. Johnson was the innovative genius behind Lockheed's "Skunk Works", and played a leading role in the development of more than forty aircraft, including some of America's most sophisticated planes such as the Constellation, Shooting Star, F-104, U-2, and the SR-71 Blackbird.

Fred C. Kelly, a former newspaperman, author, and an old friend of the Wrights, tells the story of the 2 brilliant, dedicated, flight-obsessed bicycle mechanics from Ohio who first realized mankind's age-old dream of conquering the skies. Long considered the definitive Wright Brothers biography (the manuscript was read and approved by Orville Wright), Kelly's work recounts the Wrights' early history and the complete behind-the-scenes story of how they designed, built, tested, and flew the first "Flyer."

While their husbands, brothers and sweethearts fought in Europe and their mothers, sisters and friends kept the home fires burning, for the first time, a group of remarkable women took to the skies. They weren't allowed into combat but risked their lives in bad weather and without radios to bring our boys the aircraft they so vitally needed. Employed by the Air Transport Auxiliary, these women were known as 'attagirls'. They proved that women, too, could master Spitfires, Mosquitoes and Hawker Hurricanes, forging a new path in aviation.

Nowadays, people always use airplanes to get to their destinations. Instead of spending several days taking the bus or train, they prefer a flight that will take three hours at most. In an era when every minute of our day is precious, we can’t afford to waste time on ground transportation. But how did planes first came into being? Who came up with the idea of sticking some wings to a frame to make them fly? How did they manage to fly in the first place? There are so many questions that we want answered – which is exactly what this book is planning to do for you. Here, you will discover:...

Amelia Earhart captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world when she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane. This audiobook, her personal account of the historic flight, sparkles with her high-spirited charm and adventurous determination.

During the summer of 1940, Hitler's Germany appeared unstoppable. The Nazis were masters of mainland Europe, in alliance with Stalin's Russia, and only the English Channel prevented an immediate invasion. Britain stood alone. Operation Sealion examines just how realistic the German threat of invasion was. The author studies the plans, the available capability and resources, and the Germans' record in Norway and, later, Crete. The author weighs these against the state of Britain's defenses and the relative strengths of the land, air, and naval forces.

If you've ever gazed up the sky and wondered what life would be like as a flight attendant...wonder no more! Before you apply for a job as a flight attendant/cabin crew, listen to this quick start guide! This book breaks down the misconceptions of the career, sorts out fact from fiction, provides you with a look into the life of flight crew, helps you select the right airline for you, and provides you with a secret weapon to ace your interview with flying colors! You'll be prepared to answer every question with confidence and ease.

¿Sabías que el primer vuelo de los hermanos Wright duró solo doce segundos y recorrió una distancia de 120 pies? ¿O que el famoso avión Concorde era capaz de viajar a más de dos veces la velocidad del sonido? ¿Y qué hay detrás de la historia del Concordski? El sueño de volar ha sido una constante en la historia de la humanidad. Desde la leyenda de Ícaro y Dédalo pasando por los inventos de Da Vinci hasta llegar al éxito de los hermanos Wright que lograron alzar el vuelo en un avión controlado, el camino ha sido largo.

Noah Adams's adventure in search of Wilbur and Orville Wright is a journey that takes him across the country as he follows in the footsteps of the famous brothers in an attempt to know them more deeply, not just as inventors and pilots but as individuals as well.