{"product_id":"la-birdmen-west-coast-aviators-and-the-first-airshow-in-america-9781493084395","title":"L.A. Birdmen: West Coast Aviators and the First Airshow in America","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlthough most credit Wilbur and Orville Wright with America's first powered flight, two months before the brothers lifted off the sands of Kitty Hawk, a French immigrant named August Greth flew the \u003ci\u003eCalifornia Eagle\u003c\/i\u003e, an airship of his own design, across the skies of San Francisco. While the Wrights claimed they had invented a flying machine, Greth and the California aviators proved it in front of thousands of spectators at state fairs and festivals across the country. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eL.A. Birdmen\u003c\/i\u003e is the fascinating and forgotten story of America's first aviators--Californians like August Greth, Tom Baldwin, Roy Knabenshue, John Montgomery, and James Zerbe. Possessing a rare blend of ingenuity, creativity, and bravery, these pilots captured the world's attention in 1910 when Los Angeles hosted America's first international airshow. Inspired by a flying exhibition held in Reims, France, Los Angeles promoter Dick Ferris convinced the city to host a competing event--a show that featured the world's best pilots and machines and would firmly establish Los Angeles as the center of American aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing a fierce competition between French pilot Louis Paulhan and American Glenn Curtiss, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles International Aviation Meet\u003c\/i\u003e was a revelation: the pilots shattered existing aviation records, refuted those who doubted the viability of heavier-than-air flying machines, and performed death-defying stunts. The ten days of flying received national newspaper coverage and attracted more than 100,000 visitors, including future industry leaders like Glenn Martin and William Boeing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eL.A. Birdmen\u003c\/i\u003e offers a high-flying account of the West Coast contribution to aviation, a little-recognized chapter in the story of American flight. In the first decade of the twentieth century, these dashing aviators--not the Wrights--were the public face of American aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Prometheus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/02\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781493084395\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320","brand":"Richard J. Goodrich","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44112827809973,"sku":"9781493084395","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_cddc0fda-4e5c-4173-98aa-b6c5bedb78f9.jpg?v=1715054806","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/la-birdmen-west-coast-aviators-and-the-first-airshow-in-america-9781493084395","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}