The Epic of FlightSeries
This series delves into the captivating history of aviation, tracing humanity's journey from its earliest daring attempts to the marvels of modern flight. Each volume uncovers thrilling stories of pioneers, technological breakthroughs, and pivotal moments that shaped how we conquer the skies. It's an engaging exploration filled with courage, ingenuity, and the enduring human dream of soaring.
Recommended Reading Order
The Soviet Air Force at War
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
The editors of Time-Life Books have produced another exciting The Epic of Flight. The Soviet Air Force is brought to you in exciting detail through vivid photography and engaging, informative text.
Explains how airplanes fly, traces the development of aeronautic technology, and tells the stories of experimental planes and daring test pilots
Barnstormers & Speed Kings
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Text and photographs record the early exploits of aviation stuntmen, early speed races, and describes types of aircraft used to race before World War II.
The First Aviators
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
This book in "The Epic of Flight" series published by Time-Life Books highlights those intrepid early aviators who were at the leading edge of this burgeoning new technology, that of manned flight.
"This is a book of dreams and dreamers; it is chock full of failures, because until December 17, 1903, all of the many attempts to achieve powered flight were failures. But don't let that put you off, for the story has a happy ending, one as dramatic as any epic tale in the literature of fact or fiction. You can almost hear the fellow who had been watching the Wright brothers on the dunes that day in 1903 come bursting into the little post office at Kitty Hawk shouting, "They have done it! Damned it they ain't flew."" Thomas H. Flaherty, Jr., Series Editor, The Epic of Flight
An illustrated history of helicopters with a description of how they operate.
The Luftwaffe
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Traces the history of the German air force during World War II, focusing on flying aces, models of fighters and bombers, and major air battles
Describes the development, flights, and disasters of the giant airships of the late 19th and early 20th century
Soldiers of Fortune
- 184 pages
- 7 hours of reading
The story of pilots who have earned their living flying in other people's wars.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Army Air Forces had only 1,100 combat-ready planes. No one could have imagined then that within the next four years the AAF would become the mighty weapon commemorated in the paintings reproduced on the following pages, or that it would have to scope to engage in what its commander, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, described as a "global mission." Nevertheless, by 1944 the AAF had grown into 16 separate air forces stationed around the world, and its 1,100 planes had grown to nearly 80,000.
In this book from "The Epic of Flight" Time-Life series, WWI provides the stage for a new type of warrior; one that fights in the air. The book informs readers how aviation underwent a rapid transformation as the opposing forces introduced daring men in their flying machines into the battle.
