History has known few more inventive minds than those responsible for
the helicopter, mankind’s most versatile flying machine. From the
aerodynamic artistry of Leonardo da Vinci, through the futuristic tales
of Jules Verne, to the prototypes built by the horde of rotationally
obsessed enthusiasts who followed, here is the definitive story of a
modern icon.
Proposing that humans could hover in the air by
hanging a fuselage beneath large spinning blades requires a substantial
leap 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 news
footage today.
The helicopter turned out to be much more agile
and capable than the early inventors expected but also took longer to
perfect than the airplane. Among the earliest of the helicopter
hopefuls were nineteenth-century American greeting card printer
Mortimer Nelson, French entrepreneurs Launoy and Bienvenu of
prerevolutionary Paris, and English country squire George Cayley,
builder of mankind’s first manned glider. The first controllable
helicopter flew in the 1920s. While it has yet to take its place
alongside the family car, as pioneer designer Igor Sikorsky hoped, the
helicopter plays a significant role in all our lives.
In
addition to transforming the ways of war, offering godlike views of
inaccessible spots, and providing some of our most-watched TV
moments–including the cloud of newscopters that trailed O. J. Simpson’s
Bronco–the helicopter has revolutionized rescues worldwide by proving
its ability to extract people from almost anywhere. In 2005 an
astounding 35,500 people were saved from the perils of Hurricane
Katrina–a feat impossible with any other machine.
James Chiles
offers profiles of the many helicoptrians throughout history who
contributed to the development of this amazing machine, and pays
tribute to the selfless heroism of pilots and crews. A virtual flying
lesson and uplifting scientific adventure tale, The God Machine is more
than the history of an invention; it is a journey into the minds of
imaginative thinkers and a fascinating look at the ways they changed
our world.
|
