Author(s): David Darling

Reference

The wonder of flight has long captured the human imagination. In this beguiling history - ranging from the first aircraft to astronauts and beyond - astronomer David Darling tells the stories of the true life adventurers whose wonder has translated into bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly. Discover outrageous attempts to fly like a bird, early hair-raising balloon trips, and the secret military planes that never made it off the ground - including the "flying pancake" and the plane with thirty wings. Meet Napoleonic ballooniste Sophie Blanchard who planned an aerial invasion of England, stuntman Lincoln Beachey, looping-the-loop in a pinstripe suit and, of course, The Rocket Man himself: the very enviable Yves Rossy, who in 2006 was the first person to fly with the aid of a jet-pack. Eccentric and imaginative, reckless and resourceful - Darling's daring cast of dreamers is guaranteed to entertain and inspire.