A thrilling account of aerial daredevils from 18th-century balloonists to 1960s jet teams, featuring pioneers, war heroes, and Hollywood stunt pilots who pushed the boundaries of flight. Characteristics Book cover finish(es) Hardcover ( rounded spine binding ) Special Features Dust Jacket Condition Good Author(s) Don Dwiggins Publisher J. B. Lippincott Company Number of pages 226 Published date 1966 FIRST EDITION Language(s) English Size 15.5 x 23.5 x 2.4 cm Categorie(s) • AVIATION CIVILE• AVIATION MILITAIRE• BIOGRAPHIES Description Profusely illustrated with engravings, woodcuts, and photographs This is the electrifying chronicle of the dare-devils of the sky, from the hot-air balloonists of the 18th century to the jet aerobatic teams of the '60's, told by a successful stunt flier. Don Dwiggins, author of They Flew the Bendix Race, writes of the early French balloonists and their montgolfieres which sometimes carried them to a fiery death; "Balloon Bryan," the one-man air force of the Confederacy in the Civil War; the aeronauts of the traveling circuses, including Professor Washington Harrison Donaldson, the original "man on the flying trapeze"; the new breed of air devils—Lincoln Beachey, Arch Hoxsey, and Dan Maloney—who discovered a new three-dimensional freedom while flirting with death in their wood-and-wire crates. Hollywood stunt pilots who crashed planes for pay, America's "tramp flyers" who trained more than 200,000 World War II pilots in aerobatic flight techniques to save their lives in combat, great Air Force and Navy teams who fly precision patterns at 600 miles an hour—all are vividly present in these sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic—but always exciting—true tales which surpass even the most imaginative fiction."Slowly the Confederate balloon rose into the night sky, turning round and round. Bryan, crouched inside the basket, felt a wave of vertigo and held tight to keep from falling. Gradually the spinning slowed. He breathed easier."His eyes grew accustomed to the blackness of the night sky, and he looked away from the bonfire below him to stare off toward the east.Moonlight turned the York River into a silver ribbon, and night sounds flooded up from the earth; barking dogs . the creak of a distant wagon wheel.voices of men singing in camp . . . scattered sniper fire."At a height of nearly 1,000 feet, the balloon stopped. A light wind from the southwest gently moved it over the swamp thickets along the Warwick River. Bryan could hear his heart beat. He was practically over the Union lines!"Leaning out over the edge of the basket, he looked down on a breathtaking scene. Enemy campfires blazed brightly for miles. This could mean only one thing: they were cooking their meat, getting ready for a forced march!"Suddenly he saw the silhouette of Professor Lowe's gas balloon, startlingly close by. He waved his hat and let go with a high-pitched Rebel yell.'Hyaaa, Professor! You tell Little Mac we're ready for him!'"A burst of musket fire from below greeted his sally. Bryan laughed.'Yippee! Missed me a mile!'À rocket shell exploded to his left. Bryan ducked, then looked down. For an instant, the enemy's positions were etched indelibly in his mind. He noted each detail with photographic clarity. Then it was dark once more."Bryan pulled out his Colt and fired twice.Below, he heard John Jacobson holler, 'Giddap! Gotta get ol' Balloon Bryan out'n the sky!'"Thus was born a nickname John Randolph Bryan would never live down.Henceforth the South's one-man air force would be called Balloon Bryan."The basket struck the ground with a thud. Bryan tumbled out, then jumped up grinning and brushed himself off." How'd the horses like being tied to a balloon?' he asked" 'Horse on one end, jackass on t'other,' Lafe Wilkins spat. 'You're gonna bust your neck yet, Cap'n.' "from THE AIR DEVILS
