Delaware Aviation History [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]

Frebert, George J.; Haskell, Debbie (editor)

Published by Dover Litho Printing Co., Dover, Delaware, 1998

About this Item

As new condition blue and black marbled boards with gold front cover and spine lettering, contained in a fine condition photographic dust jacket. Includes Dedication; About the Author, Foreword; Material Sources; Acknowledgments; and Aeronautical Dictionary. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, drawings, a double-page color map entitled: 1932 Aeronautical Sectional Map Reproduction, and a double-page color map entitled 1947 Aeronautical Sectional Map Reproduction. "For over eighty years the history of Delaware aviation lay dormant. In spite of the many world records established by Delaware-built airplanes, no one seemed to care. Tucked away, in the archives of the Hagley Museum & Library, Delaware Public Archives, and the Wilmington Historical Society, were scattered fragments of memorabilia. When I registered as an aviation researcher, the staff in charge of the archives appeared to be astonished at the subject matter I requested. Apparently, few requests had been made for Delaware aviation information. In addition to archival sources, additional material was located in cardboard boxes stored in the attics of families whose kin were part of the era. The decision to commit the time and expense was relatively easy. I was retired from a printing company I founded over forty years ago. The timing was right to accept a new challenge. From the onset, I felt I would have to struggle to have a finished product consisting of one hundred pages. After all, Delaware is the second smallest state in the union. How wrong I was! Who the first person was to see Delaware from aloft became the starting point of my research. Balloon flight was the first successful attempt to fly, and that is where it all began. Once the Wright brothers flew a heavier than air machine, the interest in aviation spread like wildfire. By 1909, Delaware aviation-minded enthusiasts began to build an aeroplane that was flown from Wawaset Park in Wilmington. On May 27, 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew nonstop from New York to Paris. Four years later a Delaware-built Bellanca spanned the Pacific nonstop from Tokyo to Washington State. The same year, another Delaware-built Bellanca set a new World's Distance Record for flying nonstop from New York to Istanbul, Turkey, a distance of over 5,000 miles! Continued research and interviews began to uncover more and more long-forgotten Delaware aviation history. The first year passed and the second loomed ahead with no end in sight. At this point I felt like a paratrooper on his first jump. Once you jumped, there was no wishing you were back in the airplane. I was committed. There was no turning back. The photographs, purchased and donated, exceeded 500. I began tracking people and events on the Internet. Requests for information went as far as Canada and Hawaii. Day-long trips were made to the National Archives and NASM in Washington, DC. On many occasions when I completed a chapter, new information would surface, and new copy would have to be inserted. My disc drive could no longer hold the material, and I had to add a Zip drive to store the files. The end came on July 15, 1989, when the final proof was signed off to go to press. It is written in a layman's language for all to understand. Delaware Aviation History is now yours to enjoy." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. Seller Inventory # 004080

Bibliographic Details

Title: Delaware Aviation History [FIRST EDITION, ...

Publisher: Dover Litho Printing Co., Dover, Delaware

Publication Date: 1998

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: As New

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition