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This etext was created by Dianne Bean, Chino Valley, Arizona.

THE MASTERY OF THE AIR
by WILLIAM J. CLAXTON

PREFACE
This book makes no pretence of going minutely into the technical and
scientific sides of human flight: rather does it deal mainly with the real
achievements of pioneers who have helped to make aviation what it is
to-day.
My chief object has been to arouse among my readers an intelligent

interest in the art of flight, and, profiting by friendly criticism of several
of my former works, I imagine that this is best obtained by setting forth
the romance of triumph in the realms of an element which has defied
man for untold centuries, rather than to give a mass of scientific
principles which appeal to no one but the expert.
So rapid is the present development of aviation that it is difficult to
keep abreast with the times. What is new to-day becomes old
to-morrow. The Great War has given a tremendous impetus to the strife
between the warring nations for the mastery of the air, and one can but
give a rough and general impression of the achievements of naval and
military airmen on the various fronts.
Finally, I have tried to bring home the fact that the fascinating progress
of aviation should not be confined entirely to the airman and
constructor of air-craft; in short, this progress is not a retord of events
in which the mass of the nation have little personal concern, but of a
movement in which each one of us may take an active and intelligent
part.
I have to thank various aviation firms, airmen, and others who have
kindly come to my assistance, either with the help of valuable
information or by the loan of photographs. In particular, my thanks are
due to the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service for
permission to reproduce illustrations from their two publications on the
work and training of their respective corps; to the Aeronautical Society
of Great Britain; to Messrs. C. G. Spencer & Sons, Highbury; The
Sopwith Aviation Company, Ltd.; Messrs. A. V. Roe & Co., Ltd.; The
Gnome Engine Company; The Green Engine Company; Mr. A. G.
Gross (Geographia, Ltd.); and M. Bleriot; for an exposition of the
internal-combustion engine I have drawn on Mr. Horne's The Age of
Machinery.

PART I. BALLOONS AND AIR-SHIPS
I. MAN'S DUEL WITH NATURE II. THE FRENCH
PAPER-MAKER WHO INVENTED THE BALLOON III. THE
FIRST MAN TO ASCEND IN A BALLOON IV. THE FIRST
BALLOON ASCENT IN ENGLAND V. THE FATHER OF BRITISH
AERONAUTS VI. THE PARACHUTE VII. SOME BRITISH
INVENTORS OF AIR-SHIPS VIII. THE FIRST ATTEMPTS TO
STEER A BALLOON IX. THE STRANGE CAREER OF COUNT
ZEPPELIN X. A ZEPPELIN AIR-SHIP AND ITS CONSTRUCTION
XI. THE SEMI-RIGID AIR-SHIP XII. A NON-RIGID BALLOON
XIII. THE ZEPPELIN AND GOTHA RAIDS


PART II. AEROPLANES AND AIRMEN
XIV. EARLY ATTEMPTS IN AVIATION XV. A PIONEER IN
AVIATION XVI. THE "HUMAN BIRDS" XVII. THE AEROPLANE
AND THE BIRD XVIII. A GREAT BRITISH INVENTOR OF
AEROPLANES XIX. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND THEIR
SECRET EXPERIMENTS XX. THE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION
ENGINE XXI. THE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE (Con't.)
XXII. THE AEROPLANE ENGINE XXIII. A FAMOUS BRITISH
INVENTOR OF AVIATION ENGINES XXIV. THE WRIGHT
BIPLANE (CAMBER OF PLANES) XXV. THE WRIGHT BIPLANE
(Cont.) XXVI. HOW THE WRIGHTS LAUNCHED THEIR
BIPLANE XXVII. THE FIRST MAN TO FLY IN EUROPE XXVIII.
M. BLARIOT AND THE MONOPLANE XXIX. HENRI FARMAN
AND THE VOISIN BIPLANE XXX. A FAMOUS BRITISH
INVENTOR XXXI. THE ROMANCE OF A COWBOY AERONAUT
XXXII. THREE HISTORIC FLIGHTS XXXIII. THREE HISTORIC
FLIGHTS (Cont. XXXIV. THE HYDROPLANE AND AIR-BOAT
XXXV. A FAMOUS BRITISH INVENTOR OF THE

WATER-PLANE XXXVI. SEA-PLANES FOR WARFARE XXXVII.
THE FIRST MAN TO FLY IN BRITAIN XXXVIII.THE R.F.C. AND
R.N.A.S. XXXIX. AEROPLANES IN THE GREAT WAR XL. THE
ATMOSPHERE AND THE BAROMETER XLI. HOW AN AIRMAN
KNOWS WHAT HEIGHT HE REACHES XLII. HOW AN AIRMAN
FINDS HIS WAY XLIII. THE FIRST AIRMAN