In the matter of illustrations, it has been found very difficult to secure suitable material. Even the official series of photographs of aeroplanes in the war period is curiously incomplete, and the methods of censorship during that period prevented any complete series being privately collected. Omissions in this respect will probably be remedied in future editions of the work, as fresh material is constantly being located.

E. C. V.

October, 1920.

CONTENTS

[Part I—The Evolution of the Aeroplane]
CHAP. PAGE
I.THE PERIOD OF LEGEND[3]
II.EARLY EXPERIMENTS[15]
III.SIR GEORGE CAYLEY—THOMAS WALKER[43]
IV.THE MIDDLE NINETEENTH CENTURY[56]
V.WENHAM, LE BRIS, AND SOME OTHERS[71]
VI.THE AGE OF THE GIANTS[83]
VII.LILIENTHAL AND PILCHER[95]
VIII.AMERICAN GLIDING EXPERIMENTS[107]
IX.NOT PROVEN[121]
X.SAMUEL PIERPOINT LANGLEY[133]
XI.THE WRIGHT BROTHERS[145]
XII.THE FIRST YEARS OF CONQUEST[176]
XIII.FIRST FLIERS IN ENGLAND[188]
XIV.RHEIMS, AND AFTER[199]
XV.THE CHANNEL CROSSING[211]
XVI.LONDON TO MANCHESTER[217]
XVII.A SUMMARY—TO 1911[221]
XVIII.A SUMMARY—TO 1914[233]
XIX.THE WAR PERIOD—I[246]
XX.THE WAR PERIOD—II[259]
XXI.RECONSTRUCTION[264]
XXII.1919–1920[270]
[Part II—1903–1920: Progress in Design]
I.THE BEGINNINGS[277]
II.MULTIPLICITY OF IDEAS[289]
III.PROGRESS ON STANDARDISED LINES[296]
IV.THE WAR PERIOD[306]
[Part III—Aerostatics]
I.BEGINNINGS[317]
II.THE FIRST DIRIGIBLES[331]
III.SANTOS-DUMONT[342]
IV.THE MILITARY DIRIGIBLE[348]
V.BRITISH AIRSHIP DESIGN[359]
VI.THE AIRSHIP COMMERCIALLY[372]
VII.KITE BALLOONS[376]
[Part IV—Engine Development]
I.THE VERTICAL TYPE[383]
II.THE VEE TYPE[404]
III.THE RADIAL TYPE[417]
IV.THE ROTARY TYPE[428]
V.THE HORIZONTALLY-OPPOSED ENGINE[440]
VI.THE TWO-STROKE CYCLE ENGINE[447]
VII.ENGINES OF THE WAR PERIOD[458]
APPENDICES[469]
A SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AERONAUTICS[504]

Part I
THE EVOLUTION OF THE AEROPLANE

I
THE PERIOD OF LEGEND