What do you think?
Rate this book
First Flight: The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane
An aviation expert uncovers the brilliance behind the first successful flight of an engine-powered plane
In the centennial year of the Wright Brothers' first successful flight, acclaimed aviation writer T. A. Heppenheimer reexamines what Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved. In First Flight, he debunks the popular assumption that the Wrights were simple mechanics who succeeded by trial and error, demonstrating instead that they were true engineering geniuses. Heppenheimer presents the background that made possible the work of the Wrights and examines the work of Samuel P. Langley, a serious rival. He places their work within a broad historical context, emphasizing their contributions after 1903 and their convergence with ongoing aeronautical work in France.
T. A. Heppenheimer (Fountain Valley, CA) has written extensively on aerospace, business, and the history of technology. His many books include Turbulent The History of Commercial Aviation (0-471-10961-4), A History of Space Flight (0-471-14439-8), and A Brief History of From Balloons to Mach 3 and Beyond (0-471-34637-3), all from Wiley.
In the centennial year of the Wright Brothers' first successful flight, acclaimed aviation writer T. A. Heppenheimer reexamines what Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved. In First Flight, he debunks the popular assumption that the Wrights were simple mechanics who succeeded by trial and error, demonstrating instead that they were true engineering geniuses. Heppenheimer presents the background that made possible the work of the Wrights and examines the work of Samuel P. Langley, a serious rival. He places their work within a broad historical context, emphasizing their contributions after 1903 and their convergence with ongoing aeronautical work in France.
T. A. Heppenheimer (Fountain Valley, CA) has written extensively on aerospace, business, and the history of technology. His many books include Turbulent The History of Commercial Aviation (0-471-10961-4), A History of Space Flight (0-471-14439-8), and A Brief History of From Balloons to Mach 3 and Beyond (0-471-34637-3), all from Wiley.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 2003
21 people want to read
About the author
T.A. Heppenheimer
25 books8 followersThomas A. Heppenheimer (January 1, 1947 – September 9, 2015) holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has held research fellowships in planetary science at California Institute of Technology and at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany.
He has been a freelance writer since 1978. He has written extensively on aerospace, business and government, and the history of technology. He is a frequent contributor to American Heritage and its affiliated publications, and to Air & Space. He has also written for the National Academy of Sciences, and contributed regularly to Mosaic of the National Science Foundation. He has written some 300 published articles for more than two dozen publications.
He has been a freelance writer since 1978. He has written extensively on aerospace, business and government, and the history of technology. He is a frequent contributor to American Heritage and its affiliated publications, and to Air & Space. He has also written for the National Academy of Sciences, and contributed regularly to Mosaic of the National Science Foundation. He has written some 300 published articles for more than two dozen publications.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 23, 2012
Excellent and thorough recounting of how Wilbur and Orville Wright methodically developed airfoils with the best lift and aircraft controlling mechanisms in order to be the first to invent an engined aircraft capable of carrying a person. It was amazing that someone didn't beat them to it since they were only spending part of the year on "flying machine" research and the rest of the year on their bicycle business. They were ahead of other inventors, however, merely by having each other to bounce ideas off of. If they needed a new machine or tool to help them in their pursuit, they built it. This was a great book and I'd recommend it to airplane enthusiasts or anyone researching the origins of manned flight.
Displaying 1 of 1 review