{"product_id":"art-smith-pioneer-aviator-9780786416462","title":"Art Smith: Pioneer Aviator","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Rachel Sherwood Roberts\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: McFarland \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: McFarland \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: United States - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e By 1915, pioneer aviator Art Smith was as celebrated as any movie star might be today. He thrilled audiences with his barnstorming feats, doing \"death spirals,\" sky writing, \"loop-the-loops,\" and night flights using phosphorus fireworks. He was a consummate showman and had he not died in 1926, his name probably would be familiar to most Americans. He glamorized and popularized aviation while testing the boundaries of aeronautical principles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e As a boy he longed to fly before he had ever seen an airplane. His parents believed in him, and he was fortunate to have a best friend named Al Wertman who helped him build an airplane. His fame spread around the globe and in 1916, the Japanese offered him $10,000 for a series of exhibitions. His flying skills inspired a young Wiley Post to a life of aviation. After Smith's death, when Lindbergh flew over Fort Wayne and dipped his wings, he gave credit to the \"Bird Boy\" Art Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The story of this rising star in American aviation is one of adventure, romance, scandal and history. Using Smith's own autobiographical writings, the story is also a factual account of events in early aviation. The book includes photographs and postcards in Art Smith's own handwriting mailed to Al Wertman.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47781044256919,"sku":"9780786416462","price":2837.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780786416462.webp?v=1778050133","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/art-smith-pioneer-aviator-9780786416462","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}