{"product_id":"9781780742984","title":"The Rocket Man: And Other Extraordinary Characters in the History of Flight","description":"The wonder of flight has long captured the human imagination. In this beguiling history — ranging from the first aircraft to astronauts and beyond — David Darling tells the stories of the colorful adventurers whose wonder has translated into bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover outrageous attempts to fly like a bird and the secret military planes that never made it off the ground – including the “flying pancake” and the plane with thirty wings. Meet Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, before disappearing without trace over the Pacific Ocean; the real “X-Men” who flew the supersonic experimental “X-planes” for the US Air Force; stuntman Lincoln Beachey, looping-the-loop in a pinstripe suit; and, of course, The Rocket Man himself: Yves Rossy, who was the first person to cross the English Channel with the aid of a jet-pack.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEccentric and imaginative, reckless and resourceful — Darling’s daring cast of dreamers is guaranteed to entertain and inspire.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oneworld Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47139978739952,"sku":"9781780742984","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781780742984_p0.jpg?v=1763714367","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781780742984","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}