Published: 1 September 2008
Air & Space Power Journal - Fall 2008

Airplanes: The Life Story of a Technology by Jeremy R. Kinney. Greenwood Press (http://www.green
wood.com/greenwood_press.aspx) (published in association with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum), 88 Post Road West, Westport, Connecticut 06881-5007, 2006, 184 pages, $45.00 (hardcover).

Targeting a wide audience, author Jeremy R. Kinney documents the evolution of aircraft and related technologies from their origins in the early eighteenth century to present-day advancements. He speaks with great authority as curator in the Aeronautics Division of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. Kinney tells the story by intertwining threads of world economics, politics, and culture with those of aircraft system technologies (aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and stability/control). The scope includes commercial, military, and general aviation with emphasis on development in the United States. Along the way, the book highlights assorted individuals and their significant contributions to the “technography” of the airplane. It also features a useful timeline, a brief glossary, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

Airplanes will appeal to readers of varying levels of interest and subject-matter knowledge: the history buff, budding engineer, experienced pilot, aspiring entrepreneur, and more. It is an outgrowth of lectures and ideas presented by the author while serving as the Centennial of Flight lecturer at the University of Maryland at College Park in 2003. Kinney opens the book by explaining his intent simply to tell a story, the good and the bad, with minimal editorial comment. He also offers an elementary tutorial on airplanes and powered, controlled flight. The material does not require the reader to have an advanced degree; rather, it places various technical concepts in everyday, widely familiar contexts. In fact, those with years of advanced aeronautical education and experience should be forewarned not to overly scrutinize the book’s technical explanations.

This brings me to my two lone criticisms. First, the story line omits several significant elements: the Bowling Commission of World War I, specific accomplishments between the world wars (e.g., speed records of Cy Bettis and Jimmy Doolittle as well as endurance records of the crew of the Question Mark, which included Ira Eaker and Carl Spaatz), American acquisition of German ground-test facilities and the establishment of Arnold AFB after World War II, and jet-engine patents of René Lorin and Maxime Guillame dating back to the early 1900s. Second, some of the technical descriptions, especially those relating to jet engines, did not completely satisfy me. For example, the author refers to “thrust” from the combustor powering the turbine, as opposed to “expansion” of combustion gases through the turbine powering the compressor (p. 80). He also describes the J58—the SR-71 Blackbird’s engine—as a turbojet rather than a combined-cycle turbo-ramjet (p. 97). However, these minor criticisms may simply reflect my own overly critical point of view. In general, I learned something new with each turn of a page and never dwelt on any criticisms.

All that being said, I truly benefited from this book and do not expect it to collect any dust on my bookshelf. Indeed, I began recommending it to my family and friends even as I was finishing it. Airplanes is the sort of book that people will read more than once and use as a handy reference for classroom and professional presentations. I highly commend it to every Air Force Airman, as Kinney covers the technological heritage of airpower without plunging deeply into airpower doctrine. He does a superb job of documenting the link between the development of aircraft technology and its application in warfare.

Maj Kurt Rouser, USAF
Arnold AFB, Tennessee

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academicenvironment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.

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