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A History of Aeronauticsby E. Charles Vivian ( October, 1920. ) FOREWORD
Although renowned heavier-than-air flight is less than two decades old, and successful dirigible propulsion antedates it by a very brief period, the majority of diverse experiment and accomplishment renders any one-volume history of the subject a matter of selection. In addition to the restrictions imposed by space limits, the material for compilation is fragmentary, and, in many cases, scattered through periodical and other publications. Hitherto, there has been no attempt at furnishing a detailed account of how the aeroplane and the dirigible of to-day came to being, but each author who has treated the subject has devoted his attention to some special phase or section. The principal exception to this rule--Hildebrandt--wrote in 1906, and a good many of his statements are inaccurate, especially with regard to heavier-than-air experiment. Such statements as are made in this work are, where possible, given with acknowledgment to the authorities on which they rest. Further acknowledgment is due to Lieut.-Col. Lockwood Marsh, not only for the section on aeroplane development which he has contributed to the work, but also for his kindly assistance and counsel in connection with the section on aerostation. The author's thanks are also due to the Royal Aeronautical Society for free access to its valuable library of aeronautical literature, and to Mr A. Vincent Clarke for permission to make use of his notes on the development of the aero engine. In this work is no claim to originality--it has been a matter mainly
of compilation, and some stories, notably those of the Wright Brothers
and of Santos Dumont, are better told in the words of the men themselves
than any third party could tell them. The grateful author claims, however,
that this is the first attempt at recording the facts of initial development
and stating, as fully as is possible in the compass of a single volume,
how flight and aerostation have evolved. The time for a critical history
of the subject is not yet. In the matter of instances, it has been found
very difficult to secure suitable material. Even the official series of
snapshots of airplanes in the war period is curiously incomplete' and
the methods of suppression during that period prevented any complete series
being personally collected. Omissions in this respect will probably be
remedied in future editions of the work, as fresh material is always being
found.
E.C.V. October, 1920.
PART I--THE EVOLUTION OF THE AEROPLANE I. THE
PERIOD OF LEGEND II. EARLY
EXPERIMENTS III. SIR GEORGE CAYLEY--THOMAS WALKER IV. THE
MIDDLE NINETEENTH CENTURY V. WENHAM, LE BRIS, AND SOME OTHERS VIII. AMERICAN GLIDING EXPERIMENTS IX. NOT PROVEN XI. THE
WRIGHT BROTHERS XII. THE FIRST YEARS OF CONQUEST XIII. FIRST FLIERS IN ENGLAND XIV. RHEIMS, AND AFTER XVI. LONDON TO MANCHESTER XVII. A SUMMARY--TO 1911 XVIII. A SUMMARY--TO 1914 XIX. THE WAR PERIOD--I XXI. RECONSTRUCTION XXII. 1919-1920
PART II--1903-1920: PROGRESS IN DESIGN III. PROGRESS ON STANDARDISED LINES IV. THE WAR PERIOD
PART III--AEROSTATICS I. BEGINNINGS III. SANTOS-DUMONT VII. KITE BALLOONS
PART IV--ENGINE DEVELOPMENT II. THE VEE TYPE III. THE RADIAL TYPE IV. THE ROTARY TYPE V. THE HORIZONTALLY-OPPOSED ENGINE VI. THE TWO-STROKE CYCLE ENGINE VII. ENGINES OF THE WAR PERIOD
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Did you ever have that dream where you're flying? Well, you can relive it wide awake, thanks to the wizards at Dorling Kindersley, whose Eyewitness: Flight puts you in the pilot's seat, with incredible footage and animation of the birds and insects who have taken to the air as a way of life, as well as the occasionally foolhardy humans who want to join them. Their trademark visual style is beautiful and at times dizzying; the narration is fascinating and sure to spark conversation between kids and adults. This is a real treat for the flight enthusiast, the birder, and the budding entomologist, but is a joy for the whole family. Don't miss out on this incredible series. --Rob Lightner 