Passenger planes are crashing three and four times a month in 1951 just as Americans are beginning to fly. Then, a loaded plane disappears in the night and can't be found. Panic and frustration reach all the way to the White House.Twenty-six are killed in the most spectacular crash that no one heard on a mountain frosted with snow and fog. Fourteen survivors are the largest group of plane crash victims to be lost and stranded in North America. The stewardess holds a baby in her arms until it dies. They huddle beneath a parachute tent, arguing over food and how to get out. One commits a dastardly criminal act upon the dead. When rescuers don't arrive after 40 hours, a hero passenger stumbles out of the snow-filled woods to find help from a farmer's wife with a secret deadly threat of her own.Distracted by blazing headlines, crash tourists, and a federal probe, simple farm families are intertwined with urban crash survivors leading up to more tragedy on the plane crash mountain.Hang on and Fly is a dramatic tale of the most incredible year of aviation disasters that made Americans plane crash jumpy. Passengers in rope seat belts are eaten by sharks; a pilot with heart disease flies into a hill; three crashes close a major airport; a lost pilot mistakes Lake Ontario for the Atlantic. It's the origin of our belief that we're safest in the back of the plane. It's the beginning of modern plane crash investigations, inspired Hollywood's airplane disaster movie genre, and caused safety regulations we all take for granted today. Journalist Tim Lake tells the gripping story of America's first budget airlines as only he can. His family was there.

Provides general information about flight and different forms of flying.

Would you want to swoop through the air like a bird? Riding a hang glider is a fun way to fly. But a hang glider has no motor. How does the pilot take off? How does the hang glider stay in the air? Learn the answers in this book!

An introduction to flight--by birds, insects, and plants; by balloons, gliders, and kites; and by sophisticated powered aircraft

Designed for readers from grade 6 and up, this lavishly illustrated set provides comprehensive coverage of the history of aviation, including space flight, as well as the science and technology on which it depends. Detailed A-Z entries trace the development of human flight from ancient myths and legends through today's space exploration, highlighting scientific discoveries and innovations that made aviation possible."IFlight and Motion" also celebrates the contributions and achievements of the pioneers and visionaries of air and space flight, from inventors and innovators to pilots, astronauts, and cosmonauts. Detailed illustrated diagrams give readers a general understanding of the mechanics of flight and of the physics and technology involved. The set also highlights key air and spacecrafts that have made a unique mark in the history of flight. It features more than 500 full-color and black-and-white photos and illustrations, and also includes a timeline, a listing of museums and exhibits, further reading lists, a comprehensive glossary, and general and subject indexes.