Full Description
In 1941 at the age of 23, Glen Edwards learned to fly in a wood, metal, and fabric biplane; in 1948, he died in the fiery crash of a Northrop Flying Wing, one of the Air Force's most advanced jet-propelled bombers. Conveying both the exhaustion of combat and the exhilaration of flying some of the world's fastest, most sophisticated planes, Edward's diary entries trace the full trajectory of his career: the near-daily bombing missions over Africa and Italy for which he won the Distinguished Flying Cross, a record-breaking cross-country flight in 1945 as the lead pilot of the Douglas XB-42 "Mixmaster, " his assignment to Wright Field, "the Mecca of all Army pilots, " a stint at Princeton to study aircraft stability and control, and participation in developing the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing. Setting Edwards's career in historical context and describing the strengths and weaknesses of the planes he flew, including the controversial Flying Wing, a precursor of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Daniel Ford provides both a first-person look at the life of a bomber pilot and a broad view of aviation in an era of extraordinary change.
