'eTexts' from Project Gutenburg

Bacon, J. M., Dominion of the Air, The : The Story of Aerial Navigation
Barber, H., The Aeroplane Speaks
Claxton, William J., The Mastery of the Air
Talbot, Frederick A., Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War
Jackman, W.J. and Russell, Thos. H., Flying Machines : Construction and Operation
Marion, F.(Fulgence), Wonderful Balloon Ascents: or, the Conquest of the Skies
Vivian, Charles E., A History of Aeronautics
Whale, George. British Airships : Past, Present and Future
Zerbe, J.S., Aeroplanes

'eLibraries'

AUSTRALIA

Hargrave
http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au

This website, the Lawrence Hargrave eLibrary contains a wide range of links to both eTexts and printed material much of which is generally unavailable due to rarity but listed as a base reference. Transcripts of several of the Lawrence Hargrave papers to the Royal Society are also available

The Australian Aviation Archive by John Burford is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its comprehensive coverage of Australian aircraft past and present, civil and military. It also carries an excellent selection of essays about the people and history of Australian aviation.

The Australian Flying Corps by Cameron Riley is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its detailed coverage on Australia's role in WW1 combat aviation. Note that the site (in late 2001), is undergoing a rebuild. Untill the changeover is complete, all data from the old site is still available here.

The Design Bureau by Derek Buckmaster is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its superbly researched, and free for download, scale model plans of Australian designed and built aircraft. The site also carries a number of comprehensive essays about the aircraft discussed.

NEW ZEALAND

Further Exploration : Pioneer Aviation Aeromodelling

Model Flying Machines

Paul Dunlop's "online resource guide, intended for those interested in both early aviation and aeromodeling. In compiling the listings for the site, an emphasis has been placed on plans and kitsets that are currently available for the enthusiast to go out and buy."

UNITED STATES

Aerofiles : American Aviation from 1903-2003
http://aerofiles.com/

Aerofiles : American Aviation from 1903-2003 by K O Eckland and others, is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its prime role as an unmatched encyclopedic but eminently accessable datamine of information on US aircraft.

The Aerodrome by webmaster@theaerodrome.com is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its extensive and detailed coverage of both Allied and Axis aircraft of WW1, the pilots who flew them, and the medals they won. Much more.

To Fly is Everything by Gary Bradshaw is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its Digital Library, a one-stop-shop for pre-20th century aviation documentation. The site also carries a selection of biographies, historical movies and other aviation related essays.

Hannan's Runway by Bill and Joan Hannan is, in the author's opinion, most notable for it's wide array of purchaseable historical aviation related print and video resources. This is only topped by their warm, friendly and totally efficient business practices.

The K-8 Aeronautics Internet Textbook by buzz@cislunar.com is, in the author's opinion, most notable for bringing aviation and aeronautics to the multilingual K-12 classroom. No other site matches this one.

Kite Aerial Photography by Charles C. Benton is, in the author's opinion, most notable for it's thorough exploration of the facinating art of KAP (aerial photography from kites). The techniques, technology are all presented in a very readable format by a true expert and afficianado

Indoor Model Aircraft by Glenn Davison is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its overall comprehensive look at the world of model aviation.

Twin Pushers and Free Flight Oddities by David Dodge is, in the author's opinion, most notable for it wealth of historical and indeed eclectic model and other aviation information. A totally enjoyable experience

Ro§bud's Aviation Image Archive by Rod Filan is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its unmatched online collection of "vintage photographs of flying machines flown during the first two decades of the 20th century."

UNITED KINGDOM

First Flight
http://firstflight.open.ac.uk/

First Flight by Dr Peter Whalley and others, is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its excellent 3D simulations including 'The Wright Flyer' by Frederick Hooven. The site also features a number of aviation biographies and other essays on such matters as the history of airfoil design.

FRANCE

Aerostories
http://aerostories.free.fr/

Aerostories by Philippe Ballarini, Jean-Christophe, Michel Léveillard and others, is, in the author's opinion, most notable for it's bilingual approach (English and French) to a wide array of essays covering all fields of aviation endeavor. The site is operated via free subscription.

ITALY

Kites
http://www.geocities.com/

Kites by Andrea Casalboni and others, is, in the author's opinion, most notable for its highly detailed construction articles on historical kite replicas. The site (in Italian and some english) also features a wealth of other contemporary kiting information and discourse.

Women in Aviation : General Reading

In Print This section to be developed during late 2002 - Ed.

Curtis, Lettice, The Forgotten Pilots, ISBN: 0-85429-1237

du Cros, Rosemary, ATA Girl, ISBN: 0-946569-002

King, Alison, Golden Wings, ISBN: 0-85617-448-3

Walker, Diana Barnato, Spreading My Wings, ISBN: 1 85260 473 5

Online

The Women Who Dared the Skies
http://www.esparacing.com | Cache

During World War I, some flight schools discovered something that has been noted by air force training programs throughout the century: women make exceptional flight instructors, particularly for male pilots. (The theory is that the cockier male pilots are less stubborn and confrontational with a woman instructor, and are more receptive to criticism and instruction from her than from a man.) ...more

Women in Aviation
http://ninety-nines.org/wia.html | Cache

by Kelli Gant

Today, women pilots fly for the airlines, fly in the military and in space, fly air races, command helicopter mercy flights, haul freight, stock high mountain lakes with fish, seed clouds, patrol pipelines, teach students to fly, maintain jet engines, and transport corporate officers. Women have made a significant contribution to aviation since the Wright Brothers' first 12-second flight in 1903. ...more

Women in Flight : Balloons, Parachutes, Airplanes, a Search for Equity
http://www.uh.edu | Cache

Jean-Pierre Blanchard, balloonist experimenter and barnstormer and first to both cross the English Channel and fly in America finally suffered a fall and died in Paris. His wife, Sophie Blanchard, who had taken up flying in 1805, continued the family business and was the first woman recorded to have flown on her own. ...more

Sixty and Counting - 60th Anniversary Commemorative Collection 1929-1989
http://www.fpcg.net | Cache

November 2, 1929 : Twenty-six women gathered at Curtiss Airport, Valley Stream, New York. First order of business was selection of Neva Paris as temporary chairman. Business was conducted in a hangar above the din of a Curtiss Challenger engine running up as the work of the mechanics proceeded around them. Club eligibility and purpose were quickly decided upon. Membership would be open to any woman with a pilot's license, and the purpose was "good fellowship, jobs, and a central office and files on women in aviation." ...more

Aerobatics
http://www.hickoksports.com | Cache

Like gymnastics, figure skating, and similar sports, aerobatics began with people simply having fun and occasionally staging exhibitions before it became a competitive sport. The name comes from "aerial acrobatics", but the sport was originally called stunt flying. In a sense, it originated during World War I, when pilots often showed off their skill by performing tricks--sometimes for the entertainment, or bemusement, of enemy flyers near the front lines. ...more

Women in Aviation : Women in Military Service

Women pilots in operational combat An emotive issue
http://www.mil.za/Magazines | Cache

by Col Des Barker, Officer Commanding TFDC

The utilisation of women in operational combat flying is an emotive issue. This new age approach of exposing women to the dangers of combat action has two opinion groups - one that demands complete compliance between male and female standards, and the other, the total avoidance of women in combat missions. [...] Certain women world-wide are claiming that it is not only their right, but also their duty to conduct combat missions on an equal basis with their male counterparts. ...more

Women in Combat : The World War Two Experience
http://members.aol.com | Cache

Women are the invisible combatants of World War II. They served on both sides, and on every front. German women soldiers helped inflict casualties on American and British forces. Likewise, Soviet and British women fought bravely. American women were not sent into combat. The question is why not--and what does that tell us about gender roles in America? ...more

Women In Combat After 9-11
http://www.newtotalitarians.com | Cache

by Gerald L. Atkinson

Women have been serving in America's combat arms since President Clinton lifted their exclusion from such roles in 1993. He accomplished this fait accompli on the back of the Tailhook '91 scandal in spite of the fact that a Presidential Commission under President Bush in 1991 recommended that females continue to be excluded from combat roles, including assignment to combat ships. At the present time women are flying combat aircraft in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. ...more

Women Warriors : How the Press Has Helped - and Hurt - in the Battle for Equality
http://www.cjr.org | Cache

by Christopher Hanson

The legendary Ernie Pyle wouldn't recognize a lot of things about the contemporary U.S. military, but the biggest shock might well be broads suited up for battle, as he probably would have put it back in World War II. In the decade between the gulf war and the current campaign against terrorism, women in the U.S. military have commanded warships and air squadrons, piloted fighters and bombers. ...more

Military Women Pilots
http://userpages.aug.com | Cache

History tells us that the first licensed woman pilot in the United States was Harriet Quimby in 1911. History forgets to tell us that Katherine Wright, sister of the Wright brothers, had as much to do with the first flight at Kittyhawk as did her brothers. Women flew airplanes before they could vote - but not in the U.S. military! ...more

'Get Out of My Way'
http://www.msnbc.com | Cache

by Susan H. Greenberg

Stationed aboard the USS Carl Vinson, Lt. Ashley likes to "walk early." In the lingo of Navy aviators, "walking" means suiting up for battle. "I wake up, I breathe, I hit the head, then I walk," she says. Every day she flies, she visualizes the battlefield. "What you see on television is what I see for real." Once her F-14 Tomcat takes off, concentration edges out fear. On her first combat mission this month, she flew over northern Afghanistan at 15,000 feet, looking for her assigned targets: two anti-aircraft batteries. ...more

Equality in the Cockpit : A Brief History of Women in Aviation
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil | Cache

by Lt Col Nancy B. Samuelson

ARE women who fly aircraft in the 1980s still considered curiosities? Recent conversations and correspondence with Air Force female pilots and navigators indicate that many individuals in both the military and civilian segments of society still consider them so. The reentry of women into military flight training programs in the 1970s provoked an excessive amount of publication, especially when one realizes how few women actually entered these programs and how limited their duties were to be. ...more

A History of Women in Combat
| Cache [in .pdf (Acrobat) format]

by James Crissinger