On April 18, 1942, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led a flight of sixteen B-25 bombers off the flight deck of the USS Hornet on one of the most daring raids in U.S. military history, a low-level strike on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. For this heroic act, he received the Medal of Honor. But, as Dik Alan Daso convincingly argues, James H. Doolittle should be remembered as much more than a famous combat pilot. With a doctorate in aeronautics from MIT, he devoted his life to mastering the technical and practical intricacies of the most amazing new invention of his time, the airplane. In 1922, Doolittle became the first person to complete a transcontinental flight across the United States in a single twenty-four-hour period. Later he worked with the Shell Oil Company to develop high-octane aviation fuel to enhance aircraft performance. He also won numerous trophies for his record-breaking high-speed flights, and he developed new instrumentation to assist pilots when flying blindA in poor weather. In jet age parlance, Doolittle constantly pushed the envelope.A After holding several major combat commands during World War II, he was appointed a special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff in 1951 and served as a civilian adviser in scientific matters, including the development of ballistic missiles and the fledgling space program. From the early days of aviation to the space age, Daso provides a concise but expansive overview of the rapidly developing field of aviation and chronicles a pioneeras tireless efforts to be a visionary for the new era.
Published in conjunction with the Air Force Historical Foundation, a large-format, illustrated history of America's military aviators features more than 1,500 photographs and a year-by-year summary of its activities, from the early years of flight to Operation Iraqi Freedom."--Amazon.com
Taught to fly by the Wright Brothers, appointed the first and only five-star general of the Air Force, and remembered as the man who won World War II’s air war, Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold is one of the most significant figures in American aviation history. Despite his legacy as an air pioneer, little has been written about him. In the thoroughly detailed Hap Arnold and the Evolution of American Airpower, reprinted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force, biographer and former military officer Dik Alan Daso draws on primary sources like Arnold’s personal papers and formerly declassified military documents to sketch out his incredible life and career. Daso describes important technology, institutions, and individuals who influenced Arnold’s decisions as a general, and reveals how the peacetime experiences of World War II’s foremost military airman shaped the evolution of American military aviation. This biography captures the adventurous career, dynamic personality, and bold vision of the “father of the Air Force.”
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.