Air travel is one of the safest modes of travel when we take into account the distances and freedom that it allows us. And yet, we still remain obsessed with aviation disasters. What caused these accidents? Whose fault was it? In her series of books, Why Planes Crash, Sylvia Wrigley investigates the worst aviation disasters of the twenty first century. Accidents are invariably a combination of issues. Pilot decisions and (in)actions can be the result...

In the 21st century - the age of the budget airline - where quick and reliable air travel is available to a large segment of society, it seems hard to comprehend that it is less than 250 years since the first human took to the skies. Although the wing of the bird seemed like the most obvious natural mechanism to attempt replicate, it was actually contained hot air, as demonstrated by the Montgolfiers and their balloon that gave birth to the era human...

First published in the 1960s and long out of print, Edmund Cosgrove recounts the lives of Canada's outstanding pilots and their exploits in the two world wars. From the brilliant individualists who flew in the First World War to the tough and dedicated bomber crews of the Second, this is the story of Canadian airmen and their remarkable contribution to the war effort. An essential book for any aviation and history enthusiast, the superbly readable...

'Two Up' is a collection of aviation anecdotes and photographs covering five decades and going, back to the brothers' early fascination with aircraft in the sixties. It includes a wealth of insider information from two brothers, who spent their working lives in the aviation industry… From the sixties both Smith brothers have spent their life, leisure and working time in and around an industry that has seen, phenomenal changes over the last fifty...

Aviation exploded in 1927. First, there was Charles Lindbergh. Immediately after his solo flight to Paris in May, pilots from around the world attempted record breaking flights. In this book, the reader will become acquainted with a myriad of brave and ambitious adventurers. They include: Charles Nungesser, the WWI flying ace who painted a coffin on his plane and called himself the Knight of Death;" Dick Grace, the broken neck" pilot who crashed airplanes...

Ethiopia, a country of ancient origins in eastern Africa, has remained a military powerhouse of that continent until the present day. Currently involved in the war in neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia was also involved in half a dozen of other armed conflicts during the last 60 years. One of the most significant was the Eritrean War of Independence. Fought 1961-1991, this was one of the biggest armed conflicts on the African continent, especially if measured...

Since September 1962, hardly a week passed without a major armed confrontation or an outright war in Yemen. The number of long-lasting insurgencies, mutinies, rebellions, or terrorism-related activities that took place during this period is going into dozens. Despite duration of all these conflicts and although they may have caused as many as half a million of deaths, the rest of the world heard very little about them. At best, Yemen is nowadays known...

Follow A Day In The Life Of Plane As He Is At Work.

A exciting new biography of America's first lady of flight. As a tomboy growing up in Kansas, Amelia Earhart delighted in trying new and risky things, once even building a roller-coaster in her grandparents' backyard. In her 20s she fell in love with flight while watching an aerobatics exhibition and grew even more enthralled when she took her first airplane ride. At age 24 she earned her pilot's wings and 1928 took part in the transatlantic "Friendship"...

People have been experimenting with drones for more than 150 years. During the U.S. Civil War, they tested hot air balloons loaded with explosives on timing devices. These early drones were dangerously unreliable and uncontrollable. Spies in hot air balloons proved the importance of aerial surveillance but also the risk. Technology soon caught up and made flying and spying using unmanned aircraft possible. Today, drones do more than ever before. Electric...