Pioneers of Aerial Combat: Air Battles of the First World War

by Michael Foley

Overview

When the Wright Brothers made their first flight in the early years of the twentieth century it sparked the imagination of those who wanted to fly, both in their country and around the world. In Britain, however, the spark wasn't strong enough to light a fire and it was in other parts of Europe, notably France, where flight began to develop seriously.Early pioneers of flight faced a high level of danger and many died in pursuit of fulfilling their dream. Although aircraft design had made incredible progress by the time of the outbreak of war, accidents still occurred on a regular basis. For some time, as many pilots died in accidents as they did in combat. This publication consolidates a range of stories, insights, and facts that, when combined, offer a vivid impression of events as they unfolded. The chaos stirred up during the First World War and the scramble to develop aircraft in response to the threat to homeland security is eloquently relayed, as are the battles that characterized this conflicted era. The reality of conflict gave aviation engineers and designers the opportunity to test their craft in the harshest of environments, pushing the benchmark ever higher in terms of what could be achieved. Sure to appeal to aviation enthusiasts and historians alike, this work offers the reader a full account of the developmental early days of flight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473828520
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	39 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael Foley was born in Derry in 1947.

He was joint editor of The Honest Ulsterman from 1970 to 1971 and contributed a regular satirical column, ‘The Wrassler, to Fortnight magazine throughout the early 1970s.

His first collection of poetry, True Life Love Stories, was published by Blackstaff Press in 1976, followed by The Go Situation in 1982 and Insomnia in the Afternoon in 1994. He has also published a collection of translations of French poetry and four novels. The Guardian described his book The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy as 'a work of admirable scope ... energetic, witty and erudite' 

Formerly a lecturer in Information Technology at the University of Westminster, Michael is now retired and lives in London. 

Follow Michael on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MrMichaelFoley

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Early Years of Flight 4

Chapter 2 Early Aircraft Producers 28

Chapter 3 The War at Home 52

Chapter 4 The War in Europe 115

Appendix 1 First World War Airfields in Britain 168

Appendix 2 Early Aircraft Manufacturers in Britain 170

Appendix 3 Aviation Museums and Collections in Britain 173

Sources and Bibliography 179

Index 182