Aviation Century S.

2 total works

War and Peace in the Air

by Dan Patterson and Ron Dick

Published 1 September 2006

This final volume in the "Aviation Century" series explores the influence of aviation in the major wars and minor conflicts since World War II, aviation disasters and accident investigations, aircraft structure and engine failure, terrorist threats and the future of flight (more efficient airliners, a return to supersonic flight, solar power, unmanned aerial vehicles, scramjets...). Rare archive photographs and newly commissioned colour images complement the text. It covers topics such as: Military Aviation in the Jet Age - The Cold War and Regional Conflicts; Flight Safety, Accidents and Terrorism; Rediscovering the Wrights; and 21st Century Wings - The Future of Air Travel.

Wings of Change

by Ron Dick and Dan Patterson

Published 30 June 2005

The gripping story of a rapid-fire period of change in aviation.

The fourth volume in the Aviation Century series is the dramatic story of the worldshrinking developments in commercial aviation through the end of the twentieth century, in which airliners grew from frail biplanes to huge Jumbo jets. In the process, advanced air travel brought with it worldwide political, economic and social change. In 2004 commercial airlines carried an estimated 1.6 billion passengers.

Each new generation of transport aircraft has brought greater reliability, economy and safety, and increased global commerce through technological advances. Each day millions of shipments now travel by air between continents via sophisticated air cargo and air express systems.

Other chapters in Winds of Change examine:

the wider world of aeronauticsprivate aircraft (personal planes as well as ultralights, sailplanes, hang gliders and parasails)lighter-than-air flight (Zeppelins, blimps, hot-air balloons)rotary wings (helicopters and related craft)the challenges of research and development (from sketch pad to computers; designers, builders and test pilots).