Aviation Century: The Golden Age - Hardcover

Dick, Air Vice-M Ron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1550464094 ISBN 13: 9781550464092

Publisher: Boston Mills Press, 2004

Synopsis

A pictorial history of aviation between the World Wars.

Aviation Century The Golden Age is filled with tales of romance and adventure, of daring and bravado, as pilots break records, astound the public and prepare for war on a global scale. Their achievements became the stuff of legend, and their aircraft revered artifacts of a Golden Age.

Between the World Wars a new wave of aviation pioneers took the technological advances forged in the heat of battle and applied them to aircraft in exciting new ways. An unprecedented growth in the manufacture of affordable light aircraft occurred, providing ambitious, extraordinary individuals with the means to conquer the sky.

Aviators raced to be the first to fly over oceans, cross jungles and ice caps, look down on the continents' highest peaks, and travel distances faster than ever before. Many aviators died trying to achieve aeronautical immortality.

Aerial daredevils entertained a wide audience through flying circuses and air shows. The spirit of adventure thrived after World War II with larger air shows and more thrilling aerobatics.

In this book Dan Patterson's photographs of preserved and restored aircraft in museum and private collections are combined with rare archival photographs.

Forewords for Aviation Century The Golden Age are by aviation legends Alex Henshaw and Tom Poberezny.

About this title

From the Author:

When Dan Patterson and I began the Aviation Century series six years ago, we knew that the second volume, The Golden Age, would be the most rewarding for us to work on. The period between the World Wars was a time when aviators could aspire to be the first to achieve something new in flying. Aeronautical frontiers beckoned the brave on every side, and success in flight was largely a matter of being prepared to take risks to push them back. The various archives we explored offered up a host of treasured photographs, and Dan's cameras searched out and recorded images of hundreds of priceless aircraft in the museums of nine countries. Added to these are works of art generously contributed by the world's most accomplished aviation artists. In writing the text to tell the story of aerial adventures in the 1920s and 1930s, I was continually reminded of the courage and determination of the men and women who flew where none had ever flown, reaching heights and speeds hardly dreamt of only a few short years before. To play their part, aircraft designers and builders devised new shapes and techniques, breaking down the barriers of flight by trial and sometimes tragic error. While civil aviators sought adventure, air forces proliferated worldwide and military aircraft often led the way in aeronautical achievement. The nature of air power was a subject of great debate throughout the period, and theory began to meet practice in a number of conflicts, most notably in China and Spain. The expansion of aviation in every direction was dramatic during the inter-war period, and its history is studded with great names -- John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, Charles Lindbergh and Richard Byrd, Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart, Donald Douglas and Leslie Mitchell, and hundreds more. It has been a privilege to research their stories for this volume of the Aviation Century series. Their achievements are woven into the fabric of aviation's true Golden Age.

About the Author:

Ron Dick served with the Royal Air Force for thirty-eight years, retiring as an Air Vice-Marshal. During his career, he flew sixty different types of aircraft, accumulating over 5,000 hours of flight time. In addition to the five-volume Aviation Century series, he has co-authored five other books with Dan Patterson. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Dan Patterson is the recipient of the first annual Combs Award, presented by the National Aviation Hall of Fame and business aviation legend Harry Combs to honor a photographer's contribution to the preservation of America's air and space heritage. Patterson's images are featured in fourteen books. He lives in Dayton, Ohio

About this edition

• Publisher: Boston Mills Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1550464094
• ISBN 13: 9781550464092
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288