The Big Book of Flight by Rowland White

Random House, 2013. ISBN 9780593070314.
This truly is a big book of flight - not so much in its dimensions but in its scope. 'As long as human beings have lived alongside birds, we've wanted to join them. Our efforts to do so have rarely been as elegant or as smooth, but they have been dangerous, exciting, intriguing, clever, unexpected, loud, spectacular, courageous, ambitious, unsuccessful and brilliant . . . . The Big Book of Flight is a celebration of all those efforts.'
Beginning with the story of Icarus it offers detailed accounts of almost anything to do with flight from polar aviation to military uses to the dream of the flying car. Flight is clearly a passion of the author and is demonstrated in the meticulous research which must have gone into its writing. Accompanied by numerous illustrations including photos and diagrams, it is a most comprehensive work which would engage anyone with a similar passion. However, because it is more than a dip-and-delve text with short chunks of information, it would be more suited to an audience of independent readers wanting to explore much deeper than superficial explanations and stories starting with senior primary.
A great investment which could fire the imaginations and careers of some future pilots.
Barbara Braxton