A hundred years ago, on a windswept beach, Wilbur and Orville Wright took to the air - and, all too quickly, came down. Very soon, though, better concepts spread their wings. Aircraft transformed warfare. They offered safe and speedy travel to the most distant cities. Flying on rocket power, the most advanced versions touched the edge of space. The story of aviation provides tales of dreamers and visionaries: Juan Trippe conquered the world's oceans with Pan American World Airways; Hermann Goering built his Luftwaffe; US General Curtis leMay turned air power into a war-winning weapon and William Allen of Boeing defeated his rival Donald Douglas as they vied for leadership in the postwar skies. Vivid moments have marked a century of aviation: Charles Lindbergh, alone in his cockpit, slapping his face to stay awake. Edward Musick of Pan Am, flying with a heavy load of fuel, barely clearing a major bridge near San Francisco. Test pilot Chuck Yeager falling ten miles in his out-of-control rocket plane - and then recovering for a safe landing. Space Museum, the US National Archives and major manufacturers like Boeing Airbus and NASA, this book will capture the drama, vividness and achievement of a century of flight.