The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation -- John Lancaster, Hardcover

The Great Air Race reclaims one of the most important moments in the history of American aviation: the transcontinental air race of October 1919 that saw scores of pilots compete for the fastest roundtrip time between New York and San Francisco in frail, open-cockpit biplanes. Riveting the nation, the aviators--most of them veterans of the Great War--pioneered the first coast-to-coast air route, braving blizzards and driving rain as they landed in fields or at the edges of cliffs. Bringing the pilots and the race's impresario, Billy Mitchell, to vivid life, journalist and amateur pilot John Lancaster captures the challenges of flying in that almost prehistoric age--the deafening roar of the engine, the constant fear of mechanical failure, the threat posed by mere rain. As he demonstrates, the race, despite much drama and tragedy, was a milestone in the development of commercial aviation. The Great Air Race is a captivating story of man and machine, and the debut of a major new popular historian.

Author: John Lancaster
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 11/15/2022
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781631496370

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 06/01/2022 pg. 10
Publishers Weekly 09/19/2022
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2022
Booklist 10/01/2022 pg. 9