They sailed the skies : U.S. Navy balloons and the airship program

Resource Information

The work They sailed the skies : U.S. Navy balloons and the airship program represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Austin Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

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Label

They sailed the skies : U.S. Navy balloons and the airship program

Title remainder

U.S. Navy balloons and the airship program

Statement of responsibility

J. Gordon Vaeth

Creator

• trueVaeth, Joseph Gordon, 1921-
• Vaeth, J. Gordon, (Joseph Gordon), 1921-2012

Subject

• Aeronautics, Military -- United States -- History -- 20th century
• trueAirships -- United States -- History -- 20th century
• Armed Forces -- Aviation
• Balloons
• trueBalloons (Aeronautics) -- United States -- History
• Balloons -- United States -- History -- 20th century
• History
• 1900-1999
• Military airships -- United States -- History -- 20th century
• trueMilitary aviation -- History -- 20th century
• United States
• trueUnited States -- History, Military -- 20th century
• United States, Navy
• United States, Navy -- Aviation | History -- 20th century
• Military airships
• Aeronautics, Military

Genre

• trueHistory

Language

eng

Summary

"Between the two world wars, free ballooning was practiced for sport and science. Each year aeronauts - that is, lighter-than-air pilots - from the United States and Europe would compete in an international race to determine who could fly the farthest. The U.S. Navy eagerly participated in these events, and one of its officers, Thomas G. W. "Tex" Settle, would become world famous for his wins. The only airman in his time qualified to pilot a free balloon, a blimp, a glider, and an airplane, as well as to command a rigid airship, Settle was also the first American to fly a pressurized cabin into the stratosphere." "This book tells the story of Settle and Navy ballooning during the Golden Age of Flight against the backdrop of the American naval airship program. J. Gordon Vaeth captures the excitement, enthusiasm, and tragedies of this little-known aspect of naval aviation and the colorful personalities who pioneered the program. It is a story that lapses during the war years but resumes full force in the mid-1940s when two Lakehurst air station officers, Harris E. Smith and William J. Gunther, revived it with their flights. M. Lee Lewis and Malcolm D. Ross followed. Taking advantage of the new plastic balloon technology, they initiate a series of manned scientific flights into the stratosphere . For the armchair reader, the author vividly conveys what it was like to fly in all kinds of weather in a wicker basket suspended beneath a bag filled with flammable gas. An excellent collection of photographs illustrates the text."--BOOK JACKET

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

359.9/4/0973

Government publication

federal national government publication

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

LC call number

UG1373

LC item number

.V34 2005

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography