Name: Aviators in Early Hollywood
Brand: Shawna Kelly
SKU: 9780738559025
Price: 18.74 USD
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Aviators in Early Hollywood

9780738559025

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Hollywood's leading aviators were heroic knights of the sky on the screen as well as in real life. These leading aviators performed aerial stunt sequences and acted, plus some wrote and directed motion pictures. Directing giant Cecil B. DeMille was so enthralled with aviation that he owned three airfields. Charlie Chaplin's family airfield also doubled as a motion-picture set. Thomas H. Ince, the famous producer who invented the studio system, owned Ince Airfield, which became the hub of Hollywood aviation. Eternal legends Rudolph Valentino, Oliver Hardy, Harry Houdini, and Mary Pickford performed in aerials. Many aviators gave their lives making motion pictures; three fatalities were incurred for Howard Hughes's great air epic, Hell's Angels. Hughes himself broke records within aircraft and film production. Aviators brought their screen work to life between films through barnstorming. The roaring in 1920s Hollywood was often aviators soaring beyond limits.

John F. Kennedy

9781467103060

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Rare photographs document the work that saw John F. Kennedy's dream of making it to the moon come true.

It was September 12, 1962, when Pres. John F.Kennedy delivered a speech at Rice University before nearly 50,000 people. By that time, America had launched but four men into space—the suborbital flights of Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom and the nearly identical three-orbit journeys of John Glenn and Scott Carpenter.Buoyed by the success of those missions and cognizant of the danger that lay ahead, the president rearticulated his vision and reissued his challenge to reach the moon before 1970.We choose to go to the moon, in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.* Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.* The assassination of President Kennedy, in the words of flight director Gene Kranz, turned his vision into a quest to do it and do it in the time frame he allotted. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of the lunar module known as Eagle, taking one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Cover image for John F. Kennedy, isbn: 9781467103060

Boeing Field

9780738556154

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Even before there were runways, the area south of the city of Seattle was Washington's aviation hub. Charles Hamilton, a daredevil dubbed Crazy Man of the Air, became the first flyer in the state when he coaxed his Curtiss biplane into the sky over Meadows Racetrack in 1910. He promptly crashed. With the help of William Boeing and his growing aviation company, Boeing Field opened in 1928. In those early days, brave air travelers could hitch a ride along with bags of mail in cold, noisy biplanes. Bigger, better aircraft soon followed, but wartime intervened. Thousands of Flying Fortress bombers emerged from Boeing's Plant 2 at the edge of the airfield and winged off to war. In the years after, Boeing Field served a dazzling array of winged machines—from the smallest Piper Cub to Air Force One.

Cover image for Boeing Field, isbn: 9780738556154

Glenn H. Curtiss

9780738505190

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Charles R. Mitchell tracks Curtiss's dizzying ride from a village bicycle shop to record-smashing motorcycle races and city building in the Florida land boom.

Glenn Curtiss beat even the Wright brothers (who sued him bitterly) to get pilot's license No. 1 in America. He teamed with Alexander Graham Bell, helped develop the moving wing part known as the aileron, introduced tricycle landing gear, made the first airplane sales, and turned aeronautics into a multimillion dollar business. His innovations ranged from the Curtiss Pusher to the hydroaeroplane, the flying boat, and the Curtiss Jenny. Curtiss, his engines, and his airplanes dominated the world of early aviation on this side of the Atlantic. Glenn H. Curtiss: Aviation Pioneer charts Curtiss's breakneck course across two continents, North America and Europe, setting speed and distance records, experimenting with military applications, always striving for a safer, faster airplane. Fostering both water flyers and shipboard landing, he became the Father of Naval Aviation. But even the skies were not wide enough for the busy brain of Curtiss.

Midway Airport

9780738598505

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In 1903, Chicago fell in love with flying. Enterprising people opened airfields and designed and built aircraft, and aviators won big money at air meets. After World War I, aviation was a serious matter with explosive commercial potential. A transcontinental airmail service was established and became the impetus for the first airlines. Aspiring to be first in aviation, the City of Chicago considered each of its existing airfields to develop into its new, modern municipal airport. It chose none of them and instead decided on a square mile of property 10 miles southwest of the city as the location for what would soon become the "World's Busiest Airport."

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

9781467130400

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Encompassing 27 square miles, Dallas/Fort Worth International is one of the world's largest and busiest airports, accommodating more than 150,000 passengers each day. The 1974 opening of "D/FW" was preceded by nearly half a century of an often acrimonious aviation rivalry between Dallas and Fort Worth that featured a colorful cast of business leaders, municipal officials, and airline executives. Through its first 40 years, D/FW grew from a regional hub into a global crossroads for passenger and air cargo service. Bold, imaginative leadership sustained the airport through the failure of its largest tenant airline, the effects of 9/11, an air traffic controllers' strike, and more than one fuel crisis. An extraordinary economic engine for North Texas, D/FW stands poised to become home to the world's largest airline, validating the original planners' dream of a dynamic focal point for domestic and international commercial aviation.

Los Angeles International Airport

9780738555829

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Growth on the flatlands along the western extents of Imperial Highway in the 1920s was once measured in beans, barley, and jackrabbits. After 2000, the site that became Los Angeles International Airport would be measured by the more than 60 million passengers and nearly two million tons of cargo passing through it each year. One of the world's busiest airports grew out of Mines Field and expanded quickly in the 1930s with the exploits of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and Will Rogers, Curtiss and Martin, and Boeing and Lockheed. After World War II, this large portion of coastal Los Angeles between El Segundo and Marina del Rey became the main airport for Greater Los Angeles. With the advent of the jet age in the town of the jet set, LAX became a nexus of international travel and a symbol of sophistication as the Gateway to the World, a cutting-edge center for the overlapping spheres of aviation, business, politics, and entertainment.

Newark Airport

9780738565224

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Newark Airport was the first major airport in the New York metropolitan area.

It opened on October 1, 1928, occupying an area of filled-in marshland. In 1935, Amelia Earhart dedicated the Newark Airport Administration Building, which was North America's first commercial airline terminal. Newark was the busiest airport in the world until LaGuardia Airport, in New York, opened in 1939. During World War II, Newark was closed to passenger traffic and controlled by the United States Army Air Force for logistics operations. The Port Authority of New York took over the airport in 1948 and made major investments in airport infrastructure. It expanded, opened new runways and hangars, and improved the airport's terminal layout. The art deco administration building served as the main terminal until the opening of the North Terminal in 1953. The administration building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Westchester County Airport

9781467124706

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Westchester County Airport is referred to by the International Air Transport Association as HPN or, more endearingly by its patrons, White Plains Airport. The airport is unique in that it has the feel of a rural or regional airport but is within the New York metro area. Today, the airport bustles with traffic, accommodating commercial airlines, business, and private aviation. The golden age of aviation gave way to a major industry with the employment of modern airports featuring lighted concrete runways and new technologies like radio. In Westchester County, this all began with a seaplane operation at Rye-Cove in the early 1920s, followed by the call for a county airport in 1928, but it did not come to fruition until 1945. World War II generated a need for an airfield at Rye Lake, and by 1945, diminished defense needs permitted the transition from military airfield to county airport.

Long Island Aircraft Manufacturers

9780738573366

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Take a flight with the Long Island aviation companies that helped make the industry the integral part of our world that it is today.

Significant aircraft manufacturing began on Long Island in the early 20th century and boomed during the war years. Long Islanders helped transform aviation from a dangerous sport to a viable means of transportation, while also producing a large portion of the nation's aerial arsenal in times of war.

From the first frail biplanes to the warbirds of World War II and the sleek fighters of the jet age, aviation companies on Long Island helped make aviation the the essential business it is today. During the 20th century, over 70 firms came to build aircraft on Long Island. Some of these firms lasted for decades and became famed builders of historic aircraft, such as Grumman, Republic, Curtiss, Fairchild, and Sikorsky.

Alaska's Bush Pilots

9781467131834

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A thrilling ride alongside the daredevil aviators who first braved the unknown of Alaska's wilderness.

Bush pilots are known as rough, tough, resourceful people who fly their aircraft into tight spots in the worst of weather. Alaska's bush pilots are all of that and more. Acting as pioneers in a land with 43,000 miles of coastline and North America's largest mountains, Alaska's bush pilots were and are visionaries of a lifestyle of freedom. Flying came late to Alaska but caught on quickly. The first flight was made over a three-day exhibition at Fairbanks, July 3-5, 1913. James Martin first flew that aircraft, owned by him and his wife, Lilly, and investors Arthur Williams and R.S. McDonald. Ever since, Alaskan bush pilots have found that they were calculators of their own fate, flying in fragile aircraft over vast stretches of tundra or through towering mountain passes. This book examines the pioneer aviators and the aircraft types such as the Stearman, Stinson, and Lockheed, many of which were tested and crashed in the far north regions of Alaska.

Moffett Field

9780738531328

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The looming immensity of Moffett Field's Hangar One, built in 1933 to house the world's largest--and last--rigid-frame dirigible, is an unforgettable South Bay landmark. The lighter-than-air Macon cost 2.5 million Depression-era dollars and could hold 100 men and five Sparrowhawk biplanes, yet its silvery bulk hovered silently or sailed up to 80 miles an hour. It drew crowds as it darkened the skies around Mountain View until it broke up in a storm two years later. Other blimp squadrons, equipped with carrier pigeons instead of biplanes, succeeded the Macon. Moffett Field has at various times served the navy, army, and the air force. Now home to the world's largest wind tunnel, the NASA Ames Research Center also supports research that blazes the frontiers of supercomputing, robotics, space sciences, astrobiology, and nanotechnology.

Aviation in Tulsa and Northeast Oklahoma

9780738561639

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Early balloonists, called aeronauts, traveled across Oklahoma from fair to festival to exhibit their feats of derring-do. Some parachuted from their balloons while others would slide down to the ground on cables attached to their balloons from heights upward to 1,000 feet. Soon after the Wright brothers proved the possibility of powered, controllable flight, local Oklahoma inventors were building their creations and hoping to be the first to be called pilot in the state. Once oil was discovered in the state, aviation literally took off. The early-day oil barons quickly seized on the utility of aviation. They could be the first on the scene in western Oklahoma or the Texas panhandle to sign a mineral lease or have a broken-down drilling rig back in action in short order by flying in the parts needed. From these humble beginnings sprang the aerospace industry that would carry Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma into the 21st century.

Aviation in Tulsa and Northeast Oklahoma

Dayton Aviation

9780738593890

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Hallowed skies blanket Dayton, Ohio, a city once known as the Cradle of Aviation—and with good reason. It was in Dayton that two brothers became the unlikely creators of the world's first airplane, but that is just the start of the story. Dayton Aviation: The Wright Brothers to McCook Field examines Dayton's civil and military aviation history from its start with the Wright Brothers to the founding of Wright and Patterson Fields in the 1930s, a period that saw the construction of the world's first airport, the Huffman Flying Prairie. Dayton was home to the first airplane factory and, later, the world's largest aircraft factory. The city introduced the world to crop dusting, landing lights, free-fall parachutes, pressurized cabins, night aerial photography, the first private-cabin plane, and the first strategic bomber. In downtown Dayton, office workers could look out windows and watch history unfold as pilots broke one world record after another in the skies over the city. Dayton was, and still is, the airplane capital of the world. These images, captured by the founding fathers of aviation, show that from 1904 through the 1930s, if it was happening in the air, it was happening in Dayton.

Cover image for Dayton Aviation, isbn: 9780738593890

Airplane Manufacturing in Farmingdale

9781467115629

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A comprehensive pictorial history of Farmingdale, New York's outstanding aeronautical achievements made by so many talented men and women over seven decades.

Farmingdale, located in west-central Long Island on both sides of the Nassau-Suffolk County border, was an important center of airplane manufacturing from the First World War until almost the end of the Cold War. Aviation pioneers like Lawrence Sperry, Sherman Fairchild, Leroy Grumman, Alexander de Seversky, and Alexander Kartveli directed the manufacture of aircraft, aircraft engines, and key subassemblies as they evolved from the propeller, biplane era to the jet and space age. Farmingdale witnessed the creation of such cutting-edge aircraft as the Sperry Triplane Amphibian and Messenger; the Fairchild FC-2; the Grumman FF-1, JF-1 Duck, and G-22 Gulfhawk; the Seversky P-35; the Republic Aviation P-47, F-84, and F-105; and the Fairchild Republic space shuttle tails and A-10 Warthog. Airplane manufacturing in Farmingdale ended in 1987 with the demise of Fairchild Republic, but its history still lives on today.

Cover image for Airplane Manufacturing in Farmingdale, isbn: 9781467115629

Kansas City B-25 Factory

9781467111973

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An industrial miracle took place at the Fairfax Airport, on the shores of the Missouri River, between 1941 and 1945. A massive factory was quickly built and a large modification center was soon added. At its peak, over 24,000 greater Kansas City-area residents were employed by North American Aviation, Inc. Their goal was to build as many twin-engine B-25 Mitchell medium bombers for wartime service as possible. Their success was the construction of an unprecedented 6,608 aircraft. The B-25 Mitchell served with distinction in every theater of World War II, and significant numbers of them were provided to Allied nations. Many B-25s have been preserved, and some of them remain airworthy today. They can be seen on static display or in flight at air shows all across America.

Selfridge Field

9780738540238

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Named to honor the memory of Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the
first fatality of powered flight, Selfridge Field has recorded
many aviation milestones since its founding in 1917. As home of the famed First Pursuit Group, the airfield saw the feats of such notables as Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle, and Curtis LeMay. Scores of young aviators who passed through Selfridge's gates later achieved the rank of general officer, earning the base the nickname "Home of the Generals." Selfridge Field illustrates the history of the base, with many images drawn from the collections of the Selfridge Military Air Museum and Mount Clemens Public Library. The development of American airpower, from crude biplanes to the supersonic F-16 fighter, is depicted in the photographic record of this historic military airfield.

John F. Kennedy International Airport

9780738564685

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John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in 1948, after the realization set in that the newly built LaGuardia Airport was unable to handle the volume of air traffic for New York City.

Pushed through by New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the airport was to be located 14 miles from Manhattan, in Jamaica Bay, Queens, on the site of the old Idlewild Golf Course. For its first years, Idlewild Airport, as it was originally known, consisted of a low-budget temporary terminal and a series of Quonset huts. A major new building program began in the mid-1950s, and the airport rapidly changed from a ramshackle series of buildings into a glamorous-looking city. Renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, it has now grown to cover 5,000 acres.

Paine Field

9781467131421

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Paine Field was named in honor of hometown hero Topliff Olin Paine, an Army Air Corps pilot during World War I. Located 6 miles south of Everett and 20 miles north of Seattle, Paine Field-- known as Snohomish County Airport--got its start as a WPA project in the 1930s. Situated on 1,000 acres, this airport was shaped by numerous events, such as World War II, the Korean War, and the arrival of Boeing, as well as social, political, and environmental issues that continue to influence its destiny. Throughout its 77-year history, Paine Field has continued to evolve into a thriving aviation community. At the heart of its success has been the key role of general aviation. A rags-to-riches story, Paine Field has grown from a small regional airport into an aeronautical complex that garners worldwide attention.

Chicago

9780738531700

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Since the late 1800s, Chicago has been a mecca for aviation. Chicago's Octave Chanute kept the skies filled with revolutionary gliders and his expertise in aeronautics contributed to the Wright Brothers' success. Chicago: City of Flight tells the story of aviation in the city with exciting chapters on early "birdmen," the birth of Chicago as a major airmail center, the spectacular chills and thrills of international airports and airplane manufacturers, and airlines, such as United Airlines, that were born in the city. Later topics include the city's modern aerospace industry and an exclusive look at Chicago's Wright Redux project, members of which designed and manufactured a replica Wright flyer. They plan to fly it over the city on December 17, 2003, in celebration of 100 years of manned, powered flight.

Gowen Field

9780738548234

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Gowen Field, located south of Boise's air terminal, is home to Idaho's adjutant general, the state's Army and Air National Guard, and to U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps reserve units in the Boise area. Named in honor of Lt. Paul R. Gowen, a Caldwell native who died in an aircraft crash in 1938, Gowen Field was opened in the spring of 1941. Throughout World War II, the Army Air Forces used the field to train B-17 and B-24 aircrews for duty in both the European and Pacific theaters of war. Following World War II, the field was offered to the state of Idaho for use by the Air National Guard. Since that time, the Idaho Air Guard has operated numerous aircraft, including, but not limited to, the F-51, F-86, F-102, RF-4C, and the F-4G. Today the Idaho Air Guard operates the A-10 and C-130.

San Diego International Airport, Lindbergh Field

9780738589084

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Now formally known as San Diego International Airport, Lindbergh Field was named in honor of Charles Lindbergh and has been a center of aeronautic activity since its dedication in 1928. Many famous personalities and events have been associated with the airstrip, which quickly grew to include a Coast Guard Air Station, three airlines, two flying schools, and Ryan Aeronautical. In 1935, Consolidated Aircraft relocated to Lindbergh Field, transforming it into an aviation manufacturing center. Situated just three miles north of downtown San Diego, Lindbergh Field serves more than 50,000 travelers a day, making San Diego International Airport the busiest single-runway commercial airport today in the United States.

Yeager Airport and Charleston Aviation

9781467125413

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The intriguing history of aviation in Charleston, West Virginia, deserves to fly out of anonymity. Wertz Field opened in Institute in 1930, allowing for the introduction of the first commercial passenger service in 1933. In 1942, the construction of a rubber plant next to the field blocked flight approaches, resulting in its closure. Recognizing the urgent need for air service to the community, industrious West Virginians literally moved mountains to build Kanawha Airport on flat land created by leveling three mountains north of the state's capital, Charleston. Opening in November 1947, Kanawha Airport offered the community convenient air service and became home to the West Virginia Air National Guard. This book covers the history of aviation in the Charleston area, from the first airplane flight in 1912 to the current Yeager Airport, which links the region to the world economy.

Cover image for Yeager Airport and Charleston Aviation, isbn: 9781467125413

Teterboro Airport

9780738572178

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Teterboro Airport has been in continuous use since 1916 and was once the busiest airport in the country. In 1925, the Fokker Company opened an American subsidiary, the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and Teterboro-built Fokker trimotors dominated the industry for a decade. In the 1920s and 1930s, record-setting flights became a national obsession, and many of the flights originated or terminated at Teterboro Airport. In 1939, the Goodyear blimp Mayflower made daily sightseeing flights over the New York City world's fair. In 1952, television personality Arthur Godfrey buzzed the control tower while taking off in his DC-3. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey purchased the airport in 1949 and made major investments in airport infrastructure. Today the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum is located at the airport.

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

9780738571904

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America's first international air meet was held January 10-20, 1910, in Los Angeles on a mesa called Dominguez Hill, situated 13.5 miles south of the plaza at the pueblo of Los Angeles. Enthusiasm for aviation grew after the first international air meet in 1909 in Rheims, France, where American aviator Glenn H. Curtiss won three prestigious speed prizes and 36,000 francs. An even more spectacular air meet, which would also invigorate the local economy, was promoted for Los Angeles. Businessman Dick Ferris, the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association, and the Los Angeles Examiner collaborated to make it possible. Most Americans had never seen the newfangled machines that soared in the skies. Initially skeptical, they soon were awed. So began America's love affair with aviation. The air meet influenced aviation in Southern California and transportation worldwide into the 21st century.

1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet, The

Flying High

9780738510224

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In the beginning of the twentieth century, women were demanding more freedom. What could bring more freedom than a chance to fly? Women went up in those early wire-and-fabric contraptions to gain independence, to make money, or to make their names as pilots. They sought to prove that women pilots could do just as well as men—and some did far better. Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation tells the story of Blanche Stuart Scott, who made $5,000 a week and broke forty-one bones; of Harriet Quimby, who flew the English Channel handily and then fell to her death in five feet of water near Boston Harbor; of Ruth Law and Katherine Stinson, who set American distance flying records—all before any of them were allowed to vote. Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation also tells the tales of women behind the scenes—the financiers, engineers, and factory workers—from the earliest days of flying to victory in World War II. These stories of the first female flyers are told in rare, vintage photographs, many previously unpublished, from the archives of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum.

Cover image for Flying High, isbn: 9780738510224

LaGuardia Airport

9780738557991

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LaGuardia Airport, named for the mayor of New York in the mid 1930s is one of America's busiest airports and has undergone great change throughout the years.

Constructed closer to Manhattan than the commercially unsuccessful Floyd Bennett Field, LaGuardia Airport was conceived in the mid-1930s as New York City mayor Fiorello LaGuardia realized the need for a great airport for one of the world's great cities. Originally known as New York Municipal Airport, the popular airport soon had its name changed to recognize LaGuardia's enormous contribution to the project. At the time of its opening in 1939, it was the largest and most advanced commercial airport in the world with terminals considered art deco masterpieces. Although a very large airport for the era in which it was built, by the late 1940s it was the world's busiest airport and clearly too small for the increasing amount of air traffic. Through the years its runways were lengthened and facilities were improved to handle larger and faster aircraft. Still one of America's busiest airports, LaGuardia has witnessed the steady progress of American commercial aviation, from flying boats to jetliners.

St. Louis Aviation

9780738583846

$7.99 $5.99 Save 25%

St. Louis boats a rich history.

Cover image for St. Louis Aviation, isbn: 9780738583846

Aviation in Columbus

9780738593715

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Columbus entered the air age early: the city was the destination for the world's first air-cargo flight in 1910, the home of the world's youngest licensed pilot in 1911, and the home of World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. The aviation history of Columbus continued with the opening of Norton Field in 1923, Columbus Airport (later Sullivant Avenue Airport) in 1928, Port Columbus in 1929, and Lockbourne Army Air Base (now Rickenbacker International Airport) in 1942. Port Columbus International Airport had the distinction of being built near a railroad track for a coast-to-coast air-rail service. The air-rail service did not last, but Port Columbus has survived and is an important part of central Ohio. Add to this the fact that a major aircraft factory was located in Columbus from 1941 to 1979, and the aviation history of Columbus is rich.

San Francisco Bay Area Aviation

9780738547237

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From hot-air balloons to jets, no other location has a more diverse aviation history than the San Francisco Bay Area. Aside from private and commercial airline operations, the area has housed the NACA/NASA Research Center, the prestigious Boeing School of Aeronautics, and the dirigible USS Macon. It is currently the center for antique aircraft in Northern California and has been the site of numerous flight records, including the Dole Race and Amelia Earhart's circumnavigation attempts. San Francisco was also home to the pioneer Pan American Airways flying boat, which opened the Pacific Ocean to air travel.

Alabama Aviation

9781467127554

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From early aerial experimenters who devoted their lives to the development of a heavier-than-air flying machine to the massive expansion of military flight training during the Second World War, the story of aviation in Alabama represents a remarkable historical legacy. In March 1910, Orville and Wilbur Wright established the nation's first civilian flying school on the grounds of what would become Maxwell Air Force Base, the center for military aerospace education and airpower doctrine. The establishment of the Wright brothers' flying school represents the first of a series of extraordinary events that propelled Alabama to the forefront of the evolution of aviation as the foundation of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt's arsenal of democracy during the Second World War.

Cover image for Alabama Aviation, isbn: 9781467127554

Virginia Aviation

9781467122450

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Virginia has one of the oldest and richest aeronautical legacies in the country. Beginning with the use of balloons in the Civil War, the commonwealth was at the forefront of aerospace innovation, particularly in military aviation. Langley Field and Quantico were key development centers in the maturation of aerial warfare for the Army Air Service, its successors, and the Marine Corps. Norfolk witnessed the birth of the American carrier force and was on the front line in the Battle of the Atlantic. The state is also home to a legacy of civil and commercial activity. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laboratory at Langley Field established numerous foundational principles of modern aerodynamics, supported the development of many of the most significant aircraft of the 20th century, and paved the way for travel beyond Earth. Commercial airfields, including Richmond, Roanoke, and Washington's Hoover and National, were at the cutting edge of modern air travel and played host to aviation's elite. These images from local, state, and national archives--nearly all previously unpublished--depict a rich technological heritage.

Lost Airports of Chicago

9781609499006

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

To book a ride on the World's Shortest Airline or learn aerial stunts from the redheaded widow of Lawrence Avenue, you've got to go through the airports buried beneath the housing developments and shopping malls of Chicagoland. Many of these airports sprang up after World War I, when training killed more pilots than combat, and the aviation pioneers who developed Chicago's flying fields played a critical role in getting the nation ready to dare the skies in World War II. Author Nick Selig has rolled wheels on his fair share of Chicago's landing strips but faces an entirely new challenge in touching down in places being swallowed by a city and forgotten by history.

The Sikorsky Legacy

9780738549958

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Over 200 photographs help paint the picture of the career of Igor I. Sikorsky, one of the most talented and versatile aeronautical pioneers in history.

This book traces the history of Sikorsky aviation and its founder, Igor I. Sikorsky, whose career spanned over 60 years and was highlighted by three major achievements: the creation of the world's first four-engine airliner, the record-breaking Clipper Ships, with which Pan American Airways explored transpacific and transatlantic airline service, and the development of the helicopter. Sikorsky then led his engineers out of the piston-engine era and into the jet age with the design and development of some of the most widely used turbine-powered helicopters in aviation history. Hundreds of photographs, many from the Sikorsky family archives, document the genius of Sikorsky's intuitive engineering, including his lifelong interest in the challenge of the helicopter, which many historians consider to be his crowning achievement.

Fairchild Aircraft

9780738544397

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When Orville Wright made the first successful flight of an airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, no one could have envisioned the impact that the historic occasion would have on Hagerstown, Maryland, and the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. When Sherman M. Fairchild bought controlling interest in Hagerstown's Kreider-Reisner Aircraft in 1929, the
stage was set for the newly formed Fairchild Aircraft to become a major contributor to the country's World War II efforts. In 1939, the company
was awarded a contract to build 270 PT-19 trainers for the U.S. Army Air Corps. By the spring of 1944, Fairchild had manufactured more than 5,000 of the primary trainers, which became synonymous with the city of Hagerstown. When asked by the military to "put wings on a railroad boxcar," Fairchild responded with various cargo aircraft including the
C-82, the C-119, and the C-123. Fairchild's contribution to the world of aviation unofficially ended in March 1984 with the delivery of the last of the A-10s contracted by the U.S. Air Force. Over the course of its history in Hagerstown, Fairchild employed more than 50,000 men and women in the manufacture of military and civilian aircraft.

Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers

9780738552187

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Engineers, inventors, and dreamers in the state of Michigan had been searching for the secret of heavier-than-air flight well before the Wright brothers' successful flights in 1903. In 1911, the first aircraft manufacturer opened for business in Michigan. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Detroit area was known as the "Aviation Capital of America." The All-American Aircraft Show, held annually in Detroit from 1928 to 1933, was the major showcase for introducing new airplanes to the aviation community. Major competitions, such as the Ford Air Tours (1925 to 1931) and the Cirrus Derby (1930), originated and ended at airports in Michigan. Michigan's aircraft manufacturers made major contributions to America's war efforts, building 1,500 Liberty planes during World War I and 8,685 B-24 bombers during World War II. In addition to those major manufacturers, a large number of individual designers and entrepreneurs toiled to build the ultimate airplane. Today the pioneering tradition lives on in the hundreds of individuals who design and build airplanes in their garage or basement.

Houston Aviation

9781467133784

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As Houston steadily grew in the early 20th century, the commercial and civic elite focused on the community's industrial expansion and economic prosperity. Aviation played a significant role in that aspiration. With the earliest birdmen of the skies offering a suggestion of the economic potential of flight, Houston-area policymakers solicited and welcomed military aviation, first at Ellington Field and later on Galveston Island. As early as the 1920s, the burgeoning Houston energy industry realized the value and utility of aircraft as business tools. Aircraft were uniquely capable of quickly traversing the great distances that separated the oil fields from the centers of commerce and industry, and their use made Houston an epicenter for modern business aviation. Between World War I and World War II, the federal post office subsidized the development of commercial passenger service while the city fathers provided the necessary infrastructure through the funding and establishment of the Houston Municipal Airport. The triptych of business, commercial, and military aviation would come to define Houston's aviation lineage.

Catalina by Air

9780738559360

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For years, reaching the paradise destination of Santa Catalina Island, located miles out in the Pacific Ocean, was possible primarily by steamship. But as early as 1912, the first amphibious airplane landed in Avalon Bay, and the first air-passenger service was introduced in 1919. Seaplane service thrived on Catalina, and aircraft engine roars became a distinctive memory for many residents, along with the thrill of crossing the channel by plane and landing on the water. The "Airport in the Sky" opened in 1946, with United Airlines operating DC-3s, followed by other airlines operating land-based planes. Today helicopters carry passengers across the San Pedro Channel in less than 15 minutes. This unique photographic history covers public air transportation to and from Southern California's iconic island, featuring memories and stories from residents, visitors, and airline employees.

Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Diego County

9781467118361

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Clear weather and a natural harbor made San Diego an early aviation hub, but success in flight came with devastating tragedies. The remains of more than four hundred aircrafts lie scattered across the county's deserts and mountains. Experts estimate that dozens more are on the ocean floor off the coast. In 1922, army pilot Charles F. Webber's DeHavilland biplane went missing over Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. In 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 178 collided midair over San Diego and crashed in the residential North Park neighborhood, claiming the lives of 144 people in what was the worst airline disaster of the era. Author and aircraft accident research specialist G. Pat Macha recounts these and other stories of astonishing survival, heroism and heartbreaking fatality.

Cover image for Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Diego County, isbn: 9781467118361

Akron Aviation

9781467111324

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Everyone loves a good adventure story. The history of Akron aviation provides all the real-life pathos of any adventure novel. It all began in 1875, when a young farmer named Jack C. Johnston launched himself and his balloon on one of the wildest flights ever recorded. In 1906, John Gammeter, an Akron inventor, built his own airplane and began making regular flights over the city. In Akron, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company saw the future of air commerce and would go on to write its own chapter in aviation history on a global scale. The story of Akron aviation is one of incredible triumphs and unspeakable tragedies. It is the story of men and women determined to conquer the air. Akron aviation matured along with the city, and the two intertwined to become a major influence in northern Ohio as well as the country.

Dallas Aviation

9780738579887

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Since Otto Brodie's airplane flight at Fair Park in 1910, the city of Dallas has seen over 100 years of rich and diverse aviation activity. Many of those years were spent on a long and complex road to a consolidated airport for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, an impasse finally resolved with the dedication of Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport in 1974. Central to Dallas aviation history is Love Field, established as a military base in 1917. A waypoint for famous flights such as the first round-the-world flight in 1924, a venue for colorful characters like barnstormer and bootlegger "Slats" Rodgers, and the site of World War II's largest Air Transport Command base--Love Field was all this and more. Although no longer the region's primary commercial airfield, Love Field remains a major aviation facility as the home of Southwest Airlines and several internationally recognized business aircraft operations.

Eastern Iowa's Aviation Heritage

9780738583303

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Iowans embraced aviation from its very beginning. In the late 1800s, Keokuk's Baldwin brothers headlined Lee County Chautauqua festivals with balloon ascensions. Two decades later, early powered-flight daredevils like Lincoln Beachey, Glenn Messer, and Eugene Ely thrilled huge crowds along the Mississippi River from Decorah to Fort Madison. Dubuque's Clifton "Ole" Oleson barnstormed from Oelwein to Mount Pleasant and in communities in between. Visionaries like the Livingston brothers from Cedar Falls and Davenport's Ralph Cram, Don Luscombe, and Billy Cook started air taxi and freight lines, flight and mechanic schools, and aircraft manufacturing facilities. Iowa City became an original U.S. Airmail stop and, during World War II, Ottumwa and other communities operated training sites for military aviation, with women playing a major role. The postwar establishment of regional air carriers became commonplace, and today a new generation is leading Eastern Iowa into the 21st century while preserving the memory of those who started it all.

St. Louis Aviation

9780738584102

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For a little more than 60 years, from 1904 to 1967, St. Louis was considered the world's air capital for balloon racers, parachutists, airship aeronauts, air-traffic controllers, scheduled airlines, solo-flight adventurers, fighter pilots, and astronauts. At many times, the United States has led the world in aviation development and technology, and St. Louis was one of the biggest contributors with many aviation firsts. A U.S. president first flew in an aircraft here. St. Louis can arguably be credited with the world's first parachute jump, along with the world's first air-traffic controller. The city was the epicenter for international balloon racing, and of course most people know that the city was home to Charles Augustus Lindbergh. The Cold War and subsequent conflicts might have turned out quite differently if a St. Louis aircraft manufacturer had not existed. The world's largest airline may have never gotten off the ground if not for a U.S. mail contract that was awarded to a St. Louis company in the mid-1920s. This book provides a brief view of these firsts in aviation, as well as the development and impact of aviation in the city and beyond.

Aviation in Hampton Roads

9780738518206

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Flight has forever thrilled, even when it was believed that humans would never be able to slip the bonds of earth's gravity. However, with the success of balloons as a mode of transportation, man took one step closer to powered, heavier-than-air flight. On December 17, 1903, the first flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright took place in the backyard of Hampton Roads, and the course of history was forever changed. Indeed, aviation has deep roots in the region. Hot-air balloons provided reconnaissance flights here during the Civil War, and manned space flights to the moon were
developed at NASA's Langley Research Center in the 1960s. Also, in the early days of civil aviation, Norfolk was on the route map for several pioneer airlines, linking the area with major cities along the eastern seaboard. Today, the region is served by two commercial airports: Norfolk International and Newport News-Williamsburg International.

Wings over Florida

9780738501857

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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.

Lunken Airfield

9780738592176

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Discover the dozens of exciting never-before-published images of the people and events at Lunken Airfield.

Lunken Airfield flew headlong into the golden age of aviation in the 1920s. World War I veterans became gutsy barnstormers who had only roads and railroad tracks as navigational landmarks. They gave way to courageous pilots who flew airmail, as well as record makers who flew for the joie de vivre and fame under conditions fraught with danger. These flyers gave way to aircraft engineers and designers who would craft the next generation of planes. Pilots were seduced by the allure of international recognition and wealth, as well as the feeling of freedom experienced in the air. Along the way, they assumed the status of movie stars. On any given day, anyone from a spectator to a mechanic might hobnob with Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Roscoe Turner, or Jimmy Doolittle, who routinely flew in and out of Lunken. Over the decades, Lunken has undergone many changes, but today, as it approaches its centennial, planes still take off and land daily, and crowds still flock to special events.

Seattle's Commercial Aviation:

9780738571010

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Interested in aviation as early as 1910, William Boeing waited until 1914 for his first airplane ride. In 1916, he founded the airplane company that put Seattle on the aviation map. Before Boeing, Seattle featured aircraft builders like Eugene Romano, G. T. Takasou, Tom Hamilton, and Herb Munter. Boeing emerged during World War I and, by the beginning of World War II, had become a world leader. In those years, lesser known individuals like Eddie Hubbard, Percy Barnes, Vern Gorst, the Becvar brothers, Elliott Merrill, Jim Galvin, and Lana Kurtzer influenced commercial aviation around Seattle. Drawing on photographs from around the area, Seattle's Commercial Aviation: 1908-1941 illustrates the early days beginning with dirigible flights, recognizes the arrival of commercial airmail and the airlines, salutes the local operators, and marks Seattle's emergence as the aviation gateway to Alaska.

Aviation in San Diego

9780738547596

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For nearly a century, San Diego has been a hub of aviation development, air power, and flying adventure. The city's ideal weather and protected bay allowed San Diego to have an aviation history unrivaled by any local community. From the pioneering days of Glenn Curtiss and naval aviation at North Island to the present cutting-edge aerospace technology, Aviation in San Diego captures it all. With many never-before-published photographs, Aviation in San Diego documents the people and events that made San Diego's aviation heritage unique. From Ryan to Consolidated, Curtiss to Lindbergh, and everything in between, Aviation in San Diego is the preeminent photographic record of flight in "America's Finest City."

Detroit Metro Airport

9780738588513

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Throughout the years, Detroit Metro Airport has grown and changed with the times. During the golden age of flight, the airport served the local community by providing transportation and employment. In World War II, Romulus Army Air Field served the military by transporting B-24 Liberator bombers to the East Coast. It was also a transfer base for P-39 Airacobras and P-63 Kingcobras to be flown to the Soviet Union via Great Falls, Montana, and Alaska. The war ended, and the airport became a civilian operation again, with the Air National Guard maintaining a presence. During the Cold War, the airport saw the presence of nuclear weapons, but by the end of 1971 the weapons and the Air National Guard were gone. Constant upgrades in technology for safety and security make the passenger experience as pleasant and exciting as possible.

Bowman Field

9781467126991

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Louisville's Bowman Field is Kentucky's oldest continuously operating airport and one of the oldest in the United States. Abram Hite Bowman, Robert Bob Gast, and Wallace Sidney Park are considered the founders of Bowman Field, which dates to 1920. John Bennett, Frank Holzaphel, Dick Mulloy, and Wil Paris were among those who made the airport a success. Bowman Field was the landing place of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis in 1927. It also hosted aviatrix Ruth Nichols, who, in 1931, ended a record-setting flight when her airplane caught fire. During World War II, the airfield was repurposed as the Bowman Army Airbase and a training facility for flight nurses. In 1957, Bowman Field was the nation's busiest local traffic airport. As we approach the airfield's centennial, the Bowman Field Administration Building, built in 1929, has been hardly touched by the hands of time. Bowman Field is the airport where the past meets the future.

Cover image for Bowman Field, isbn: 9781467126991

Fort Wayne Aviation

9780738588605

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Fort Wayne is the hometown of Lt. Paul Baer, who flew with the French forces in World War I and was the first US pilot to achieve ace status. Fort Wayne is also the hometown of Arthur Art Roy Smith, who was one of the pioneer acrobatic fliers in the pre–World War I era. Smith made several trips to Japan and is credited with inspiring the Japanese to develop their own aircraft in the period between the two world wars. Prior to the onset of World War II, the US Army Air Corps purchased over 600 acres southwest of Fort Wayne and built Paul Baer Army Air Field. Today, Fort Wayne International Airport covers about 3,500 acres and has the second-longest runway in Indiana, almost 12,000 feet in length.

Cover image for Fort Wayne Aviation, isbn: 9780738588605

Aviation in Roanoke

9781467121606

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In 1910, an awestruck crowd at the Roanoke Fair got its first glimpse of powered flight when a Curtiss biplane soared overhead. Within the next decade, gliders were lifting off from hills in South Roanoke and cow pastures were being converted into airstrips. Once Roanoke Municipal Airport was developed in 1929, earlier local airfields such as Cook, Trout, and Horton Fields were rendered inactive. Then in 1941, when—with federal assistance— the municipal airport became Woodrum Field, the region's air travel transitioned into the modern era and brought services from major airlines to the area. Roanoke's aviation reputation continued to grow when the city played a critical role in military air travel and training during World War II, leading its airport to become one of the busiest on the East Coast. Aviation in Roanoke tells the stories of early airfields, the growth and transformation of Woodrum Field, and the adventures of Roanoke's aviation pioneers.

Cover image for Aviation in Roanoke, isbn: 9781467121606

Wichita's Legacy of Flight

9780738531809

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Known as the "Air Capital of the World," Wichita, Kansas, has been continuously associated with aviation longer than any city in the world. The city's inventive and entrepreneurial spirit made an early mark on the aviation and aerospace industries. From the first hot air balloons floating over the wheat fields to the major aviation corporations that still call the city home, Wichita has been associated with the wonder of flight, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2003. The images in this book document the evolution of flight and its subsequent effect on the cowtown that dared to dream it could become an international center for aviation.

South Plains Army Airfield

9781467131339

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South Plains Army Airfield in Lubbock, Texas, was a major training base for US Army Air Force glider pilots during World War II. Approximately 80 percent of the roughly 6,000 pilots trained to fly the combat cargo glider received their advanced training and were awarded their "G" Wings at SPAAF, as it was known. The base was conceived, built, used, and then closed in a short five-year period during World War II. Today, little remains to remind one of the feverish and important military training program that once took place on the flat, featureless South Plains of Texas. During World War II, American military strategy and tactics included a significant airborne component. Major invasions, such as D-Day at Normandy, were preceded by huge aerial fleets carrying paratroopers and their equipment. These airborne invasion fleets sometimes exceeded well over 1,000 Allied gliders. The American airborne forces depended upon an ungainly looking aircraft, the CG-4A glider, to carry the vehicles, munitions, and reinforcements needed to survive. The pilots who flew them learned their trade at South Plains Army Airfield.

Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

9780738552965

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In 1972, two pilots--one a federal career engineer, the other the pastor of a prominent church in Washington, D.C.--discovered a common passion for flying airplanes and serving people. One day over lunch, the men conceived a flight plan, one that would undergo many changes before becoming Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, as it is known today. Ed Boyer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. Louis Evans, pastor of the National Presbyterian Church, discussed how to pool their interests and qualifications. From its beginnings as a charitable shuttle service for religious leaders and dignitaries, to full-scale charitable air ambulance operations, to Angel Flights for ambulatory patients, the initial vision has grown into a network of over 1,500 volunteer pilots in the Mid-Atlantic region who use their private planes to fly people in need to specialized treatment. Angel Flight coordinates missions of mercy from its offices in Virginia Beach, helping patients to find "the shortest distance between home and hope."

Morristown Municipal Airport

9780738573601

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On July 8, 1929, a Morristown newspaper announced the opening of Morristown Airport on Bernardsville Road. The article stated the airport would be the home of the Country Aviation Club under the supervision of Clarence Chamberlin, the second man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and the first to take along a passenger. The Great Depression halted any serious development of the airport until 1936, when there was serious talk of the land becoming an East Coast dirigible base for the Hindenburg. However, the destruction of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst, New Jersey, a year later squashed those plans. After World War II, Morristown Airport began to become a reality. General aviation found Morristown convenient and out of the traffic patterns of Newark Airport. The airport grew and prospered, and by July 1966, Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) was called the "VIP Stop." Today, as a general aviation reliever airport, MMU accepts private, corporate, air taxi, air ambulance, training, and military aircraft and ranks 11th in general aviation operations.

San Diego's North Island

9780738547954

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San Diego's North Island is one of the most significant venues of aviation in the world. Starting in 1911, it was the home to one of the nation's first aviation schools, founded by Glenn Curtiss, who pioneered seaplane flight. He trained the nucleus of America's future air forces there, including Lt. Theodore Ellyson, the first naval aviator. When the United States entered World War I, the government took over the island with plans to build a training center for the nation's armed forces. The new army base was named Rockwell Field, and the navy portion was named Naval Air Station San Diego. By 1937, the army had moved out, and the navy became the sole tenant. Today NAS North Island is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the navy and is headquarters for the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Deep South Aviation

9780738502465

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Since the 1920s, Birmingham, Alabama, has played a vital role in the development of aviation in the Deep South and the nation. From aircraft construction to Air Guard activity, and from the evolution of commercial airlines to military training bases, Birmingham has contributed greatly to one of the most significant advancements of the twentieth century. Deep South Aviation explores the fascinating history of aviation in and around Birmingham through vintage images of the pilots,
aircraft, and aviation enthusiasts of years past. Included are photographs of the early airfields, the Alabama Air National Guard, and the Birmingham Naval Air Station. Culled from the archives of the Southern Museum of Flight, these captivating images tell a story that began with a few brave individuals who surmounted the sky. Photographs were also taken from Alvin W. Hudson's collections on Fairgrounds Air Shows, Roberts Field, and the Birmingham Municipal Airport; Cecil Greene's collection on the Alabama Air National Guard; and generous friends of the museum who donated from their private collections.

Canton's Pioneers in Flight

9780738525228

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Canton boasts a rich aviation heritage, reaching back to the earliest pioneers of flight. Local resident Frank S. Lahm founded the Aero Club of Ohio here and his son Frank P. Lahm worked with the Wright brothers on some of their earliest test flights. William Martin's monoplane, the first single-wing airplane in the world, was invented here. Other Canton firsts include Martin's wife Almina, the world's first female airplane pilot; Bernetta Miller, one of the first women to earn a pilot's license; and Louise Timken, the first woman to own and operate a private jet. The Timken Company developed a steel alloy here that allowed planes to fly at higher altitudes.

Maryland Aviation

9780738567006

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Maryland is home to a number of aviation firsts: the first manned balloon ascent in the Western Hemisphere in 1784, the first aircraft carrier during the Civil War, the first airport and flight school at College Park, and the first commuter airline. The state has also been home to a number of aircraft manufacturers. These include Glenn L. Martin in Baltimore and Kreider-Reisner, later Fairchild, in Hagerstown, as well as Ercoupe, Berliner-Joyce, North American, and Curtiss-Caproni. Numerous civilian airfields and military air bases dot the Old Line State from the mountains in the west across the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore. This collection of historic photographs from a number of sources depicts Maryland's aviation pioneers, the manufacturing companies and the famous airplanes they built, and the state's airports and bases.

Torrance Airport

9780738546629

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Californians were panicked by the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, and civilian flights within 200 miles of the coast were immediately terminated. Airfields were commandeered and new ones hastily built. One of these was the Lomita Flight Strip, known today as Zamperini Field, the Torrance Municipal Airport, or TOA. This 490-acre parcel sent four squadrons of P-38 fighter pilots off to war with one commanded by the judge of the Charles Manson trial, an ex-Flying Tiger. Six other pilots became generals, two became commandants of cadets at the Air Force Academy, and one became the only fighter pilot with combat victories in both World War II and the Vietnam War. Japanese Americans returning from World War II internment camps found temporary housing at the field, and the world's largest manufacturer of civilian helicopters settled there in 1973. The first runway takeoff of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft was pioneered at TOA, and aerobatic champ Bob Herendeen trained at the site.

Wings Over San Antonio

9780738508146

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In March 1910, Lt. Benjamin Foulois was ordered to Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio, Texas, with a used Wright Brothers aeroplane and a small contingent of enlisted men. His mission was to teach himself how to operate this primitive flying machine and begin demonstrating the practical uses it might have for the United States Army. This history is chronicled through in-depth captions and over 200 images as author Mel Brown tells the story of how San Antonio eventually became the cradle of military aviation. Mastery of the air would take time, equipment, and lives as the demanding flight path led from the early trials at Ft. Sam to the eventual establishment of four flying centers around the city. Working through trial and error, the aeronautic pioneers and first combat aviators convinced the military that the building of an American air arm was needed; thus the legend of the U.S. Air Force at San Antonio was born. Using many photographs never before published, the author tells the rich history of the air force bases in San Antonio, including Kelly, Brooks, and Randolph Fields. Also included are images of some of aviation's first heroes, such as Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and Clair Chennault.

Quad City International Airport

9780738583716

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In 1922, three men were so captivated with flying they leased 30 acres of cow pasture south of Moline to serve as a landing field. Other early aviators and barnstormers began using Franing Field, and it soon became known as Moline Airport. The field hosted the Ford Reliability Tour four times, served as part of the original New York to Dallas airmail route, had passenger service as early as 1927, became one of Illinois's largest Works Progress Administration projects, weathered financial struggles and a battle with neighboring Davenport, Iowa, over which community would possess the area's commercial airport, and has enjoyed constant growth and updates for both airline and general aviation traffic. This collection of historical photographs and images will present the people, planes, events, and development of that former pastureland into today's modern Quad City International Airport, the third largest airport for passenger traffic in the state of Illinois.

Grand Central Air Terminal

9780738546827

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From 1923, when it was known as the Glendale Airport, to the World War II era, when the military took it over, Grand Central Air Terminal was the main commercial airport serving Southern California and the ancestral home of what became Convair (General Dynamics) and Hughes Aircraft. The first scheduled transcontinental passenger service was flown out of Grand Central by Charles Lindbergh, with Amelia Earhart among the passengers. Grand Central had the first paved runway west of the Rocky Mountains, and was a terminal for Pickwick, TWA, American, and Pan Am's Mexican subsidiary. After Pearl Harbor, commercial operations ceased and the Army Air Corps turned Grand Central into a training center and a key element in the air defenses for Los Angeles when a Japanese invasion seemed imminent.

Delaware Aviation

9781467121743

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For such a small state, Delaware has a fascinating aviation history. Delaware counts aircraft from the smallest, like the 1910 Delaplane, to the largest, the USAF C-5 Galaxy airlifter, among its rich variety. Numerous small grass airstrips dotted the state in the early years, serving as an incubator for aerial progress. The state has been a home to aircraft manufacturers, notable aviators, and aeronautical innovators and hosts military aviation units from the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the US Air Force, and the Air Force Reserve on two major bases. World War II brought the development of Dover Air Force Base, currently the largest aerial superport in the United States. This collection of historical photographs depicts the colorful people, the locales, the varied aircraft, and the milestone events that make up the history of aviation in Delaware.

Yeager Airport and Charleston Aviation

9781467126397

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Yeager airport and Charleston aviation have quite a history.

Cover image for Yeager Airport and Charleston Aviation, isbn: 9781467126397

Oakland Aviation

9780738556000

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From hot-air balloons to jets, no other place has had a more diverse and significant aviation history than the city of Oakland. Starting in the mid-1850s with balloons, the city has seen the development of many aircraft innovations, including gliders, the first powered dirigible in North America, some of the first powered airplanes, and even early flying boats. Oakland witnessed the advent of stunt flying, the first transpacific flights, and the Dole Race, as well as many early commercial aviation operations, and a host of other groundbreaking advancements.

Mobile Aviation

9780738586830

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Local businessman and inventor John Ellis Fowler introduced the concept of the flying machine to Mobile and South Alabama. Fowler's innovative designs mark the beginning of the remarkable aviation heritage of Alabama's port city, a legacy further enhanced by the evolution of military and civilian aviation on Alabama's Gulf Coast. A mild climate and abundance of flat terrain made the region attractive for the establishment of military flight training programs during the World War II while the availability of air, rail, and sea transportation made Mobile an ideal location for construction of a supply and repair depot to support military aviation in the Southeast. Images of Aviation: Mobile Aviation is the story of the first century of powered flight in Mobile and South Alabama.

Downey's Aerospace History 1947-1999

9780738569536

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The city of Downey has been host to one of aerospace history's most sacred sites. For more than six decades, men and women have gathered in this Los Angeles County town to make the dreams of tomorrow a reality—inventing the future and starting America's journey to the stars. A wealthy Los Angeles industrialist, E. M. Smith, began this history with the purchase of a portion of the Huynan Ranch in August 1929. His company, EMSCO Aircraft, was the first of what would become a memorable list of pioneers in aviation and space. The story of the site's aerospace history extends from North American Aviation's tenancy in 1947 to the site closure in 1999 when engineers and scientists designed and developed the aerospace technology that took man to the moon and established a permanent presence in space.

Cover image for Downey's Aerospace History 1947-1999, isbn: 9780738569536

Montgomery Aviation

9780738552590

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The history of powered flight in Alabama began in February 1910 with the arrival of Wilbur Wright in the capital city of Montgomery. In search of a suitable location to establish a training camp for student aviators, Wright selected Montgomery as the site of the nation's first civilian pilot training school because of the region's short winters, mild climate, and flat farmland. The establishment of the Wright flying school marked the beginning of a remarkable aviation heritage in Montgomery, a legacy further enhanced by the arrival of military flight
training at Taylor Field less than a decade later. The same factors that attracted the Wrights to Montgomery made the area an ideal location for the military flight training programs that would produce more than 100,000 aviation cadets at Maxwell and Gunter Fields during the Second World War. From the
Wright brothers to the Air University at Maxwell Field, Images of Aviation: Montgomery Aviation is the story of the first century of powered flight in Alabama's capital city.

Pearson Field:

9780738531298

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Pearson Field, part of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, is one of the oldest continually operating airfields in the United States. From the first arrival of an airship in 1905 and the flying of a plane off the Multnomah Hotel in 1912, Pearson has achieved numerous aviation milestones. The first official interstate airmail landed here in 1912, and during World War I it was the site of the world's largest spruce mill. Pearson was selected to serve as Portland's first airmail terminal, and two of America's most notable women pilots--Dorothy Hester and Edith Foltz--first took to the skies from the bustling Vancouver field. Pearson was also in the world spotlight when the 1937 Soviet transpolar flight landed in 1937. After 100 years, Pearson continues to serve as one of the region's preeminent general aviation centers.

Aviation in Southern Oregon

9780738581910

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Medford, Oregon, pioneered aviation in Southern Oregon and has long enjoyed a reputation for being an air-minded city. When the City of Medford built Newell Barber Field in 1920, it established the first municipally owned airfield in the state. In 1926, Pacific Air Transport selected Medford as a station for the West Coast airmail route. While Portland's airmail service was located across the river at Vancouver's Pearson Field in Washington, Medford's Newell Barber Field was Oregon's only airmail stop. The 1920s secured Medford's position as a leader in the growth of both civil and commercial aviation. When technology rendered the original field obsolete, the voters handily approved a new, state-of-the-art field that has continued to expand and grow into a major international airport and free trade zone, capable of accommodating some of the world's largest aircrafts.

Millville Army Air Field

9780738575193

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Millville had always been known for its glassmaking, but with the outbreak of World War II, the community's identity was primed to change forever. A private civilian airfield gave way to the creation of America's first defense airport, the training ground for the U.S. Army's Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots. Bright and brave young men from across the country converged on Millville in the early 1940s to learn to fly and fight for freedom. Some died in training; others flew into history as heroes. While in Millville, they lived the average lives of the country's military men, playing baseball, flirting with the girls at the local USO dances, and attending Sunday night dinners with local families, creating lifelong friendships in a time when a young man's life expectancy was in the hands of America's enemies.

Cleveland's Legacy of Flight

9780738551777

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Since the dream of flight was finally realized by two Ohioans, Wilbur and Orville Wright, it is little wonder that Greater Clevelanders were quick to embrace it. From the August day in 1910 when Glenn Curtiss flew from Euclid Beach Park to Cedar Point, aviation has had a strong following in Cleveland. World War I saw the dawn of aircraft production in the city, and the 1920s brought the world-renowned Cleveland National Air Races. Cleveland industry supported aviation in many different ways, and multiple airports, many now long gone, promoted business aviation and flight training for decades. During World War II, Cleveland was a center of war production, and much of this was aviation related. Subsequently, renovations of the Cleveland Municipal Airport created Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. A scene of thriving airline operations to this day, Cleveland's business community was quick to appreciate the advantages of corporate aviation, which remains a daily feature of Cleveland's aviation life.

Early Aviation in Long Beach

9780738570839

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By 1920, when Amelia Earhart attended Earl S. Daugherty's air circus and then took her first airplane ride with Long Beach Poly High School graduate Frank Hawks, Long Beach was already a key part of the golden age of aviation. Balloonists had parachuted onto the city's beaches in 1905 near the Pine Avenue Pier, and stunt pilots such as Frank Stites took off and landed on its sands in 1908. The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce sponsored the altitude contest won by Arch Hoxsey in the second Los Angeles Air Meet in 1910. Cal Rodgers ended the first transcontinental flight in the water near Linden Avenue on December 10, 1911. A former Army Air Corps flight instructor, Earl Daugherty was known as the "greatest stunt pilot" and owned the area's first non-beach airfield. This volume offers glimpses of early aviation at one of its core development locales, including photographs never before published of Earhart's flight instructor, John G. Montijo.

Washington Dulles International Airport

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Washington Dulles International Airport is one of the three major airports that transports passengers into and out of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The beauty of the site is admired not only by millions who arrive and leave the area, but by local residents as well. After an extensive study of three separate locations in Virginia, Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower agreed to the Chantilly site and later chose to rename the world's first jet airport after his former secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. Renowned architect Eero Saarinen designed the magnificent building that serves as a gateway in and out of the United States. Today, the once peaceful farming area and small villages have turned into a fast-paced business world filled with thousands of new homes and residents.

Springfield Aviation

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Citizens of Springfield first witnessed human flight, a balloon ascent, on July 5, 1858. In 1861, the capital city's most famous resident, Abraham Lincoln, then residing in the White House, authorized the creation of the first U.S. "air force," a balloon to observe Confederate troops. Springfield's interface with aviation has been a steady stream of hot-and-cold-running enthusiasm since airplanes began flying from the state fair racetrack infield about 1910. Springfield Aviation chronicles that flow and concludes with photographs from Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in early 2008. It presents photographs of memorable airplanes, airships, and prominent aviators from the author's extensive collection, augmented by contributions from Springfield Airport Authority, Lincoln Library's Sangamon Valley Collection, and many others.

South Dakota's First Century of Flight

9780738584256

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The first aircraft heavier than air took to the skies in South Dakota in 1911. Since that time, pilots, mechanics, and dreamers have used aviation in innovative ways to shrink the large distances between the prairies and the mountains of the state. The start of the U.S. Space Program began at the Stratobowl in the 1930s and evolved into today's modern hot air balloons. People have used aircraft, not only for transportation, but also for controlling varmints, from grasshoppers to coyotes. Firefighters routinely use aircraft to put out forest fires, and many a tourist has seen Mount Rushmore from a helicopter. South Dakota has also served the military since World War II with the major bombers of the U.S. Air Force's arsenal. Perhaps best of all, South Dakotans enjoy flying for pure enjoyment.