The Airplane

How Ideas Gave Us Wings

By: Jay Spenser

Write A Review

Paperback | 1 December 2009

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.5 x 15.8 x 2.1

Paperback

RRP $26.39

$25.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $6.44 with

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

The Airplane by aerospace industry writer Jay Spencer, former assistant curator of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and the Museum of Flight in Seattle, is the definitive history of how we invented and refined the amazing flying machines that enabled humankind to defy gravity. A fascinating true account certain to enthrall and delight aviation and technology buffs, The Airplane is lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs and is the first book ever to explore the development of the jetliner through a fascinating piece-by-piece analysis of the machinery of flight.

Industry Reviews

"A story with a new character and a new engineering problem on every other page, each served with a sense of delight in ideas that sent humanity aloft." -- Seattle Times

"This is a written like an episode of the old TV show Connections, and is just as entertaining." -- Sacramento Book Review

"A smart ...history of a thrilling machine all too often taken for granted." -- Publishers Weekly

"An engaging text...The lively writing and the number of photographs set it above many of its competitors." -- Library Journal

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Engineering & Technology Transport Technology & Trades Aerospace & Aviation Technology Transportation Aircraft & Aviation History Biographies & True Stories Biographies Science, Technology & Medicine Biographies

Introduction	p. xi
Conception: The Thinker and the Dreamer	p. 1
Birth: Wilbur, Orville, and the World	p. 16
Configuration: Shapes and Ideas	p. 37
Fuselage: Of Drums and Dragonflies	p. 56
Wings, Part I: From Box Kites to Bridges	p. 86
Wings, Part II: Cloud-Cutting Cantilevers	p. 112
Empennage: Whale Flukes and Arrow Feathers	p. 136
Flight Controls: The Chariot's Reins	p. 142
Flight Deck: Cockpits for Aerial Ships	p. 173
Aero Propulsion: Prometheus Is Pushing	p. 201
Landing Gear: Shoes, Canoes, and Carriage Wheels	p. 238
Passenger Cabin: Voyaging Aloft	p. 253
Systems Integration: Making Flying Safer	p. 281
Today's State Of The Art: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner	p. 292
Postscript Tomorrow's Wings: Future Air Travel Technologies	p. 305
Notes	p. 311
Acknowledgments	p. 319
Photo Credits	p. 321
Index	p. 323
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

The Airplane

How Ideas Gave Us Wings

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Aircraft & Aviation

Touching the Sky

The extraordinary story of an Australian trailblazer who became the longest flying female airline pilot in the world

The Airmobility Workhorse Slip Case

C-130 Hercules Aircraft in Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) service

Flying Colours of Richard J. Caruana

3

How to Build a Spitfire

The Aircraft Book

The Definitive Visual History

Hudson Fysh

The extraordinary life of the WWI hero who founded Qantas and gave Australia its wings from the popular award-winning journalist and author of BANJO, BANKS and MRS KELLY

High Flyers

Fold the Best Paper Planes for Sky-High Fun - Includes 60 Planes to Fold and 20 Epic Designs

Whispering Death

Shockwave

Australian Combat Helicopter Crew in Vietnam

Jumbo

The Mighty 747

Australia's Queen of the Skies

Boyd

The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

Alan Joyce and Qantas

The Trials and Transformation of an Australian Icon

Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

Ultra Long Flight Paper Airplanes

20 Incredible Planes Designed for Record Breaking Flights

The Disappearing Act

The Impossible Case of MH370

Concorde

The thrilling account of history's most extraordinary airliner

Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe - Vol 2

Bombers 1939 -1945

Up in the Air

Horrible Histories

The Secret Life of Flying

What really happens when you travel by air

Atlantic Furies

the women who risked everything to be the first to fly

Flight Training Manual

Flight Theory for Recreational Pilots

How To Fly A Spitfire

A Nut-and-Bolt Guide to the World's Greatest Aircraft

Fly Me to Paris

A romantic, hilarious and uplifting read all about finding your joy later in life

This product is categorised by