Wings of Their Dreams

The books tells the history of flight from the Wright Brothers through today using the stories of Purdue graduates.

These include Cliff Turpin, who helped the Wright Brothers redesign their engine and controls in 1908-1909 and then become part of the Wright Exhibition Team demonstrating flight to the nation. It includes the stories of many Indiana natives such as Ralph Johnson, among the nation’s earliest aeronautical engineers and a pilot for United Airlines in the days when the job responsibilities including serving dinner to the passengers; Frederick Martin, who commanded the first flight around the world in 1924; Malcolm Ross who commanded balloon flights up to the stratosphere before the Mercury space program; and much more.

Also part of the book are the stories of 22 astronauts who have graduated from Purdue, including the first and last men on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan.

The book tells of Indiana's amazing role in the history of flight and describes the feeling of sitting on the wing of a Wright Flyer and launching in a space shuttle. It also tells how Purdue became an international leader in flight and space.

Available from Purdue Press and Amazon.