C. Mellor / CMellor / Gerald Featherstone Knight
Two first accounts by early aviatorsThis special Leonaur ’good value’ edition contains two accounts of the early days of powered flight. The first book, written just before the outbreak of the First World War, describes in depth the training of French military pilots up to the point where they are qualified. It contains much of historical interest and the process is explained, in considerable detail, from the trainee pilot’s viewpoint as he grappled to master his machine. His numerous errors and how the aircraft performed as they were made are elaborated. The author came into contact with several types of aircraft and he describes the characteristics, performance and mechanics of each. So this book provides essential insights into the practicalities of being a fighter pilot in the imminent conflict. The second work is by a British pilot who was fully engaged in the air war over France. He was shot down and captured by the ’Bosch,’ he escaped and was again captured, and he underwent many other adventures before finally returning to his homeland. Accounts of pilots and aviation from the pioneer days of flying are comparatively few in number and these two short first hand narratives, essential reading for students of the subject, would have been unlikely to see republication as individual books. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.
