Get Discount 5% Off
Subscribe to our newsletters now and stay up-to-date with new arrivals, updates and deals.
The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation
Years before Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris electrified the nation, a group of daredevil...
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
SKU:
9781324094074
Product Type:
Books
Please hurry! Only 0 left in stock
10 customers are viewing this product
Couldn't load pickup availability
Years before Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris electrified the nation, a group of daredevil pilots, most of them veterans of the World War I, brought aviation to the masses by competing in the sensational transcontinental air race of 1919. The contest awakened Americans to the practical possibilities of flight, yet despite its significance, it has until now been all but forgotten.
In The Great Air Race, journalist and amateur pilot John Lancaster finally reclaims this landmark event and the unheralded aviators who competed to be the fastest man in America. His thrilling chronicle opens with the race's impresario, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, who believed the nation's future was in the skies. Mitchell's contest--critics called it a stunt--was a risky undertaking, given that the DH-4s and Fokkers the contestants flew were almost comically ill-suited for long-distance travel: engines caught fire in flight; crude flight instruments were of little help in clouds and fog; and the brakeless planes were prone to nosing over on landing.
Yet the aviators possessed an almost inhuman disregard for their own safety, braving blizzards and mechanical failure as they landed in remote cornfields or at the edges of cliffs. Among the most talented were Belvin "The Flying Parson" Maynard, whose dog, Trixie, shared the rear cockpit with his mechanic, and John Donaldson, a war hero who twice escaped German imprisonment. Jockeying reporters made much of their rivalries, and the crowds along the race's route exploded, with everyday Americans eager to catch their first glimpse of airplanes and the mythic "birdmen" who flew them.
The race was a test of endurance that many pilots didn't finish: some dropped out from sheer exhaustion, while others, betrayed by their engines or their instincts, perished. For all its tragedy, Lancaster argues, the race galvanized the nation to embrace the technology of flight. A thrilling tale of men and their machines, The Great Air Race offers a new origin point for commercial aviation in the United States, even as it greatly expands our pantheon of aviation heroes.
Author: John Lancaster
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 11/14/2023
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781324094074
In The Great Air Race, journalist and amateur pilot John Lancaster finally reclaims this landmark event and the unheralded aviators who competed to be the fastest man in America. His thrilling chronicle opens with the race's impresario, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, who believed the nation's future was in the skies. Mitchell's contest--critics called it a stunt--was a risky undertaking, given that the DH-4s and Fokkers the contestants flew were almost comically ill-suited for long-distance travel: engines caught fire in flight; crude flight instruments were of little help in clouds and fog; and the brakeless planes were prone to nosing over on landing.
Yet the aviators possessed an almost inhuman disregard for their own safety, braving blizzards and mechanical failure as they landed in remote cornfields or at the edges of cliffs. Among the most talented were Belvin "The Flying Parson" Maynard, whose dog, Trixie, shared the rear cockpit with his mechanic, and John Donaldson, a war hero who twice escaped German imprisonment. Jockeying reporters made much of their rivalries, and the crowds along the race's route exploded, with everyday Americans eager to catch their first glimpse of airplanes and the mythic "birdmen" who flew them.
The race was a test of endurance that many pilots didn't finish: some dropped out from sheer exhaustion, while others, betrayed by their engines or their instincts, perished. For all its tragedy, Lancaster argues, the race galvanized the nation to embrace the technology of flight. A thrilling tale of men and their machines, The Great Air Race offers a new origin point for commercial aviation in the United States, even as it greatly expands our pantheon of aviation heroes.
Author: John Lancaster
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 11/14/2023
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781324094074
Returns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
Shipping
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
Related Products
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Recently Viewed Products
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
Example product title
- BD$28.51 BMD
- BD$28.51 BMD
- Unit price
- per
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.