Customer Reviews

The Triumph of Instrument Flight: A Retrospective in the Century of U.S. Aviation

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Dailey's Triumph is indeed a triumph. I work at a major aviation library, and of the 30,000 works in our collections, none has nearly as much information on the development of instrument flight as this. Bravo.

In the early days of aviation, a pilot entering clouds had only a compass to guide him on his way. To learn his location, the aviator had to dip below the clouds in hope of seeing familiar landmarks.

Dailey's work follows the development of the artificial horizon, the turn coordinator, airspeed indicator, autopilot, and many other instruments, in the search for accurate location in flight. Well researched, with personal observations gained from experience, The Triumph of Instrument Flight reveals the painstaking work and advances in navigation through the fogs of night, weather, and wind.

Well done and recommended for those seeking to learn "how we got here from there", both figuratively and literally.

The author covers the history of instrument flight in an interesting and highly readable manner. He mixes stories of his own personal flying experiences with lessons in aviation history, and does it in an entertaining and informative fashion. I spent over 30 years in Alaska, most of it in the aviation industry, and of particular interest to me were the author's stories of flying in Alaska shortly after World War II. If you are interested in aviation history and Alaska flying stories, this book is well worth reading.