Flight in America: From the Wrights to the Astronauts (Paperback)

~ (Author) "During the month of September 1903, few people anywhere had reason to take particular interest in the appearance of the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur,..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, Air Corps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By far the best book on man and air travel yet written." -- —Cleveland Plain Dealer

"For those who won't soon be able to visit the National Air and Space Museum, perhaps the next best thing would be to read Flight in America." -- —Chronicle of Higher Education

"The most comprehensive survey of the history of American aeronautics and space flight yet
published." -- —Technology and Culture

Review

"The standard history of the American aerospace enterprise -- with good reason." -- Tom D. Crouch, Museums New York

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 3rd edition (June 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801866855
• ISBN-13: 978-0801866852
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,718 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #53 in	Books > History > World > Transportation > Aviation
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A WONDERFUL BOOK!, July 29, 2000

By	Al Krieger (Raymond, New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flight in America (Paperback)

This is one of those books that you look for, but seldom find. It is written so that it is easily read, easily understood, and easily absorbed. It is well researched, full of interesting facts and personal stories, and never lets up the pace of delivering an interesting, informative and educational narrative. I found it so much fun to read and understand, that I finished the entire book in three days, then read it again to reap what I might have missed the first time through. The author did an outstanding job of compiling and presenting complicated facts, dry figures, and personal stories into one very interesting and fun narrative. I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to know every step of the race to flight history in the United states from the Wright brothers, to space exploration. The author managed to include almost every detail in this history of flight that you could ever want to know and still keep the story line from becoming boring, or slowing down once throughout the entire book. This wonderful work would be worth twice the asking price. I am glad that I found it, and am really glad that I now own it as part of my historical collection.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Making of a New Aerospace History, and it's Most Welcome, June 21, 2004

By	Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

No one writes better syntheses of major topics in the history of air and space than Roger E. Bilstein, now retired from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. "Flight in America" is one of those exceptionally powerful syntheses that lays out a broad master narrative of the subject. Originally published in 1984, this work has now been through three editions, each refining and expanding the work to incorporate new understandings and broader perspectives. Indeed, "Flight in America" is THE place to start in any serious investigation of the development of air and space in the United States. Along with two other broad interpretive works-"Enterprise of Flight: The American Aviation and Aerospace Industry" (Smithsonian, 2001) and "Testing Aircraft, Exploring Space: An Illustrated History of NACA and NASA" (Johns Hopkins, 2003)-"Flight in America" offers a comprehensive narrative of the subject.

In this volume Bilstein progresses chronologically from the time of the Wright brothers, barnstorming, and early military aviation to the rise of aviation as a business, the advent of airlines, and the technological progress of the airplane. He then spend considerable effort discussing the role of the airplane in World War II before moving into post-war developments with jet airliners, global military reach made possible with aircraft, and the beginning and development of the space age. In every sense, he offers a satisfying survey of aerospace issues that is useful both to students and scholars alike.

At a fundamental level, "Flight in America" represents an attempt to help coalesce a "New Aerospace History." Like the "New Western History" or the "New Social History" that has been so important in the last twenty years, this approach represents a significant transformation that has largely been, although not exclusively, taking place in the field. Specifically, the "New Aerospace History" is committed to relating the subject to the larger issues of society, politics, and culture, taking a more sophisticated view of the technology than historians previously held. In the past, many writers on aerospace history held a fascination with the machinery, which has been largely anthropomorphized and often seen as "magical."

The "New Aerospace History" embodied in this work moves beyond a fetish for the artifact to emphasize the broader role of the air- and spacecraft, and more importantly the whole technological system including not just the vehicle but also the other components that make up the aerospace climate, as an integral part of the human experience. This is not to be understood as lacking an interest in the artifact, or being artifactless. Rather it is an affirmation that one moves through reason and study to a larger understanding. It suggests that many unanswered questions are present in helping the development of modern flight, and that inquisitive individuals seek to know that which they do not understand. This assumption arises within historians and is based on their understanding of humans, for technological systems are constructions of the human mind or minds.

This work emphasizes, therefore, research in aerospace topics that are no longer limited to the vehicle-centered, internalist, style of history that had gone before. "Flight in America" offers all of us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in this truly challenging new approach to the field. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars General History of Flight, July 30, 2005

By	D. Fenton (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very readable, quick and general history of flight in the United States. Bilstein is a noted historian and provides a narrative history of aviation that while comprehensive is a little disjointed in parts.