In these pages, by means of simple language and suitable pictures, the author has told the story of the Ships of the Air. He has explained the laws of their flight; sketched their development to the present day; shown how to build the flying machine and the balloon, and how to operate them; recounted what man has done, and what he hopes to do with their aid. In a word, all the essential facts that enter into the Conquest of the Air have been gathered into orderly form, and are here presented to the public.<br />We who live to-day have witnessed man’s great achievement; we have seen his dream of ages come true. Man has learned to fly!<br />The air which surrounds us, so intangible and so commonplace that it seldom arrests our attention, is in reality a vast, unexplored ocean, fraught with future possibilities. Even now, the pioneers of a <br />8<br />countless fleet are hovering above us in the sky, while steadily, surely these wonderful possibilities are unfolded. - Summary by From the
