Aviation's most wanted : the top 10 book of winged wonders, lucky landings, and other aerial oddities / Steven A. Ruffin.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-284) and index.

Print version record.

Cover; Contents; List of Photographs; Acknowledgments; Preface; I. Notable Flights-The ''Ups'' and The ''Downs''; Flights Before the Wrights; Top Flights; High Flights; Round-the-Worlders; Chopper Milestones; Departures of No Return; Airship Catastrophes; Space Firsts; Records Out of This World; Space-Age Disasters; II. Fantastic Flying Machines; History's Most Significant Aircraft; Aircraft of the Highest Order; Goliaths of the Air; Machines Faster Than a Speeding Bullet; Hall of Fame Homebuilts; Unforgettable Aircraft Names; Lighter-Than-Air Heavyweights

III. Aeronauts, Aviators, and Others in High PlacesFounding Fathers of Flight; First-Flight Contenders; Pilots with the Best Stuff; First Ladies of the Air; Racial Barrier Breakers; Stars in the Sky; Falling Stars; Presidential Flyers; IV. Flying to Kill-Aerial Combat; Aces and Asses; Greatest Aerial Operations; Elite Air Combat Units; Flying Fighting Females; Naughty Nicknames; Good Missions Gone Bad; Combat Flyers on the Carpet; Famous and Infamous Shootdowns; Most Deadly Bombing Raids; V. Flying the Skies, Friendly and Otherwise; Safety Tips for Happy Landings; Busiest Airports

Aerospace ''Sex-capades''Lapses in Judgment (and Other Screw-Ups); Sky Crimes; Arresting Airline Encounters; Worst Air Disasters; VI. Aviation in Print and on Screen; Great Aviation Books; Silver Screen Air Classics; Flying on the Tube; Soaring Through Cyberspace-Useful Websites; VII. Miscellaneous Aeronautica; Axioms of the Air; Memorable Quotes; Controversies; Fantastic Escapes; Myths and Misconceptions; Jumps for the Record Books; Hoaxes and Frauds; Inventions and Innovations; Selected Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z

Ever since the caveman gazed longingly at the winged creatures above him, mankind has been enamored with the idea of flight-of just taking off and soaring away. Steven A. Ruffin celebrates that spirit, that sense of wonder, with Aviation's Most WantedTM: The Top 10 Book of Winged Wonders, Lucky Landings, and Other Aerial Oddities . With dozens of top-ten lists focusing on notable flights, memorable planes, famous and infamous aviators, aircraft combat, air travel-even space travel-and so much more, Ruffin provides a treasure trove of fun facts and amazing anecdotes celebrating the world's love.

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