Unlocking the Sky: Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Race to Invent the Airplane

by Seth Shulman

Book Overview

Unlocking the Sky tells the extraordinary tale of the race to design, refine, and manufacture a manned flying machine, a race that took place in the air, on the ground, and in the courtrooms of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060196335
• ISBN13: 9780060196332
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Hero of flight

I read this book at one sitting--couldn't put it down. It is a wonderful illustration of how complex the history of an invention can be, how much of what you think you know is wrong and incomplete, and the role that repetition plays in forming your understanding of events that occurred a long time ago. Shulman tells an exciting story here, and provides plenty of muscle in making the case that Curtiss not only made some outstanding contributions to early aviation, but in some ways eclipsed those of the secretive, monopolistic Wright brothers.The patent fights between the Wrights, Curtiss and the rest of the early aviators is told with enough detail that you can get the sense of the times, without getting unnecessarily bogged down in a morass of detail. While I appreciate the pioneering of the Wrights, the openness of Curtiss in sharing his patents and inventions seems quite admirable to me. The part about Curtiss getting Langley's aerodrome flying was something entirely new to me, and the feud that the Wrights had with the Smithsonian over their cooperation with Curtiss, leading them to send their flyer to a British museum, a revelation. All of these men were humans, and had miserable failings, but remain heroes to me.

Great read and it helps take you into the social settings

I was actually reading this book while visiting Kitty Hawk, NC. I'm amazed how bitter and close minded people still are.The Wright Brothers did some amazing things. After they solved the basic problems they then went and hid for a few years to lock up patents and hold a monopoly on air travel. The French are passionate about their version of who invented flight. I think a lot of people were solving the same problem once light gas engines were put into the equation. I personally think the Wright brothers had a very clever control system but the wing warping and how it was tied into the rudder was pretty dangerous. Glen Curtis put wheels and pontoons on an airplane. He also flew the first flight AND won at the Rheim fly in beat three other Wright flyers which came in last. The fight over aviation reminds me some of the fight with computers. Thankfully in aviation no one owned a monopoly so traveling by plane is safer than any other mode of transportation statistically. Hopefully my computer will not crash on me before I finish this review. :-)

Fantastic! A real page turner...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The first reviewer might be correct in saying that the author could have provided more details on the many innovations Curtiss made to flying machines, but I never thought about it until I read his review. The book is really enjoyable as it is. I agree that you don't have to be an airplane buff to enjoy this. It is just a good read. I had no idea prior to reading this book that advancement in manned flight progressed so quickly at the beginning of the century. I don't believe that type of progress has been seen since. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

a great tale of adventure

This is a fun, exciting and entertaining book--one of the best nonfiction stories I've read. Glenn Curtiss had an amazing life and overcame an astounding set of obstacles to make a major contribution to the modern airplane. Best of all, Shulman is able to bring the story alive--deepening and broadening our understanding of how the airplane came to be and how technologies evolve. You don't have to be an aviation buff or even a history lover to thoroughly enjoy this page-turning tale. I highly recommend it.

Wonderful Book

Probably the best book on aviation I've read in a long time. The author's story approach is terrific, and he combines that with a tremendous talent for writing prose that teases you ahead with every line. You won't put the book down until you've completed it. If you didn't know who Glenn Curtiss was, you will by the end of the book. And you won't be disappointed.