On Great White Wings: The Wright Brothers and the Race for Flight
The airplane, the first great invention of the 20th century,  will be 100 years old in 2003. Through meticulous and methodical  research, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright solved three major  interrelated problems of flight the wing design, propulsion, and  stability to achieve controlled powered flight in 1903.  Aeronautics expert Culick (mechanichal engineering, California  Inst. of Technology) and aviation author Dunmore (Squadron)  explore how the first airplane, which the Wrights named the  Flyer, actually flew. In a thrilling, very readable book, with  over 200 photographs and illustrations, they show how the  brothers designed the Flyer and improved on subsequent models,  competed with other aviators, and pursued legal battles over  patent rights to certain designs. Enthusiastic about the  technical features of the first airplane, the authors plan to  fly an operational replica on the 100th anniversary of the first  flight. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Charles  L. Lumpkins, Pennsylvania State Univ., State CollegeCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.