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A dramatic chronicle of a pivotal moment in the history of aviation.
By 1910—seven years after the Wright brothers first lifted a plane off the ground at Kitty Hawk—America and the world were transfixed by the danger and challenge of mastering the air. Yet which form of flight would predominate was far from clear—dirigibles, balloons, and airplanes all had their passionate advocates. Emblematic of this uncertainty, the precursor of the U .S. Air Force owned one plane and two dirigibles.
During the seventeen days in October 1910 that Gavin Mortimer vividly recounts in Chasing Icarus, the question of primacy in the air was on full display, after which the future of aviation was never in doubt. The great dirigible America, captained by Walter Wellman, lifted off from New Jersey and for several turbulent days attempted to be the first flying machine to cross the Atlantic. From St. Louis, ballooning teams from around the world took off in pursuit of the Gordon Bennett I nternational Balloon Cup, given to the team that traveled the farthest distance, with a denouement featuring Americans Alan Hawley and Augustus Post that would stun the country. And at the famed racetrack at Belmont Park, New Y ork, huge crowds gathered to watch airplane pilots race above the oval and attempt to set speed, altitude, and distance records. Newspapers everywhere, even in the smallest of towns, made headlines of the results, and the public treated all aviators as matinee idols.
Interweaving the dramatic narratives of these three astonishing events, bringing to life powerful personalities (the ruthlessly competitive Wright brothers, the debonair Englishman Claude Grahame-White, the ultra-confident John Moisant), Gavin Mortimer reveals the pioneers of flight as fitting descendants of the legendary Icarus, risking all in pursuit of glory. Chasing Icarus captures both a pivotal moment in the history of aviation and the end of the gilded era that would soon descend into the devastation of World War I ; indeed, within four years dogfights over France had replaced air shows.
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Aaron Friedman
reviewed Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation on May 29, 2014
Chasing Icarus
Little fuss is made over aviation today. We've come to accept it as routine, even mundane, as travelers today refer to many fully booked flights as "cattle cars" and become summarily irate when delay is imposed on them by weather or mechanical breakdown. This wasn't at all the case in 1910. Nothing about flying was routine and, except among dreamers, it wasn't at all clear that it ever would become so. In late May of 1910 Glenn H. Curtiss achieved a flight of 150 miles, from Albany, N.Y. to New York City in two and one half hours, average 54 MPH. This was such an extraordinary feat that the New York Times gave it six full pages of text and photos, coverage that probably stands as a record still today. Other aviation milestones of 1910 include the first international aviation meet held in the U.S. at Dominguez Field near Los Angeles in January; races between airplanes and cars are always won by the cars; Charles Rolls round trip crossing of the English Channel; and the first U.S. solo flight by a woman, Blanche Scott in September.
Chasing Icarus is an apt title for this book about men who were self assured about their ability to overreach and succeed. The names of some of these men are well known, others less so. Mortimer lays good groundwork of events as people prepare and practice and strive, often succeeding and, as often, failing and failing fatally. He illustrates the attitudes of people toward flight in 1910 and shows how the press of the time, much like modern media, were more interested in being first to report than they were in getting it fast and right.
There are three parallel stories here and they are unfortunately a bit too independent of each other to paint a full picture of the development of aviation during 1910. There's also not much background on the airships and balloons, though it's to be recognized that they weren't evolving the way airplanes were. Airplanes also offered social glamor that the others lacked as well as having the significant advantage of being able to "perform" before an audience at length. Naturally, there's a share of intrigue and back room deal making.
I found the earlier pages a bit of a slog but from the plates to the end I enjoyed it immensely.
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Add Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation, A dramatic chronicle of a pivotal moment in the history of aviation. By 1910—seven years after the Wright brothers first lifted a plane off the ground at Kitty Hawk—America and the world were transfixed by the danger and challenge of mastering the a, Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation, A dramatic chronicle of a pivotal moment in the history of aviation. By 1910—seven years after the Wright brothers first lifted a plane off the ground at Kitty Hawk—America and the world were transfixed by the danger and challenge of mastering the a, Chasing Icarus: The Seventeen Days in 1910 That Forever Changed American Aviation to your collection on WonderClub |
