Flying for Fun

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Airplanes are now so commonplace that it is hard to believe that the
first heavier-than-air aircraft flight took place just barely a century
ago. The Story of Flight series was created to celebrate the past 100
years of airplanes, beginning with the historic first flight by Orville
and Wilbur Wright at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina and following
through to the most modern airplanes still on the drawing board. Each
volume uses period photos, original full-colour illustrations,
well-researched text, and fascinating sidebars to explore the different
aspects of aviation history.

The Wright Brothers and Other Pioneers of Flight profiles the brave
pilots and often-bizarre planes of aviation’s fledgling years.
Military Aircraft of World War I looks at the aces (e.g., the Red Baron)
and the machines (e.g., Fokker) that fought deadly air battles. Military
Aircraft of World War II highlights the crucial role that the Spitfire
and the Hurricane played in the Battle of Britain. Amazing Flights
captures the daredevils and adventurers who pushed beyond the limits to
set and break speed and distance records. Modern Military Aircraft
covers post–World War II developments in aeronautical technology, from
Cold War spy planes to present-day Stealth fighters. Commercial Aviation
traces the evolution of passenger airlines from the surplus bombers of
World War I to the double decker Airbus 380, which is scheduled to begin
service exactly one century after the Wright Brothers’ first solo
flight.

Seaplanes and Naval Aviation chronicles the “flying boats,” from
the first-ever flight in 1910 to the first commercial WIG boat
(Wing-in-Ground-Effect—a seaplane that flies just above the water) in
2003. Readers of Air Combat will learn about 20th-century air battles,
weapons, and strategies. Weird and Wonderful Aircraft focuses on the
more bizarre airplanes that have flown, such as the six-engine Barling
Bomber (which was too heavy to carry bombs) and the 31–kilogram
Daedalus (which was propelled by pedal power). Helicopters offers an
intriguing look at aircraft that fly with rotors, covering both their
military and their non-military uses. Flying for Fun explores the
recreational aspects of flight, from hot-air ballooning and modern
gliding to aerobatics and model aircraft. Space Flight transports
readers from the early days of the space travel into the future.

The Story of Flight is an outstanding series that should be in every
public and school library. Highly recommended.