Rocket Man: And Other Extraordinary Characters in the History of Flight (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781780742977)

The wonder of flight has long captured the human imagination. In this beguiling history - ranging from the first aircraft to astronauts and beyond - David Darling tells the stories of the true life adventurers whose wonder has translated into bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.

Discover outrageous attempts to fly like a bird and fall from the edge of space. Meet Napoleonic ballooniste Sophie Blanchard and her daredevil husband; the real "X-Men" who flew the supersonic experimental "X-planes" for the US Air Force; stuntman Lincoln Beachey, looping-the-loop in a pinstripe suit; and, of course, The Rocket Man himself: Yves Rossy, who in 2006 was the first person to cross the English Channel using a jet-pack.

Eccentric and reckless, Darling's daring cast of dreamers is guaranteed to entertain and inspire.

Author: David Darling
ISBN-10: 1780742975
ISBN-13: 9781780742977
Publisher: ONEWorld Publications
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2013
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/16/2013
Library Journal 10/01/2013 pg. 99
Booklist 10/15/2013 pg. 7