TEST PILOTS

by Maj. Gene Gurney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1962

From Jean Pierre Blanchard's account of ballooning in the eighteenth century, to the testing of supersonic jets on the California desert, this anthology tells the story of the men who fly and sometimes die in experimental or scientific aircraft. The flyers tell their own stories. Orville Wright writes of his famous 1903 flight, while John Macready recounts his famed ascent to nearly eight miles in 1921. Occasionally a professional writer steps in to tell the pilot's story for him, as does Quentin Reynolds for James Doolittle. Professor Picard, Roscoe Turner, Jacqueline Cochran--- the B-17 story, the first flights of a Messerschmidt jet, the early soarings of the red hot B-47, F-100, and B-52---all these follow chronologically as flying gets faster, higher, and more fantastically near the dreamed-of goal of rocket flight. The book is edited by an officer who is an acknowledged expert in the fields of aviation and wartime flying. It makes good reading, especially for airplane buffs.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1962

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Watts

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1962

Categories: NONFICTION