History has known few more inventive minds than those responsible forthe helicopter, mankind’s most versatile flying machine. From theaerodynamic artistry of Leonardo da Vinci, through the futuristic talesof Jules Verne, to the prototypes built by the horde of rotationallyobsessed enthusiasts who followed, here is the definitive story of amodern icon.
Proposing that humans could hover in the air byhanging a fuselage beneath large spinning blades requires a substantialleap of the imagination–not to mention a pile of precision gadgetry.This unique book bears witness to the challenge of turning the earliest“rotating wing” aircraft into the helicopters that dominate newsfootage today.
The helicopter turned out to be much more agileand capable than the early inventors expected but also took longer toperfect than the airplane. Among the earliest of the helicopterhopefuls were nineteenth-century American greeting card printerMortimer Nelson, French entrepreneurs Launoy and Bienvenu ofprerevolutionary Paris, and English country squire George Cayley,builder of mankind’s first manned glider. The first controllablehelicopter flew in the 1920s. While it has yet to take its placealongside the family car, as pioneer designer Igor Sikorsky hoped, thehelicopter plays a significant role in all our lives.
Inaddition to transforming the ways of war, offering godlike views ofinaccessible spots, and providing some of our most-watched TVmoments–including the cloud of newscopters that trailed O. J. Simpson’sBronco–the helicopter has revolutionized rescues worldwide by provingits ability to extract people from almost anywhere. In 2005 anastounding 35,500 people were saved from the perils of HurricaneKatrina–a feat impossible with any other machine.
James Chilesoffers profiles of the many helicoptrians throughout history whocontributed to the development of this amazing machine, and paystribute to the selfless heroism of pilots and crews. A virtual flyinglesson and uplifting scientific adventure tale, The God Machine is morethan the history of an invention; it is a journey into the minds ofimaginative thinkers and a fascinating look at the ways they changedour world.
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