Early Aviation AT FARNBOROUGH — Ballons, Kites and Airships
Prix régulier 25,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| ISBN-10 | 356035204 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
| Special Features | • In a box • Dust jacket |
| Condition | Good |
| Author(s) | Percy B. Walker |
| Publisher | Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. |
| Number of pages | 284 |
| Published date | 1971 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 19 x 25.5 x 2.5 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION MILITAIRE • BALLONS • PRÉCURSEURS - PIONNIERS • PREMIÈRE GUERRE MONDIALE • BASES AÉRIENNES - ESCADRILLES |
Description
This is the first authoritative history of the early development of flying in Britain, under the aegis of what was to become the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, written by one of Britain’s leading aeronautical experts.
It traces the story from the early development of military balloons, in which Britain led the world and which were successfully used in the South African War in 1899, through the prolonged military experiments with man-lifting kites on land and at sea, including the glider- and motor-kites, which were recognisable forerunners of modern aircraft, to the building of celebrated airships such as Nulli Secundus in 1907 and Colonel Capper’s Baby.
Serious without being solemn, Percy Walker’s scholarly account ranges from the technical methods of construction of these early flying machines to the conflicts between policy-makers in Whitehall and the boffins at Farnborough. At the centre of his story, however, are the pioneers who made flying possible. Percy Walker’s book evokes admiration for their courage and inventiveness—as well as amusement at their many undignified vicissitudes, setbacks, and minor disasters.
Most colourful among the personalities in the saga was Samuel Franklin Cody, a cowboy and rodeo rider from Birdville, Texas, who set up a successful vaudeville company in England. Though illiterate, he composed a long-running show called The Klondyke Nugett, and also found time to play a leading role in the designing and flying of both kites and airships at Farnborough. He asked the Admiralty for £25,000 for the patent on his man-lifting kites and was offered £100; but the War Office gave him officer status at Farnborough, a salary of £1,000 a year, and free fodder for the white horse that was his preferred method of transportation.