Includes index.

Foreword -- Age of the pioneers : The prehistory of flight ; Fight to be first ; Flying takes off -- Aircraft go to war : Working for the generals ; Knights of the air ; Zeppelins and bombers -- The golden age : Blazing the trail ; Passengers now boarding ; Flying boats and airships ; The shadow of war -- Battle for the skies : Command of the air ; Battle for Britain ; Air war at sea ; Death from the air -- Cold war, hot war : Beyond the sound barrier ; Cold war warriors ; Air power in action ; Hi-tech warfare -- Space travel : Journey to the moon ; Shuttle to space -- Shrinking world : Jet passenger travel ; Fear of flying ; Small is beautiful ; The future of flight.