Comprehensive and accurate, packed with photographs and technical information, this book tells the story of flight from the flying machines of the Middle Ages to the most advanced inventions of today, including the space shuttles, convertiplanes, and the super bombers of the 21st century. Each of the book's 25 chapters is dedicated to a particular event or a type of plane, with descriptions of its features, its different models, and its operational history. The many anecdotes and accounts of the aviators themselves will stimulate the curiosity and imagination of all who have ever dreamed of discovering the freedom of the skies. This work traces mans obsession with flight from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century.