Aviation Book Reviews
"Dawn Over Kitty Hawk," the novel of the Wright Brothers! By, Walter J. Boyne
Book Review by Carl Chance, WingsOverKansas.Com
The Wright Brothers have always been accepted as the "fathers of powered flight" in the U.S. but until I read "Dawn Over Kitty Hawk," I hadn't really thought about their struggles, failures and successes. Walter J. Boyne has changed all that with his absolutely brilliant work in writing this well researched and creatively authored tribute to the undaunting spirit of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Walter has brought into focus, what has been missing in the complete telling of their magnificent story. Sure it's a historically significant account but more than that, it's a voyeuristic peek at their real life challenges with family and foe alike. And isn't it interesting with the existing cast of characters, how well Walter blends fact and fiction to make it revealing and yet at the same time, captivating.
It's rich in detailed accounts but easily understandable to the layman of how the Wright brothers solved the aeronautical engineering problems with the current knowledge of flight theory in their time period at the turn of the century.
The author, Walter Boyne stated, "I try to tell in the plainest possible terms the successive steps the Wright brothers went through to achieve flight in four years, then go on to tell the story of their careers up to the time of the successful sale of the Wright Military Flyer in 1909."
It's quite obvious that Walter's heart and soul went into this book and in so doing did a superlative job in "bringing to life" the events of the Wright brothers' acclaimed success.
Walter best summed it up when he said, "I wanted to humanize the Wright's, something I felt really needed to be done. The book really gives a feel for just how diverse aviation was, how swiftly it advanced, and how much promise it holds for the future."
Check out Walter's web site at www.flyingwithwalterboyne.com.
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