Anne Millbrooke

International Aviation Photography Competition

amwriter@mac.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:01:00 GMT

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported under "People in Business":

Aviation author Anne Millbrooke has judged an international aviation photography competition based in London. The Internet permits her in Bozeman to judge entries in London. Airscene, the competition's sponsor, awarded Millbrooke's books "Aviation History" and "Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation," as prizes. This is the eighth international aviation photography competition she has judged in recent years.

Heads in the Clouds - Women in the Air

amwriter@mac.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:01:00 GMT

On October 1, 2009, the blog Heads in the Clouds - Women in the Air interviewed author Anne Millbrooke online at http://womenintheair.blogspot.com/. Blogger Amber Polo interviews "women in aviation who love books and write them!" Here's the text of the interview with Anne:

Welcome, Anne Millbrooke, award winning aviation author, editor, and pilot.

Anne, tell me how your relationship with flying and the aviation writing began.

I grew up on the cloudy coast of Washington state and I didn’t ride in an airplane until I was in college. I majored in history and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the history of geology, so I came to aviation relatively late.

Working as an archivist and historian for United Technologies Corporation, I became immersed in the history of aviation through the company's subsidiary companies, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, and what was then Hamilton Standard. I loved touring the research facilities, factories, and records storage, as well as reading the historical documentation.

While a National Science Foundation Visiting Professor at Montana State University in the mid-1990s, I found myself in a delightfully clear climate (for the most part) and became a private pilot. Later, while living in Alaska, I spent two fun summers working with NASA's supersonic transport program at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. Right now, I am secretary-treasurer of the Gallatin Valley Hangar of the Montana Pilots Association.

I wrote Aviation History for Jeppesen and it has been in print ten years, now in an updated revised edition. This book was great fun to write, because the coverage is worldwide and I got to study many interesting stories in the process of selecting significant examples. Even revising the book was fun, as I literally wrote new text for 200 change pages, a process that again immersed me in stories from around the world. For a single paragraph on early boys book on aviation, for example, I read more than 20s boys books published from 1908 into the 1920s, books I had not had the time to read when writing the first edition. Jeppesen sells Aviation History as a textbook to aeronautics schools around the world. Winning the top history book award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics was quite an honor.

In ground school I began to compile notes and added more into a 700-page reference book Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation. What's unique is that it’s arranged by shorthand expression. In the context of time and place, the author and reader may have known what an abbreviation, acronym, code, or mnemonic meant, but a reader may lack immediate recognition, or may associate the short term with a meaning from a different time and place. Some short-hand expressions in aviation have more than twenty meanings. I annotated as many terms as possible as to when and where the term with that specific meaning was used.

My most recent aviation publication is "History of the Space Age" in Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology, and Heritage. I enjoyed working with the engineers, scientists, and archeologists collaborating on this massive handbook.

What kind of books do you like to read?
I read widely, both fiction and non-fiction. Aviation, of course, but also mysteries, nature, history, and poetry.

What's your favorite "flying" book?
Stick and Rudder taught me much when I was learning to fly. Books by Saint-Exupéry — Wind, Sand and Stars; Night Flight, and Flight to Arras — still inspire me and instill me with awe for the wonders of flight.

What are you writing now?
I have several books in progress. A history of aviation in Montana has some great tales from the state fair demonstration flights, World War I hysteria about German planes in Montana, mountain flying, agricultural planes, Army air bases during World War II, the Lend-Lease air route through Canada and Alaska to Siberia, the CIA shutting down a distinguished flying service during the Vietnam War, and recreational flying.

I also have done most of the research for a biography of Frederick B. Rentschler, founder of Pratt & Whitney and United Aircraft Corporation. And I'm writing a novel.

Thanks, Anne, for visiting and good luck with your new ventures.

An award-winning writer and experienced editor, Anne Millbrooke has written and edited reports, press releases, exhibit text, scripts, web content, speeches, articles for newspapers and magazines, chapters of books, and books. She is available to help you get the product you need.

In addition to working in corporate communications, teaching at universities, and consulting with private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies, Anne Millbrooke has won awards for her articles and books, and won Mellon, Smithsonian, National Science Foundation, and NASA fellowships.

In June 2008 Anne helped at the starting events of the Air Race Classic, the national women's air race that Will Rogers called the Powder Puff Derby. She judged six aviation photograph contests for Airscene in 2008; the contests are in London, but the Internet allowed her to judge the photographs from Montana.

(Published online at http://womenintheair.blogspot.com on October 1, 2009)

Aircraft Technical Book Company

amwriter@mac.com — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:01:00 GMT

Aircraft Technical Book Company not only sells Aviation History but also has kind words about the book:

Aviation History, by Anne Millbrooke is a beautifully done, large format, hard cover, full color book that gives new and experienced pilots a unique perspective on international aviation history.

Each of ten chapters is packed with information containing historic photographs and color graphics. Aviation History explores the question "What is Aviation" by following the world of flying from its birth in Annonay, France to today's accomplishments in space.

Through personal profiles, you meet the people who made significant contributions to aviation. You explore the historical evidence and see how historians use the artifacts of aviation to confirm what happened. A bibliography and timeline are included.

Updated with 170 pages of revised content, the 2006 edition places you in the time period and gives you first hand accounts by the people who were there. Each event is viewed in the historical context of the economic, political, social, and cultural impact. Personal profiles let readers get to know the pioneers who shaped aviation. Historical notes and events, graphs, timelines, and more than 800 photos and illustrations aid in understanding. Study questions along with bibliographies at the end of each chapter make review easier.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Early Aviation, 1783-1914
invention of aviation; balloons; dirigibles; airships

The Wright Brothers, 1896-1914
heavier than air; Wright brothers; Wright patent; Wright airplanes

Early Flight, 1904-1914
airplanes and airmen in Europe; American developments; flying competitions; aviation industry

World War I, 1914-1919
airships, dirigibles, and balloons; military airplanes; aircraft production; armistice and peace

Peacetime Aviation, 1919-1927
distance flying; airships; barnstorming and competing; airlines and airmail

Golden Age, 1927-1939
Charles Lindbergh; adventure and sport; commercial airlines; aviation radio; military aviation

World War II, 1939-1945
emergency and response; military R&D; western air war; pacific air war

Cold War, 1945-1958
resumption of civil aviation; commercial aviation; hot spots; rockets & missiles

Space Age Aviation, 1959-1989
space race; jet age; cold war continues; private & general aviation

Modern Aerospace, 1990-
general and commercial aviation; military aerospace; space exploration; future of aviation

Appendices
aviation firsts
the Wright patent
space flights
picture credits

Found online at http://www.actechbooks.com/products/act048/, September 1, 2009.

Alaska Women Speak

amwriter@mac.com — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:01:00 GMT

The magazine Alaska Women Speak, Volume 17, Issue 2 (Summer 2009) announced under New Releases: Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation: A Guide to Contemporary and Historical Terms Found in Aviation Literature.

Anne Millbrooke was born in western Oregon and raised on the coast of Washington state. She has taught history at universities in Alaska, Connecticut, and Montana. While teaching in Alaska, she also wrote news stories for the Nome Nugget newspaper and served as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. She has two current major publications in print: a revised, updated edition of her award-winning Aviation HistoryAbbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation. As a public speaker, Ann has given presentations to Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, aviation groups, youth organizations, and public libraries. For the last decade the Western Arctic National Parklands has sponsored her lecture series in Nome, Alaska, during the finish of the Iditarod dogsled race; she also volunteers in the dog lot. book, and a newly released reference book

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation is a guide for people who read aviation literature. The more than 12,000 entries cover general and technical terms, civil and military, also aeronautical, bureaucratic, commercial, geographical, mechanical, medical, meteorological, operational, and organizational terms — as related to aviation. The coverage is both contemporary and historical; that is, the guide covers current and past usage.

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation

ISBN: 978-1-4363-1316-2 (Trade Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-4363-1317-9 (Hardback)

The book is available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Borders.com, and other bookstores.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle, People in Business

amwriter@mac.com — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:01:00 GMT

Anne Millbrooke, a consulting writer and editor, has a chapter on the "History of the Space Age" in the new "Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaelogy, and Heritage," published by the CRC arm of the Taylor & Francis Group. Millbrooke provided the overview opening a section on the Space Age. She is also author of the "Aviation History" textbook used by universities and flight schools around the world.

Daedalus Flyer

amwriter@mac.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:01:00 GMT

The Daedalus Flyer, the magazine of the Order of Daedalians (a fraternal organization of military pilots), reviews both Aviation History and Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation. The review concludes, "Read and absorb both these books and become your communities' expert on all thing aviation. … These are great resources for anyone interested in aviation."

As The Prop Turns

amwriter@mac.com — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:01:00 GMT

The Idaho Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots, published a notice of Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation and Aviation History in its June 2009 newsletter – As The Prop Turns. In addition to a photograph of the Aviation History book cover, the notice mentions that Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation is now in print and available from various online booksellers, that Aviation History has been in print for ten years, now in an updated edition, and that author Anne Millbrooke is a member of the Montana Chapter of the Ninety-Nines.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Humanity in Motion

amwriter@mac.com — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:01:00 GMT

Reporter Lauri Olsen wrote an article featuring Anne Millbrooke "Why I'm a Rotarian":

Anne Millbrooke comforts children in the county health department's immunization program. She judges high school speech and debate contests. As a food server at the fundraising Jay Owenhouse Magic Shows, she knows her way around a spatula. And when the university has etiquette dinners, Ann is a table captain.

Born in western Oregon, Anne was raised on the coast of Washington state. She went east to college, first to Boise State, then to the university of Wisconsin at Madison. At the University of Pennsylvania, she earned her doctorate, and later taught history at the University of Montana [sic; actually Montana State University and other universities]. Along the way, she has won Mellon, Smithsonian, National Science Foundation, and NASA fellowships. Anne has written two books on aviation and served as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.

Always involved in community service, Anne is a past president of the Rotary Club of Nome, Alaska. In 2007, she led the Montana District's Group Study Exchange team of non-Rotarians to Peru.

"I enthusiastically support participation in the local, regional, and global community," Anne states.

Why did Anne choose to join Rotary?

"It's the oldest and largest group," she says. "At the time and place where I joined, it was the most active and most effective. For example, despite the poverty in Nome, 100 percent of the Rotary members contributed to the polio drive. I was impressed by that. I knew then why I wanted to be part of Rotary."

"All service clubs are doing great work," Anne adds. "Rotary is active. Through Rotary, you keep a larger perspective."

Rotary District 5390, The District Roundup

amwriter@mac.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:01:00 GMT

In "Bozeman Rotarian Sends a Little Joy to Peru" the Montana District's newsletter reported:

When Bozeman said farewell to their Peruvian exchange student in early March, Anne Millbrooke, the GSE team leader for our exchange with Peru in 2007, sent a duffle bag filled with new stuffed toys (and enough money to pay that extra baggage fee). The Rotary Club of Huaral distributed the toys to two local programs in their city. Huaral is located north of Lima. The clubhosted our team during the exchange.

Two photographs of Huaral toy distributions accompany the news note.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle

amwriter@mac.com — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:01:00 GMT

On 7 December 2008, in the column "People in Business," the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported: Bozeman author Anne Millbrooke has published a new book "Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation, a Guide to Contemporary and Historical Terms Found in Aviation Literature." This 700-page reference work has more than 12,000 shorthand expressions used in aviation over time, with the full expression and explanations about the when and where a term was used. The book is available through Amazon.com and other booksellers online. Millbrooke's award-winning book "Aviation History," is also available online, though the publisher at jeppesen.com.

Airscene.co.uk

amwriter@mac.com — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:59:00 GMT

On 26 November 2008, Airscene.co.uk announced the publication of Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation, which appeared this afternoon on the publisher's website (www.xlibris.com); and soon to be available on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, and other through other booksellers. The author of the book has judged several aviation photograhy contests sponsored by Airscene, and donated copies of her award-winning Aviation History book as prizes.

Journal of Air Transportation

amwriter@mac.com — Sat, 02 Feb 2002 06:04:00 GMT

Millbrooke, A.M. (1999). Aviation History. Englewood, CO: Jeppensen Sanderson. Pp. xxi + 612. ISBN 0-88487-235-1. $68.00 hard cover.

Reviewed by Nanette Scarpellini, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Aviation History delivers an entertaining account and perspective on international aviation history. This book is an excellent resource to students, educators, and aviation enthusiasts. In reviewing this book, the principal criteria included content, organization, and reference sources. While editing errors and organizational incongruities plague some of the latter chapters, many of the shortcomings of this first edition will likely be alleviated by later editions. These problems are only a minor distraction to the story being told.

Starting with the first unmanned hot air balloon flight in 1783 through the announcement of the X Prize that will be awarded to the first non-government sponsored manned spacecraft, the author shows the detailed progression of international aviation and aerospace technology. The reader is taken on a journey through the world of aviation and receives first-hand accounts from the inventors and dreamers who made it possible. The tone of the book reflects a learned appreciation for the marvel of aviation as illustrated by a quote from the 1759 aviation-related novel Rasselas by Samuel Johnson, which explains flight in this fashion: "So fishes have water, in which yet beasts can swim by nature, and men by art. He that can swim needs not despair to fly: to swim is to fly in a grosser fluid, and to fly is to swim in a subtler" (2-5).

The author, Anne Marie Millbrooke, is a proven historian and author specializing in science and technology with an emphasis on aviation history. In addition to acting as a historian for such organizations as the National Park Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), she has also managed the Archive and Historical Center at United Technologies Corporation and served as a Research Collaborator with the National Air and Space Museum. Her educational accomplishments include earning her doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania as well as her pilot certificate. Millbrooke’s multifaceted background establishes her in a strategic position to gather and assemble key pieces of aviation history that span the globe.

The organization of Aviation History allows the reader to easily follow the evolution of aviation. The book is divided into ten chapters. Opening with early aviation of the 18th century, the book progresses through the Wright Brothers, early flight, World War I, peacetime aviation, the Golden Age of Charles Lindbergh and aviation firsts, World War II, the Cold War, space-age aviation, and finally modern aerospace through 1999 with glimpses of the 21st century and beyond. The appendices conclude with a listing of aviation firsts and space flights, as well as a copy of the Wright U.S. Patent. While it is impossible to thoroughly explore all topics, the detailed bibliography provides sources for obtaining more information. This format spotlights the key phases of aviation development.

The construction of the book meshes well with its organization and lends itself successfully to the study of different time periods in history. Each chapter is broken down into four sections, which typically fit logically into the topic of the chapter. All chapters are composed of several defining parts that maintain a sense of continuity throughout the volume. A Summary of Events for the time period under review leads into the introduction and the chapter goals. Within the text of the chapter, there are an assortment of breakout boxes that either describes an historic event, provides historical evidence to support aviation theories, or relates bibliographical information about individuals who were propitious in shaping aviation history. Unfortunately, the intriguing stories may also confuse readers when they are so numerous as to distort the flow of the text. The chapter is completed by a thorough bibliography, study questions reviewing the material covered, and a timeline augmented by providing events not directly associated with aviation. The book is well-referenced, making skillful use of first-person sources.

The orderliness of the book conforms to an academic curriculum. While the chapters create neatly parceled packages, certain areas seem forced to conform to the ten-chapter plan. For instance, Chapter 9: Space Age Aviation seems oddly burdened by the last third of the chapter which focuses on fighter aircraft and various wars, from Vietnam to the U.S. invasion of Granada, as well as a final section completely on private and general aviation. These subjects can be better covered by creating another chapter or by parceling them into both earlier and later sections. In this situation, the author provides good material and content, which is hampered by poor organization. Overall, a detailed story of the advancement of aviation is shown in readable and entertaining style.

Millbrooke presents a broad analysis of aviation history that focuses on developments worldwide, as opposed to the many history books that single out achievements of the United States. Aviation History offers an objective view of aviation developments and illustrates the interactive nature of the industry. War spurred many of aviation’s most significant advances, with countries openly borrowing new procedures and operations from enemy progress in the field creating the most effective fighting fleets. "Nationalistic pride in aviation went beyond the romance and fads of aviation, to national identity and claims of distinctiveness and superiority . . . Legends grew around the British S.E. (scout experimental made by the Royal Aircraft Factory), the French Spad, and the German Fokker" (4-4).

Each chapter is filled with pictures and colorful quotes from people of that era. These firsthand accounts provide deeper insight into what, in some history books, is just a listing of factual information. When the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen describes his victory over British ace Lanoe Hawker on November 23, 1916, the day comes alive. "I was on patrol that day and observed three Englishmen who had nothing else in mind than to hunt. I noticed how they ogled me, and since I felt ready for battle, I let them come . . ." (in Richthofen’s The Red Baron, 4-29).

The author supplies an in-depth analysis of various aspects of aviation often glossed over in aviation books. Some of the areas explored include the development of aerial photography, air-to-ground communication with early wireless radio equipment, and airmail expansion beyond the United States. Antoine de Saint-Exupery flew a la Ligne mail route between France and Spain that sometimes crossed hostile territory. On a flight in February 1927 he recounts the following in a letter to his mother. "The trip went well, aside from a breakdown and the plane crashing into the desert" (Schiff. 1994 in 5-41). As evidenced by the stories recounted throughout the volume, early pilots were part mechanic, part inventor, and part adventurer in order to survive.

Aviation History is a collection of significant events in aviation accented by the people who made it happen and correlated with world affairs. The book’s use of color and vivid stories helps to make the advancements come to life as something more than significant events on a timeline. While at times the stories may clutter the page, they also breathe life into what is considered by many to be a dull subject. The author’s enthusiasm for the topic is obvious throughout the book. More thorough proofreading could help alleviate some of the confusion that is caused by typos and a few mislabeled illustrations. The credibility of the content does not suffer due to these obvious errors which will likely be corrected in the next edition.

--------------------------

Author description: Nanette Scarpellini is a graduate research assistant in the NASA Space Grant College and Fellowship program for the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute and the assistant editor for the Journal of Air Transportation World Wide. Ms. Scarpellini is pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree with an Aviation Administration concentration. In addition, she has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Psychology with an Advertising concentration from The Ohio State University, a Certificate of Organizational Development and Training from New York University, and is a licensed private pilot.

2001 Copyright Journal of Air Transportation

Aviation International News

amwriter@mac.com — Sat, 02 Feb 2002 06:03:00 GMT

In the "Software & Paperware" column in the February 2000 issue of Aviation International News, Chad Trautvetter wrote the following review.

Aviation History by Anne Millbrooke, Jeppesen Sanderson, 55 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, CO 80112-5412: (303) 784-4274; www.jeppesen.com; hard; 634 pages; $68; ISBN 0-88487-235-1.

Chronicling mankind's journey from dreaming about flight to achieving and developing it is a daunting task in one book, but Anne Millbrooke, a pilot and historian who specializes in science and technology, accomplished this challenging feat in Aviation History. From Leonardo da Vinci's visions of flight to the Montgolfier brothers' manned balloon flights to the Wright brothers' first manned powered flight to today's modern aircraft, the textbook pretty much covers all of aviation.

Besides aviation, the book also delves into the space race, the international space station, interplanetary satellites and military aerospace and defense systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Aviation History is deftly organized in chronological order. The first chapter in the book starts with early aviation (timeline 1783-1914) and the last chapter covers 1990 to the present. Each chapter begins with a summary of events, which contains an abbreviatied timeline of notable events during the period covered. To give the reader a better perspective, the timeline includes aviation events as well as events not directly related to aviation.

Additionally, the chapters are broken into four sections, each of which covers a separate topic. Key terms such as "fly-by-wire" are easily identifiable in the text as they are printed in red type when first introduced. Full-color graphics are used throughout the book to enhance the historical content.

Speaking of content, besides the body copy, there are numerous boxed items that provide supplemental information. These include "historic notes," "flight lines," "historic events," "historical evidence," "personal profiles" and "question-and-answer boxes."

The historic notes include additional information about the topic being covered and help the reader gain more insight into that topic. Flight lines are first-hand accounts of what happened in aviation, yielding up-close and personal views of the events in aviation history.

Historic evennts cover a single, signficiant event in aviation, which typcially depict a defining moment. On the other hand, historic evidence is more of a discussion of what happened in history. This offers a unique look at artifacts of aviation from a historian's point of view.

Personal profiles contain biographical information about aviation pioneers, including what made them outstanding and how they achieved their success. Question-and-answer boxes further help to define the topic of the chapter by answering who, what, when, where and why.

Study questions at the end of each chapter allow the reader to evaluate his or her comprehension of the material. A bibliography and expanded aviation timeline conclude each chapter.

The textbook is designed to be used in an aviation history course but it is equally suited as a resource for all pilots. Overall, Aviation History gives a well rounded examination of the significant events, people, places and technology that made aviation what it is today.

Barry Schiff in AOPA Pilot

amwriter@mac.com — Sat, 02 Feb 2002 06:02:00 GMT

The January 2000 issue of the AOPA Pilot carried the following review by Barry Schiff.

JEPPESEN'S AVIATION HISTORY

For those like me who had great difficulty staying awake in high school or college history classes, the notion of getting excited about a history book seems highly improbable. But now there is an exception. Jeppesen Sanderson has just released Aviation History, a 636-page, large-format textbook by Anne Millbrooke that is guaranteed to satisfy anyone with a passionate appetite for flight.

Aviation History is not a typical history textbook that consists of endless pages of punishing text interrupted only occasionally by a dull black-and-white photograph. It is graphically driven, chock full of colorful photographs (where possible) and beautiful illustrations.

All 10 chapters (from Greek mythology to futuristic designs and concepts) begin with graphical timelines of notable events. They also contain hundreds — if not substantially more than a thousand — colorful sidebars. Some offer bite-sized historical notes that provide insight into certain events, and others provide first-hand accounts of those who were there. More sidebars describe historical events that lend perspective to aeronautical progress, and others contain personal profiles of those who made history. And finally, some boxes contain fascinating bits and pieces of evidence to validate or dispute certain events from a historian's perspective. Each chapter also includes question-and-answer boxes tohelp prime you for whatever aviation quizes you migh encounter. (I couldn't resist that.)

Even the appendices are fascinating and contain, for example, 10 pages dedicated to reproducing the Wright Brothers' original patent for a flying machine. My favorite appendix is a comprehensive list of aviation firsts. It begins with the first aircraft flight (June 4, 1783) and ends 12 pages later with the first woman to command a space shuttle (Eileen Collins on July 23, 1999).

Millbrooke, a professional historian and fine writer, and the editorial staff at Jeppesen have outdone themselves. Even if you chose not to read the main text and perused only the captions and sidebars, you would still finish the book with a broad and insightful understanding of how aviation got to be where it is today. Simply stated, Aviation History is without peer or competition. any book that can bring aviation history to life the way this one does deserves to be described with superlatives.

Aviation History lists for $68. For additional information, contact Jeppesen Sanderson at 00/621-5377 or see the Web site (www.Jeppesen.com).

— Barry Schiff

Facts and Context, with a Passion

amwriter@mac.com — Sat, 02 Feb 2002 06:01:00 GMT

In December 1999 the Humanities and Social Sciences Online, better known as H-Net, published the following book review on its H-Scholar network.

Facts and Context, with a Passion

Anne Millbrooke. Aviation History. Englewood, Col.: Jeppesen Sanderson, 1999. x + 622 pp. $68.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-88487-235-1.

Reviewed by Paul Lagasse 
Published on H-Scholar (December, 1999)

Anne Millbrooke's comprehensive Aviation History is stylistically different from many other book-length historical reviews of flight, and refreshingly so. Rather than begin with the usual breezy generalizations about men yearning since the dawn of time to imitate the birds, Dr. Millbrooke chooses to commence with a simple, declarative statement of fact and context: "Aviation began in the provincial French town of Annonay, where the brothers Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier lived. The year was 1783." (pp. 1-6) The rest of the book is written in a similarly crisp style. The cumulative result is an informative, intelligently structured, and highly readable overview of the science, technology, and art of flight. The book is valuable as both a textbook and a ready reference source for novices and experts alike.

The structure of the large single-volume book facilitates "a well-rounded review of the significant events, people, places, and technologies in aviation as it progressed through history" (p. vi) by distilling information into ever-more precise pieces without losing sight of broader contexts. Readers can navigate easily throughout the book, whether proceeding in a linear fashion, hunting for specific facts, or browsing randomly.

The book is divided into ten chapters by chronological or thematic period--Early Aviation, 1783-1914; Wright Brothers, 1896-1914; Early Flight, 1904-1914; World War I, 1914-1919; Peacetime Aviation, 1919-1927; Golden Age, 1927-1939; World War II, 1939-1945; Cold War, 1945-1958; Space Age Aviation, 1959- 1989; and Modern Aerospace, 1990-. Each of these chapters is further divided into four topically-oriented sections. Each section features narrative text set off with numerous small sidebars that highlight relevant historical events, personalities, and quotations. Historic photographs, graphic illustrations, tables, maps, and drawings are used extensively and to good effect. Each chapter begins with a chronology of important events--both aviation-related and not--and ends with a more detailed timeline, a bibliography, and study questions. Key concepts and terms are highlighted throughout the narrative text. Appendices include lists of aviation and space "firsts" and a facsimile reproduction of the Wright Brothers' 1906 patent for their "flying machine."

Dr. Millbrooke is an authority on the history of flight. A historian of science and technology who has published widely on a variety of aviation-related subjects, she earned her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. For many years she directed the now- defunct United Technologies Archive and Historical Resource Center, where she oversaw the historical records of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Sikorsky, and Hamilton Standard, among other firms. She has been a Research Collaborator at the National Air and Space Museum, a Smithsonian Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution, and a Mellon Fellow at the American Philosophical Society. She has held history professorships in Connecticut, Montana, and Alaska. As a certified pilot, Dr. Millbrooke has the advantage of supplementing her scholarship with personal experience. I had the good fortune to study under Dr. Millbrooke as an undergraduate, where I came to appreciate firsthand her passion for precision and clarity in historical research and writing.

The focus of Aviation History is not simply, or even primarily, on aircraft and their uses in war and peace; the book profiles contemporaneous developments in other areas such as aerial navigation, airway systems, ground facilities, aerial photography, aviation law, and international regulations. Many of these topics have been treated separately and in greater detail by other authors--many of whom are referenced in the bibliographies--but one of this book's significant accomplishments is its placement of them in relation to each other chronologically and causally. Geographically, the book's scope is global; significant aerial activities in all parts of the world are thoroughly explored.

While the book covers much that is familiar, or at least of nodding acquaintance, to scholars of aviation history, Dr. Millbrooke occasionally surprises readers with hints at stories yet to be told in more detail. For example, how many people recognize the work of the Spruce Production Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I which, in an organizational feat that foreshadows federal control of production in the second World War, imposed control on the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest and shipped 120 million board-feet of wood overseas for airplane production? (pp. 4-42)

As is often the case when large amounts of data are compiled from a wide variety of sources, some errors of fact have sneaked by the author and editors of Aviation History. Aviation enthusiasts will no doubt descend upon these like World War II dive bombers on an unsuspecting target, but the errors are comparatively few and far between, and in any case they do not undermine the book's considerable contribution to the literature. Future editions of the book should benefit from the knowledgeable assistance of readers of all backgrounds in pointing out these errors.

The history of technology is as much about our growing understanding of how things work as it is about the things themselves. Flight, like other technological pursuits, has borrowed a great deal from many scientific and technical disciplines, and has contributed knowledge in turn to other fields of study. Aviation History does not explore how advances in fields such as chemistry, fluid dynamics, structural engineering, and metallurgy contributed to progress in the design, construction, and safe operation of aircraft. With the exception of a review of the development of jet engine technology (pp. 9-39, pp. 9-40), description of the principles behind mechanical and aerostatic flight--and the development of our understanding of them--is lacking. Obviously, the line had to be drawn somewhere regarding what could be included in this already comprehensive review. Nevertheless, without at least some emphasis on aviation's close relationships to the rest of science and technology, readers are in danger of coming away from the book with an artificial conception of aviation as an dissociated and isolated activity.

The publisher has termed the book a "Manual" and emphasized pilots as the primary audience. This is not surprising, as Jeppesen Sanderson is one of the oldest and most respected pilot services firms in the country. However, Aviation History has much to offer a wider audience, despite its textbook price. Aviation History is an essential work of reference that deserves a place alongside other classic and reliable books as Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation, Mackworth-Praed's Aviation: The Pioneer Years, and Gibbs-Smith's The Aeroplane: an Historical Survey of Its Origins and Development on the bookshelves of pilots, scholars, students, and enthusiasts of all things aviation.

Copyright (c) 1999 by H-Net

Citation: Paul Lagasse. Review of Millbrooke, Anne, Aviation History. H-Scholar, H-Net Reviews. December, 1999. 

URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3661