Private Pilot Rotorcraft Practical Test Standards: For Helicopter and Gyroplane FAA-S-8081-15A Book

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.