Overview
A celebration of aviation's first 100 years.
In 1903, the Wright Brothers achieved powered flight for the first time in history. Today, the wingspan length of commercial aircraft surpasses the distance of Orville Wright's first flight.
Wild About Flying is the story of flight as told through the people who changed the world forever. The book tells the true-life adventures of the pioneers, inventors, aviators, designers, engineers, navigators, test-pilots and visionaries who were responsible for developing one of mankind's most important inventions. Lively biographies of 54 famous, notorious, and lesser known aviation characters create a panoramic history of flight from its crude beginnings to the sophistication of space travel. The book also includes two illustrated timelines: The first features aviation's principal players and the second depicts the important technical advancements of specific aircraft.
Illustrating the text are 200 superb color paintings by internationally recognized aviation artist, David Marshall. His dynamic, historically accurate, and inspiring images are technically correct and the perfect complement to these engaging stories.
Synopsis
The story of flight as told through 54 biographies of famous, notorious and less known aviation characters and illustrated with 200 color paintings, 70 portraits and 54 archival photographs.
Rollie Welch - VOYA
The centennial anniversary of successful powered flight, a nationwide celebration in 2003 of the Wright Brothers' first flight, generated renewed interest in aviation. In this title that is suitable for school reports, Harris concentrates on the significant—and sometimes forgotten—figures of aerial history. These historical personalities, dating back to before the Wright Brothers' triumph, are grouped into three sections: Dreamers, Doers, and Daredevils. This arrangement prevents a cover-to-cover time line, making the index indispensable. For example, an article about the developers of the Concorde supersonic jet precedes information about Glenn Curtiss, a contemporary of the Wrights. Descriptions of risks taken by early aviation pioneers, essentially climbing aboard and launching rickety, motorized kites, will amaze teens. The text is enhanced by photographs and Marshall's oil paintings. The paintings are of high quality but fail to "sell" the book. Photos feature stills of inventors and pilots with few shots of the planes, an aspect that will disappoint teens. The limited number of photographs of aircraft in-flight, especially post-World War II aircraft and today's dynamic combat aircraft, will also steer away casual browsers. Biographical sketches include both foreign and pioneering female pilots, but noticeably absent is information about Chuck Yeager, possibly the one pilot today's teens can most readily identify. School libraries might consider this book for purchase, but prolific author Walter J. Boyne's many histories of aircraft, priced comparably, do a better job of attracting teenage aviation buffs. VOYA Codes 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appealwith pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Firefly, 232p.; Index. Illus. Photos. Charts. Chronology. Appendix. Ages 12 to 18.
Editorials
Globe and Mail
Celebrates the individuals who helped get aviation off the ground.Choice -
A superb coffee-table book. It is a visual delight illuminated as much by the informative text as by the fine, original illustrations... a beautiful, well-written volume.Plane and Pilot
This interesting book is filled with exciting stories about the visionaries and heroes of flight, all depicted in color illustrations.Portland Oregonian
Vibrant historical scenes that crackle with energy... a handsome and fascinating book... its authors truly love their subject.E-Streams
Unique... beautifully illustrated... A valuable internationalizing addition to the history and aeronautics holdings of large public, college and university libraries.Richmond Times-Dispatch
Focuses on the people... Each person has an entry illustrated with drawings, photographs and Marshall's paintings.Science Books and Films
Superb illustrations and technical content are presented from such an interesting human perspective.Children's Literature
Wherever pilots gather, it is inevitable that flying stories flow. Pilots call these tales "hanger stories" because often they are told in the airplane hangers at airports. Wild About Flying! is a thick volume of fantastic "hanger stories" filled with wild flying inventions, risky adventures, and daring flights. This hefty book is divided into three parts; the dreamers, the doers, and the daredevils. Under the category of dreamers, the authors have placed the aviation experimenters and designers of aircraft. There is a strong emphasis on early flight and the exciting flurry of ideas prior to and during the Wright brothers historic flight. The section about doers includes famous names associated with the manufacturing and engineering of aircraft. It is not just a cataloguing of planes and factories, but stories about why certain planes were built and how they fit into our world history. The last and largest section is about the daredevils, the men and women who pushed the limits of flight in their airplanes. Almost a third of the entries are Australian. This makes the reader wonder if the two Australians who co-authored this book were a little biased in their selection. Despite this, Wild About Flying! is a massive book, full of wonderful stories, photos and illustrations. The illustrator, Bruce Harris is very deft in re-creating great moments in aviation history with his technically accurate and beautifully rendered paintings. 2003, Firefly Books, Ages 12 up.— Sally J. K. Davies
VOYA
The centennial anniversary of successful powered flight, a nationwide celebration in 2003 of the Wright Brothers' first flight, generated renewed interest in aviation. In this title that is suitable for school reports, Harris concentrates on the significant—and sometimes forgotten—figures of aerial history. These historical personalities, dating back to before the Wright Brothers' triumph, are grouped into three sections: Dreamers, Doers, and Daredevils. This arrangement prevents a cover-to-cover time line, making the index indispensable. For example, an article about the developers of the Concorde supersonic jet precedes information about Glenn Curtiss, a contemporary of the Wrights. Descriptions of risks taken by early aviation pioneers, essentially climbing aboard and launching rickety, motorized kites, will amaze teens. The text is enhanced by photographs and Marshall's oil paintings. The paintings are of high quality but fail to "sell" the book. Photos feature stills of inventors and pilots with few shots of the planes, an aspect that will disappoint teens. The limited number of photographs of aircraft in-flight, especially post-World War II aircraft and today's dynamic combat aircraft, will also steer away casual browsers. Biographical sketches include both foreign and pioneering female pilots, but noticeably absent is information about Chuck Yeager, possibly the one pilot today's teens can most readily identify. School libraries might consider this book for purchase, but prolific author Walter J. Boyne's many histories of aircraft, priced comparably, do a better job of attracting teenage aviation buffs. VOYA Codes 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appealwith pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Firefly, 232p.; Index. Illus. Photos. Charts. Chronology. Appendix. Ages 12 to 18.—Rollie Welch