Pioneering Places of British Aviation: The Early Years of Powered Flight in the UK

A high-flying tour of British aviation history—and the sites where trials and triumphs took place.
From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain was at the forefront of powered flight. Across the country, many places became centers of innovation and experimentation, as increasing numbers of daring men took to the skies.
In 1799, at Brompton Hall, Sir George Cayley Bart put forward ideas that formed the basis of powered flight. There were balloon flights at Hendon from 1862, though ...