Test Flying At Old Wright Field From the Piston Engine to Jet Power

B&W Illustrations; This is an oversized paperback book. The book is in Very Good condition and was issued without a dust jacket. The book covers have some spots of light ground-in dirt, along with some light bumping, rubbing and wear. There are several noticeable creases to the top front corner of the cover, and there is one vertical crease by the spine joint. The text pages are clean and bright. "Test flying as a systematic activity started during the First World War, at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in the United Kingdom. An "Experimental Flight" was formed at the Central Flying School. During the 1920s, test flying was further developed by the RAE in the UK, and by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the United States. In the 1950s, NACA was transformed into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. During these years, as work was done into aircraft stability and handling qualities, test flying evolved towards a more qualitative scientific profession. In the 1950s, test pilots were being killed at the rate of about one a week, [citation needed] but the risks have shrunk to a fraction of that because of the maturation of aircraft technology, better ground-testing and simulation of aircraft performance, fly-by-wire technology and, lately, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to test experimental aircraft features. Still, piloting experimental aircraft remains more dangerous than most other types of flying. " (from Wikipedia).…