Informative and inspiring, this book is the perfect resource for all would-be and novice pilots, engineers, aircraft enthusiasts, designers, travellers, or anyone who is simply curious.

This unique guide covers all the fundamentals of flying and its required skills, from takeoff to landing. Step-by-step illustrations and thrilling firsthand experiences lead you through the various stages of flying a plane by putting you in the pilot’s seat, taking you through complicated concepts and breaking them down into accessible language.

It also gives a taster of what it’s like to fly eight different historic and world-renowned aircraft for the very first time, from a high-performance glider and classic biplane to a Second World War fighter and wide-body passenger plane. The excitement of flight is revealed in all its forms – from historic biplanes of wood and fabric to stunt machines made of exotic composites, and from a four-seater training aircraft to an executive jet.