O’Brien describes 17 historic 20th-century flights in chronological order. A double spread for each has a full-page illustration, a page of concise description, and a sidebar with line diagrams, statistics, and interesting facts. From the Wright brothers and the Hindenburg to the Supersonic X-1 and the Pathfinder landing on Mars, the focal point is on the planes first and the pilots second. The photo-realistic watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are portraitures of the planes, the sidebar diagrams interestingly compiled on the endpapers in proportional scale. Back matter provides a bibliography and the location of where the planes are now; all but five are in museums. A fascinating aerial view of the progression of flying machines, both well- and little-known. Add this to the hangar full of aviation books this year. (Nonfiction. 7-11)
