Dreams of Flight: General Aviation in the United States

The book is published by Texas A&M University Press.. In addition, the authors chart the boom and bust cycle of general aviation manufacturers, the rising costs and increased regulations that have accompanied a decline in pilots, the creation of an influential general aviation lobby in Washington, and the growing popularity of "type" clubs, created to maintain aircraft whose average age is 28 years. This history examines the many airplanes used in general aviation, from early Wright and Curtiss aircraft to the Piper Cub and the Lear Jet. An epilogue examining the consequences of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, provides a cautionary note. This book provides listeners with a sense of the scope and richness of the history of general aviation in the United States. They explain how the development of engines influenced the development of aircraft, from the E-107 that powered the 1929 Aeronca C-2, the first affordable personal aircraft, to the Continental A-40 that powered the Piper Cub, and the Pratt and Whitney PT-6 turboprop used on many aircraft after World War II. General aviation encompasses all the ways aircraft are used beyond commercial and military flying: private flights, barnstormers, cropdusters, and so on. The authors trace the careers of

"Describes the broad scope of general aviation, but is limited by editorial constraints" according to James Hoogerwerf. Bednarek highlights the varied uses of aircraft with additional themes on women and African Americans in aviation.In discussing aviation, it is important to understand what is meant by the term "general aviation." Prior to the 1950s what was known as "private or personal aviation" distinguished this category from the airlines or the military. Author Janet Bednarek's explanation, given in the alternative, is quite descriptive: "General aviation is not the scheduled commercial airlines and it is not military aviation. Pretty much all other aviation activitiesfall under this broad heading." (xi)