In a world without aircraft, to believe flight might be possible required a certain kind of character. You had to be starry-eyed, a possessor of practical ingenuity, nerves of steel and a level of sanity that would be best described as deficient.

In Mayday!, David Darling tells the stories of the unconventional aviators across history who have been willing to risk all to further their craft. Meet Sophie Blanchard, a balloonist of nervous disposition whom Napoleon charged with organizing balloon displays at all major ceremonies in France. Then there's the daredevil stuntman Lincoln Beachey, the dogfighter aces of WWI, the man who performed the dance of death - switching planes in mid-air, the real "X-Men" who flew at the edge of space, and the BASE jumpers who want to fly without wings. The cast are eccentric, reckless and extraordinary, and Mayday! is made up of their riveting tales, bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.

About the Author

David Darling is a science writer and astronomer. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Equations of Eternity, and the popular online resource The Worlds of David Darling. With Dirk Schulze-Makuch he wrote Megacatastrophes!: Nine Strange Ways the World Could End. He lives in Dundee, Scotland.

Reviews

"A consummate collection of tales of the fearless and the feckless. Darling treats his subject with an authority tempered by the gentle humour that is the mark of a great story-teller."

-- Justin Pollard, author of The Interesting Bits: The History You Might Have Missed

'David Darling has cleverly avoided wheeling out all the old familiar names... a rollicking, rip-roaring tale. 4 stars.'

* Popular Science *

"Gripping... dazzling tales of madness and derring do."

-- Brian Clegg, author of Inflight Science

"A hugely enjoyable roller-coaster aerial ride in the company of oddballs and heroes, complete with vertiginous frights, dances of death, lonely impulses of delight and acts of mindless masochism in the name of science."

-- Jonathan Glancey, author of Spitfire: The Biography

'Intriguing and entertaining'.

* Daily Mail *

"Impressive."

* Wall Street Journal *

"A mix of good old-fashioned silliness and some fine science writing."

* BBC Focus *



Book Information
ISBN 9781780744094
Author David Darling
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oneworld Publications
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 16mm