AMERICAN EAGLES — A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE — Featuring the Collection of the U.S. Air Force Museum — BIG SIZE
Prix régulier 85,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| ISBN-13 | 9781574270655 |
| ISBN-10 | 1574270656 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
| Special Features | • Dust jacket |
| Condition | Like NEW |
| Author(s) | Ron Dick |
| Publisher | Howell Press |
| Number of pages | 456 |
| Published date | First published in 1997 Second printing in 1998 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 23.5 x 31.5 x 3.5 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION MILITAIRE • BEAUX-LIVRES • MUSÉES AÉRONAUTIQUES |
Description
In 1910, a member of the U.S. Congress remarked aloud that he couldn’t understand all the controversy about buying airplanes for the military. “Why all this fuss about planes for the Army?” he asked. “I thought we had one.” That we did—a single Wright Type B Flyer, designated Signal Corps Aeroplane No. 1. Its lone pilot, Lt. Benjamin Foulois, after corresponding with the Wright brothers on “how to avoid basic disasters,” taught himself to fly. In spite of America’s early leadership in powered flight and the coming war in Europe, most U.S. leaders regarded airplanes as flimsy devices of marginal usefulness.
But there were exceptions, some whose names would become aviation legend. “Benny” Foulois went on to become Chief of the Army Air Corps. Glenn Curtiss, Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, Eddie Rickenbacker, Billy Mitchell, John Macready, Jimmy Doolittle, and others risked their lives and careers to prove the need for a capable, prepared, well-trained air force. They witnessed the development of the airplane in peace and war until its ultimate test in World War II, where it emerged as a decisive instrument of tactical and strategic superiority.
Featuring the collection of airplanes, art, photographs, and memorabilia of the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, this magnificently illustrated book tells the story of the beginning of flight through the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the military, up to the unbelievable technological achievements of what is today the preeminent air power arm in the world.
On these pages are combat aces, Medal of Honor recipients, crusty generals, and average citizens who served the air force. There are philosophers, airplane designers, test pilots, rocket scientists, armorers, and mechanics. You’ll read about the first all-jet combat in Korea, Cold War missiles and nuclear bombs, the war in Vietnam, the exploration of space, and the remarkable airplanes and weapons of Desert Storm. And you’ll catch a glimpse of the USAF in the century to come. With more than 280 color and 240 black-and-white illustrations and photographs, complemented by a wonderfully insightful text, this book presents the unfolding history of the U.S. Air Force of today and tomorrow.