A biography of the man whose fascination with flying machines produced the Bleriot XI, which in 1909 became the first heavier-than-air machine to fly the English Channel.

"The secret of flight wasn't cracked until the beginning of the twentieth century. This book explores how . . . understanding of the science of flight has improved, creating aircraft that are bigger and faster than the Wright brothers ever dreamed of. It covers helicopters, jet-planes,rocket-planes, planes big enough to carry hundreds of people, planes that can fly faster than the speed of sound, and even flying machines small enough to strap on your...