The Magnificent Moisants : Champions of Early Flight [Hardcover]

RICH DORIS L. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 1998

Among the most flamboyant of aviation's pioneers was the Moisant family. Mathilde Moisant was one of the earliest of licensed women pilots. Amelia Earhart biographer Doris L. Rich draws on family interviews and long buried records to revive the Moisants' many adventures both in the air and on the ground. 13 photos.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Among the most flamboyant of aviation's early pioneers were Alfred, John, and Matilde Moisant, who made a name for themselves by building and flying airplanes, running a flight school, setting---and breaking---records and staging aerial exhibitions in the United States, Cuba and Mexico. Rich's book explains how the Moisants contributed to the transformation of flight from a sport into a business. She charts the growth of their renowned air circus and chronicles the adventurous careers of some of their famous fliers, including Roland Garros and Harriet Quimby...In addition to describing the family's aeronautical exploits and adventures, she details their forays into Central American political intrigue to add a little extra spice to the mix.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian (October 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560988606
• ISBN-13: 978-1560988601
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,000,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Early American Family of the Air, January 16, 2009

By 

J. Robert Rule II "Doc Wildman" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magnificent Moisants : Champions of Early Flight (Hardcover)

Any student of early aviation in America will realized that, in addition to the Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss, there were many relatively unheralded pioneers who played a decisive role in making aviation accessible and popular. Doris L. Rich, author of the excellent 1989 Amelia Earhart and Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator, has produced a noteworthy history of the fabulous Moisant family, who contributed no small amount to getting aircraft and the training it took to handle them to the forefront in America. A family of French speaking immigrants from Canada originally, the Moisants had made their fortunes in the 1800s by managing a lucrative sugar plantation in El Salvador. The children of the original Alfred Moisant, "Johnny" Moisant, older brother Alfred Moisant, and their shy sister Mathilde all played a role in developing aviation in the U.S. The Moisant Aviation School and the Moisant International Aviators helped to develop the talents of Harriet Quimby, the first woman licensed aviatrix in America and the Frenchman Roland Garros, who became a hero in the soon-to-come First World War. This book outlines the adventures of the Moisants and the eventual decline of the Moisant aviation combine after the deaths of John Moisant and Harriet Quimby and the retirement from aviation of Mathilde Moisant. An important work on early aviation history and for the earliest efforts of women in aviation.