Colin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history. 
The invention of the airplane in the first decade of the twentieth century sparked a revolution in modern technology. Aviation in the popular mind became associated with adventure and heroism. For African Americans, however, this new realm of human flight remained off-limits, a consequence of racial discrimination. Many African Americans displayed a keen interest in the new air age, but found themselves routinely barred from gaining training as pilots or mechanics. Beginning in the 1920s, a small and widely scattered group of black air enthusiasts challenged this prevailing pattern of racial discrimination. With no small amount of effort—and against formidable odds—they gained their pilot licenses and acquired the technical skills to become aircraft mechanics.
Over the course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, African Americans have expanded their participation in both military and civilian aviation and space flight, from the early pioneers and barnstormers through the Tuskegee airmen to Shuttle astronauts. 
Featuring approximately two hundred historic and contemporary photographs and a lively narrative that spans eight decades of U.S. history, Black Wings offers a compelling overview of this extraordinary and inspiring saga.

Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History

History

Hardesty, Von

Military

Smithsonian

Charles A. Lindbergh astounded the world on May 21, 1927, with his successful solo flight from New York to Paris in The Spirit of St. Louis. Upon his return to the United States, he received an unprecedented welcome and was regarded as a hero to a generation of Americans who looked to the skies as a field of promise and progress. Lindbergh has been the subject of scrutiny and controversy ever since. Reflecting America's faith in technological advancement, Lindbergh saw The Spirit of St. Louis as "a lens focused on the future, a forerunner of mechanisms that would conquer time and space." This youthful optimism was later tempered by personal tragedy-the kidnapping and murder of his first-born son-and by the threat of American involvement in a war abroad. But Lindbergh confronted these challenges, often at odds with his supporters, with the same daring and boldness of character that inspired him to undertake his fabled flight. In Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero, Von Hardesty, curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, takes another look at Lindbergh's life and offers new insights into the man and the myths that surrounded him. Drawing from a variety of sources, he reveals how Lindbergh, though stubborn and absolutist in many ways, evolved in his outlook and world view. With hundreds of full-color images and illustrations taken from a rich variety of private and public collections, Hardesty has produced a visually stunning and fascinating biography of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. Published in Conjunction with the 75th Anniversary of Lindbergh's Historic Transatlantic Flight More than 250 photographs, illustrations, and maps Never-before-published images and artifacts from Lindbergh archives and private collections Eight-page gatefold illustration Detailed map of Lindbergh's fabled flight Illustrated timelines from Lindbergh's life "Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it, but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance." -Charles A. Lindbergh

Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Harcourt

Edward Steichen (1879-1973) played a key role in the development of photography in the twentieth century. He is well known for his varied career as an artist, a celebrated photographer, and museum curator. However, Steichen is less known for his pivotal role in shaping America's first experiments in aerial photography as a tool for intelligence gathering in what may be called his "lost years." In Camera Aloft, Von Hardesty tells how Steichen volunteered in 1917 to serve in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He rose rapidly in the ranks of the Air Service, emerging as Chief of Air Photography during the dramatic final offensives of the war. His photo sections were responsible for the rapid processing of aerial images gained through the daily and hazardous sorties over the front and in the enemy rear areas. What emerged in the eighteen months of his active service was a new template for modern aerial reconnaissance. The aerial camera, as with new weapons such as the machine gun, the tank, and the airplane, profoundly transformed modern warfare.

Camera Aloft: Edward Steichen in the Great War (Cambridge Centennial of Flight)

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Cambridge University Press

A groundbreaking account of the Soviet Air Force in World War II, the original version of this book, Red Phoenix, was hailed by the Washington Post as both "brilliant" and "monumental." That version has now been completely overhauled in the wake of an avalanche of declassified Russian archival sources, combat documents, and statistical information made available in the past three decades. The result, Red Phoenix Rising, is nothing less than definitive. The saga of the Soviet air force, one of the least chronicled aspects of the war, marked a transition from near annihilation in 1941 to the world's largest operational-tactical air force four years later. Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg reveal the dynamic changes in tactics and operational art that allowed the VVS to bring about that remarkable transformation. Drawing upon a wider array of primary sources, well beyond the uncritical and ultra-patriotic Soviet memoirs underpinning the original version, this volume corrects, updates, and amplifies its predecessor. In the process, it challenges many "official" accounts and revises misconceptions promoted by scholars who relied heavily on German sources, thus enlarging our understanding of the brutal campaigns fought on the Eastern Front. The authors describe the air campaigns as they unfolded, with full chapters devoted to the monumental victories at Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk. By combining the deeply affecting human drama of pilots, relentlessly confronted by lethal threats in the air and on the ground, with a rich technical understanding of complex military machines, they have produced a fast-paced, riveting look at the air war on the Eastern Front as it has never been seen before. They also address dilemmas faced by the Soviet Air Force in the immediate postwar era as it moved to adopt the new technology of long-range bombers, jet propulsion and nuclear arms. Drawing heavily upon individual accounts down to the unit level, Hardesty and Grinberg greatly enhance our understanding of their story's human dimension, while the book's more than 100 photos, many never before seen in the West, vividly portray the high stakes and hardware of this dramatic tale. In sum, this is the definitive one-volume account of a vital but still underserved dimension of the war—surpassing its predecessor so decisively that no fan of that earlier work can afford to miss it.

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II (Modern War Studies)

Grinberg, Ilya

University Press of Kansas

Choice Outstanding Academic Title A groundbreaking account of the Soviet Air Force in World War II, the original version of this book, Red Phoenix, was hailed by the Washington Post as both "brilliant" and "monumental." That version has now been completely overhauled in the wake of an avalanche of declassified Russian archival sources, combat documents, and statistical information made available in the past three decades. The result, Red Phoenix Rising, is nothing less than definitive. The saga of the Soviet air force, one of the least chronicled aspects of the war, marked a transition from near annihilation in 1941 to the world's largest operational-tactical air force four years later. Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg reveal the dynamic changes in tactics and operational art that allowed the VVS to bring about that remarkable transformation. Drawing upon a wider array of primary sources, well beyond the uncritical and ultra-patriotic Soviet memoirs underpinning the original version, this volume corrects, updates, and amplifies its predecessor. In the process, it challenges many "official" accounts and revises misconceptions promoted by scholars who relied heavily on German sources, thus enlarging our understanding of the brutal campaigns fought on the Eastern Front. The authors describe the air campaigns as they unfolded, with full chapters devoted to the monumental victories at Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk. By combining the deeply affecting human drama of pilots, relentlessly confronted by lethal threats in the air and on the ground, with a rich technical understanding of complex military machines, they have produced a fast-paced, riveting look at the air war on the Eastern Front as it has never been seen before. They also address dilemmas faced by the Soviet Air Force in the immediate postwar era as it moved to adopt the new technology of long-range bombers, jet propulsion and nuclear arms. Drawing heavily upon individual accounts down to the unit level, Hardesty and Grinberg greatly enhance our understanding of their story's human dimension, while the book's more than 100 photos, many never before seen in the West, vividly portray the high stakes and hardware of this dramatic tale. In sum, this is the definitive one-volume account of a vital but still underserved dimension of the war--surpassing its predecessor so decisively that no fan of that earlier work can afford to miss it.

Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century (Studies in Air Power)

In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look at Russian aviation in the twentieth century.

Greenwood, John

Higham, Robin

Reference

Routledge

The first people to fly did so in hot-air balloons. Some 120 years later, theWright brothers' heavier-than-air flying machine made powered, controlled flight possible. Ever since, aviators have aspired to fly faster, farther, and higher. Charles Lindbergh set the world alight with his nonstop flight across the Atlantic. Amy Johnson won hearts and acclaim flying solo from England to Australia in a small biplane. With advances in rocketry, a new era dawned. The world watched in awe as the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the Moon. The Voyager claimed the last major record for fixed-wing aircraft, flying nonstop around the world. And aviation's last major record was set when the Breitling Orbiter 3 pilots flew their balloon nonstop around the world.

Epic Adventure: Epic Flights: Epic Flights (Epic Adventures)

Children's Books

Biographies

Kingfisher

Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped The Modern Presidency

In the 1940s, FDR was the first airborne president, flying several times in a C-54 nicknamed the "Sacred Cow." In the 1950s, it was aircraft known as "Independence," "Columbine II" and "Columbine III" that transported Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower on occasion. But it was not until after the Korean War, with the United States becoming the leader of the free world, that presidential air travel entered the modern age. The jet-age mobility of the American presidency beginning in the 1960s corresponds directly to the nation's emergence as a super power.  Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency is the story of the planes, the Presidents, their staff and, their many trips across the nation and around the globe. But it's also more than that-it is a vehicle for better understanding the activities and dealings of each presidential administration in the second half of the twentieth century. Through vibrant photography, this book communicates the story of a unique set of planes and the presidents who made them a vital national asset.  Now all of these planes and their famous passengers have been captured. Written by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Von Hardesty and featuring over 200 illustrations, including new photos of the airplane' interiors, this book takes you on a memorable flight through history. Through insider accounts and from a unique vantage point on well-known political events, Hardesty shows how the presidency was transformed by the remarkable advances in aviation technology.

Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped the Modern Presidency

Americas

Diane Pub Co.

Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945 [Hardcover]

Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945

Europe

Olympic Marketing Corp

Slightly used. In really good condition. Only marking is a signature inside the front cover

Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation

Politics & Social Sciences

Pisano, Dominick

Social Sciences

Smithsonian Inst. Pr.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hardesty, Von. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hardesty, Von

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hardesty, Von. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History

Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero

Camera Aloft: Edward Steichen in the Great War (Cambridge Centennial of Flight)

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II (Modern War Studies)

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II (Modern War Studies)

Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century (Studies in Air Power)

Epic Adventure: Epic Flights: Epic Flights (Epic Adventures)

Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped the Modern Presidency

Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945

Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation