The History of Aviation and Aeronautics

Bird flight, freedom, and the vastness of airspace have attracted the attention of humanity for thousands of years. People have always dreamed of rising into the sky. How was this ancient dream realized?

The book presents unique texts by aviation historians, aeronauts, and aviators about the main events of humanity's conquest of airspace—from ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century.

Separate chapters of the publication are dedicated to the Imperial Russian Military Air Fleet, the first aircraft of domestic aircraft designers, sketches, and episodes of air warfare from 1914 to 1918 based on the memories of pilots from Germany, France, England, and Russia.

The publication is vividly illustrated with works of classical painting, antique engravings, drawings, and photographs of the earliest flying machines—from Leonardo da Vinci's helicopter and the Montgolfier brothers' balloons to Count Zeppelin's airships, the Wright brothers' airplanes, and the aerial vehicles of World War I.