Complete History of Aviation: From Ballooning to Supersonic Flight

159 Pages·2011·3.7 MB·English

by  Robert Curley

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AVIATION
FROM BALLOONING TO SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
TRANSPORTATION AND SOCIETY
THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF
AVIATION
FROM BALLOONING TO SUPERSONIC
FLIGHT
EDITED BY ROBERT CURLEY, MANAGER, SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
Published in 2012 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010.
Copyright © 2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Britannica, Encyclopædia
Britannica,
and the Thistle logo are registered trademarks of Encyclopædia Britannica,
Inc. All
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All rights reserved.
Distributed exclusively by Rosen Educational Services.
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First Edition
Britannica Educational Publishing
Michael I. Levy: Executive Editor
J.E. Luebering: Senior Manager
Marilyn L. Barton: Senior Coordinator, Production Control
Steven Bosco: Director, Editorial Technologies
Lisa S. Braucher: Senior Producer and Data Editor
Yvette Charboneau: Senior Copy Editor
Kathy Nakamura: Manager, Media Acquisition
Robert Curley: Manager, Science and Technology
Rosen Educational Services
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Nelson Sá: Art Director
Cindy Reiman: Photography Manager
Karen Huang: Photo Researcher
Brian Garvey: Designer
Matt Cauli: Cover Design
Introduction by Laura Loria
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The complete history of aviation: from ballooning to supersonic flight/edited
by Robert
Curley.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(Transportation and society)
“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational
Services.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61530725-8 (eBook)
1. Aeronautics—Juvenile literature. I. Curley, Robert, 1955–
TL547.C575 2012
629.13009—dc23
2011018093
On the cover: A jet fighter plane soars above the clouds. Jet-engine fighter
planes were used sparingly
during World War II, and were refined in the post-war years.
Shutterstock.com
On page viii: Hot air balloons take flight near Canterbury, Eng., as part of a
mass crossing of the
English Channel on April 7, 2011. Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Pages 1, 18, 36, 52, 82, 104, 123, 145, 156, 158, 161 Shutterstock.com
Introduction
Chapter 1: Balloon Flight
Elements of Balloon Flight
The Pioneers
The Montgolfier Brothers
The Gas-Hot-Air Hybrid Balloon
Smoke and Coal Gas
Military Experiments and Petroleum Fuel
Balloons Reach the Stratosphere
Plastic Balloons
Superpressure Balloons
Modern Hot-Air Balloons
Chapter 2: Flight Balloons and Airships
Hot-Air Ballooning
Hot-Air Balloon Components
Envelope Design
Deflation Systems
Burners
Baskets
High-Altitude Ballooning
Long-Distance Ballooning
Steve Fossett Circles the Globe
Airships
The Hindenburg Disaster
Chapter 3: The Invention of the Airplane
The Problem of Lift
The Problem of Propulsion
The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
The Problem of Control
Other Aviation Pioneers
Chapter 4: Pistons and Propellers
The Headliners
Lindbergh Crosses the Atlantic
The First Airlines
From Airmail to Airlines in the United States
The DC-3
The Aeronautical Infrastructure
Wartime Legacies
Postwar Airlines
General Aviation
Chapter 5: The Jet Age
First Experiments
World War II
Technical Advantages and Challenges
The Black Box
The Airlines Re-equip
Progress in Engines and Airframes
Air Force One
Avionics, Passenger Support, and Safety
Supersonic Flight
The Concorde
Chapter 6: Helicopters, Hang Gliders, and Ultralights
The Helicopter
History
Autogiros
Principles of Flight and Operation
Control Functions
The Hang Glider
Otto Lilienthal
The Ultralight
Chapter 7: Airports
Modern Airports
Operational Requirements
Runway Configurations
Runway Pavements
Navigational Aids, Lighting, and Marking