In December 1903, on the windswept beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright piloted the world's first powered flight and within a few years, aeroplanes of various designs were lifting into the air over Europe and America. Soon, the entire world was caught up in the fevered advance of flight, and aeroplanes, Zeppelins, autogyros and helicopters were making the world a much smaller place. This comprehensively researched and copiously illustrated volume celebrates 100 years of aviation. From the early experiments of gliderman Otto Lilienthal to the moon walk of Neil Armstrong, it has been an enormous leap in technology for both the fliers and their machines. The book includes vintage posters of pre-World War I aviation races and a treasure trove of photographs. The text combines histories of the planes with biographical pieces on some of the great figures of the 20th century: the Barnstormers, Igor Sikorsky, Amelia Earhart, among others. Special photo essays focus on the German Luftwaffe, the strangest planes of World War II, the early age of jets and the fighter jets of the 1960s.