Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Sloan Technology) [Paperback]

T. A. Heppenheimer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471196940 | ISBN-13: 978-0471196945 | Publication Date: March 13, 1998

a gripping, in-depth look at how America's $200 billion aviation industry took flight

"To understand the industry, this is necessary reading." --The Miami Herald

"With the precision of a scientist, a good reporter's marshaling of disparate facts, and the vigor of a natural storyteller, Heppenheimer offers an absorbing narrative." --Richard Snow, Editor American Heritage.

"Tom Heppenheimer tells a fascinating story." -- R. T. Jones Inventor of the swept wing.

"An important addition to the history of technology as well as business." -- Publishers Weekly.

"An airworthy briefing firmly grounded in the applied science and allied realities that permit air transport of passengers and cargo over long distances and high speeds." -- Kirkus Reviews.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This third entry in the Sloan Technology series is an important addition to the history of technology as well as business. Heppenheimer (Colonies in Space) is as gifted at explaining the development of the jet engine in terms a nonspecialist can follow as he is at tracing the rise and triumph of the aircraft industry over ground transport. U.S. commercial flight got off the ground in the 1920s principally because Washington subsidized it for carrying airmail. Government assistance has continued up to the present as such major manufacturers as Boeing, Pratt and Whitney and GE have converted advances financed by the Air Force to building aircraft for the commercial market. Heppenheimer's accounts of the collapse of Pan Am, the demise of Eastern, the enormous gamble made by Boeing in the 1970s, the abandonment of plans for an American answer to the Concorde and the still-reverberating 1978 deregulation demonstrate some of the "unintended consequences" that are the focus of this informative study. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Science writer Heppenheimer (The Coming Quake, Times Bks., 1988) details the history and development of the $200 billion-a-year commercial aviation industry from the aviation pioneers to the Boeing 777. Offering interesting vignettes of the aviation pioneers and company founders, he tracks the advances in aircraft design, aerodynamics, power plants, radar, and air traffic control that paralleled the growth of the airline industry. Of particular interest is coverage of the U.S. Air Force's influence on aircraft development and the federal government's regulation of the industry. The author's account of the advent of the jet in Nazi Germany and Britain is absorbing and notable. Considering the interwoven technological, economic, and political complexity of aviation, Heppenheimer's book is comprehensive enough for specialists yet readable enough for general readers, who might nevertheless have welcomed even more photos. For public libraries.?William A. McIntyre, New Hampshire Technical Coll. Lib., Nashua
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471196940
• ISBN-13: 978-0471196945
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #565,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not so turbulent AIRCRAFT history, March 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Sloan Technology) (Paperback)

I was disappointed in this book, primarily because I was expecting more information on commercial airlines, their history, problems, and development. There is only one 30 page chapter, "Shake-up and Shakeout", which really talks about airlines in any detail. The rest of the book concentrates on the history of aircraft and related technology as well as some limited information on the aerospace companies (Boeing, Lockheed, etc.) and personalities which produced the aircraft.

The title, "Turbulent Skies", is a little more titillating than this basic historical rundown deserves and the subtitle which mentions "Commercial Aviation" may mislead some people.

Content may be OK for those looking for aircraft development through history but look elsewhere if your interest is in the commercial airlines.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding history of aviation, April 5, 2010

By 

Michael T Kennedy (Lake Arrowhead, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Sloan Technology) (Paperback)

This book spends 350 pages in a very thorough history of commercial aviation. It is an excellent history of the early planes of commercial service. We have many histories of military aircraft and their use in war. This book goes into the early airliners like the DC 2 and DC 3. It tells the story of the magnificent DC 6. The Constellation story is told. All of this is fascinating history for me as I was long ago an aeronautical engineer. The modern period is well done up to the mid-90s and the great story of Southwest Airlines and the 737 will have to be found elsewhere. Still, this is excellent history, very readable and reliable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, September 22, 2011

By 

BB - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (Sloan Technology) (Paperback)

This is a great book on the history of commericial aviation in the US. I learned so much from it.