Balloons and Airships: A Tale of Lighter Than Air Aviation

by Anthony Burton

Overview

This book tells the often dramatic and always fascinating story of flight in lighter than air machines. For centuries man had dreamed of flying, but all attempts failed, until in 1782 the Montgolfier brothers constructed the world’s first hot air balloon The following year saw the first ascent with aeronauts – not human beings but a sheep, a duck and a cockerel. But it was not long before men and women too took to the air and became ever more adventurous. The aeronauts became famous giving displays before crowds of thousands, often accompanied by special effects.

In the early years, ballooning was a popular pastime, but in the 19th century it found a new use with the military. Balloons were used to send messages out during the Siege of Paris and later found a role as observation balloons for the artillery. But their use was always limited by the fact that they were at the mercy of the wind. There were numerous attempts at steering balloons, and various attempts were made to power them but it was the arrival of the internal combustion engine that saw the balloon transformed into the airship. The most famous developer of airships was Graf von Zeppelin and the book tells the story of the use of his airships in both peacetime and at war. There were epic adventures including flights over the poles and for a time, commercial airships flourished – then came the disaster of the Hindenburg. Airships still fly today and ballooning has become a hugely popular pastime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526719492
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/27/2019
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Anthony Burton is a freelance author and broadcaster, who has specialized in industrial and transport history. He has been involved in around a hundred TV documentaries on these subjects, appearing on all the major networks. He has written biographies of some of the leading characters of the early industrial age: Thomas Telford, Richard Trevithick, Joseph Locke and Matthew Boulton, the latter with Jennifer Tann

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Taking to the Air 7

Chapter 2 Manned Flight 20

Chapter 3 Balloon Mania 30

Chapter 4 Coming of Age 48

Chapter 5 Balloons go to War 67

Chapter 6 Experiments and Expeditions 80

Chapter 7 Powered Flight 96

Chapter 8 The Zeppelin 112

Chapter 9 Spreading the Word 125

Chapter 10 Airships at War 137

Chapter 11 Airships in Peacetime 154

Chapter 12 The Polar Flights 165

Chapter 13 Flying the Atlantic 176

Chapter 14 The End of an Era 186

Chapter 15 A New Beginning 192

Select Bibliography 203

Acknowledgements 204

Index 205

Editorial Reviews

"Generously illustrated, this fluid-reading survey will entertain aviation enthusiasts."

Booklist

"This is a very entertaining book, covering a key period in the development of manned flight."

History of War

"Absolutely enthralling."

Books Monthly

"Burton achieved his objective of telling most, if not all, of the story of LTA aviation."

Air Power History

"Generously illustrated, this fluid-reading survey will entertain aviation enthusiasts."

Booklist