Reach for the skies = How a handful of pioneers risked it all to make dreams a reality : Ballooning, birdmen and blasting into space [printed text] / Richard Branson, Author . - London : Virgin, 2010 . - 343 p. : ill (col) ; 24 cm.
ISBN : 978-0-7535-1986-8
In Reach for the Skies, Sir Richard Branson examines the history of aviation over the last two hundred years, putting the spotlight on trailblazers such as Tony Jannus, who made the first ever commercial flight over Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1914, Leo Valentin, the "bird man" who jumped from 9,000 feet wearing a pair of wooden wings in the 1950s, and Steve Fossett, who broke 130 world records in planes, balloons, and airships. The pioneers of flight made it possible for any of us with the desire and the commitment to reach for the skies ourselves.

Class number:	629.1309
Abstract:	As far back as stories go, pioneers have reached for the skies. In the last two hundred years, they have mastered the air and made the modern world possible. In this book I look at the history of flight through the stories and people who have inspired me throughout my life. In these pages you will find accounts of miraculous rescues; of records made and broken; of surprising feats of endurance and survival, including some of my own adventures. It is a story of pioneers, and of course it includes the world famous Montgolfiers and the Wright brothers, but I also want to describe some of the lesser-known trailblazers. People like Tony Jannus, who in 1914 created the world's first scheduled commercial flight, flying his passengers over the waters of Tampa Bay at an altitude of just fifty feet! And my friend, Steve Fossett, who dedicated his life to breaking records and having adventures. This is their story. It is also, in a small way, my own.
Contents note:	Prologue; Introduction Part One: The Rising Walking on Air; Lighter than Air; 'To Fly is Everything'; The Golden Years; 'A Great River of Air'; Part Two: Up and Away Shrinking the World; Fanning the Flames; Above the Sky Part Three: 'To Infinity and Beyond!" Fast Glass; Back to the Future Epilogue: Joyriding Endnotes; Further Reading; Picture Credits; Acknowledgements; Index.