From the day when two bicycle mechanics made the first flight at Kitty Hawk until after World War II, Americans have invested extraordinary hopes in airplanes, expecting them to revolutionize daily life and transform the world. This book reconstructs the first era of manned flight, bringing back to life the famous and lesser-known aviators who became America's heroes: Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Calbraith P. Rodgers, and many others. Abounding in fascinating detail, this book provides a vivid picture of America in the first half of the century--its aspirations and concerns--as expressed in the exuberant and often utopian response to a major new technology.