
Mayday!
A History of Flight through its Martyrs, Oddballs and Daredevils
David Darling(Author)
Oneworld Publications (Publisher)
Published on 1. October 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-78074-409-4 (ISBN)
Description
The thrilling stories of those who looked to the skies and dared to dream of flight
'Gripping... dazzling tales of madness and derring do.' Brian Clegg
In a world without aircraft, to believe flight might be possible required a certain kind of character. You had to be starry-eyed, a possessor of practical ingenuity, nerves of steel and a level of sanity that would be best described as deficient.
In Mayday!, David Darling tells the stories of the unconventional aviators across history who have been willing to risk all to further their craft. Meet Sophie Blanchard, a balloonist of nervous disposition whom Napoleon charged with organizing balloon displays at all major ceremonies in France. Then there's the daredevil stuntman Lincoln Beachey, the dogfighter aces of WWI, the man who performed the dance of death - switching planes in mid-air, the real 'X-Men' who flew at the edge of space, and the BASE jumpers who want to fly without wings. The cast are eccentric, reckless and extraordinary, and Mayday! is made up of their riveting tales, bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.
'Gripping... dazzling tales of madness and derring do.' Brian Clegg
In a world without aircraft, to believe flight might be possible required a certain kind of character. You had to be starry-eyed, a possessor of practical ingenuity, nerves of steel and a level of sanity that would be best described as deficient.
In Mayday!, David Darling tells the stories of the unconventional aviators across history who have been willing to risk all to further their craft. Meet Sophie Blanchard, a balloonist of nervous disposition whom Napoleon charged with organizing balloon displays at all major ceremonies in France. Then there's the daredevil stuntman Lincoln Beachey, the dogfighter aces of WWI, the man who performed the dance of death - switching planes in mid-air, the real 'X-Men' who flew at the edge of space, and the BASE jumpers who want to fly without wings. The cast are eccentric, reckless and extraordinary, and Mayday! is made up of their riveting tales, bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.
Reviews / Votes
"A consummate collection of tales of the fearless and the feckless. Darling treats his subject with an authority tempered by the gentle humour that is the mark of a great story-teller." -- Justin Pollard, author of The Interesting Bits: The History You Might Have Missed 'David Darling has cleverly avoided wheeling out all the old familiar names... a rollicking, rip-roaring tale. 4 stars.' * Popular Science * "Gripping... dazzling tales of madness and derring do." -- Brian Clegg, author of Inflight Science "A hugely enjoyable roller-coaster aerial ride in the company of oddballs and heroes, complete with vertiginous frights, dances of death, lonely impulses of delight and acts of mindless masochism in the name of science." -- Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire: The Biography 'Intriguing and entertaining'. * Daily Mail * "Impressive." * Wall Street Journal * "A mix of good old-fashioned silliness and some fine science writing." * BBC Focus *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78074-409-4 (9781780744094)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
Oneworld Publications
€7.90
Available for download
Person
David Darling is a science writer and astronomer. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Equations of Eternity, and the popular online resource The Worlds of David Darling. With Dirk Schulze-Makuch he wrote Megacatastrophes!: Nine Strange Ways the World Could End. He lives in Dundee, Scotland.