Forces of Flight is a modern, comprehensive textbook designed to meet the needs of today’s aviation students and educators.

It blends historical narrative with technological advancement, policy development, and social context to provide a holistic understanding of how aviation became the global system we know today.

Written with clarity, depth, and contemporary relevance, Forces of Flight emphasizes the connections between past innovations and the challenges and opportunities facing the aviation industry today.

This book is for:

  • Undergraduate aviation students

  • Pilots and aviation professionals

  • Aerospace and engineering learners

  • Educators seeking an updated, interdisciplinary text

  • Lifelong learners with an interest in flight

Key themes:

  • Origins of flight

  • Technological evolution

  • Global air transport systems

  • Policy, regulation, and economics

  • Labor and workforce development

  • Societal impacts

  • Environmental sustainability

  • Future trends

  • Unmanned systems

  • Spaceflight

Table of Contents

  • 1. Flight in Myth and Imagination
    2. Scientific Innovation
    3. Early Aircraft: Balloons to Powered Flight

  • 4. World Wars and the Acceleration of Aircraft Technology
    5. Advancements in Navigation
    6. Air Mail and the Birth of Commercial Aviation
    7. The Jet Age and Global Connectivity

  • 8. Regulation and Deregulation
    9. Hubs, Spokes, and Fortresses
    10. Airline Cost Categories
    11. Labor and Unions

  • 12. Globalization and International Air Governance
    13. Public-Private Transport Arrangements
    14. Open Skies and the Freedoms of Flight
    15. Aviation Legislation

  • 16. Passenger Rights as Consumer Rights
    17. Women and Diversity in Aviation
    18. Safety and Passenger Rights
    19. Flight and Environmental Sustainability

  • 20. Consumer Travel
    21. UAVs Everywhere
    22. Space Flight is Here

  • 23. Where’s My Airplane Lyft?
    24. Supersonic, Again?
    25. The Future of Flight

View Sample Chapter

Companion Materials

The textbook is supported by an extensive digital library including:

  • Short, digestible micro-lectures covering every major topic in the course, including:

    • myth & imagination

    • early aircraft

    • wartime innovation

    • navigation and weather

    • commercial aviation & airmail

    • regulation and deregulation

    • safety, labor, and law

    • globalization

    • society & equity

    • environmental and sustainability issues

    • UAVs & spaceflight

    • future of aviation

    Videos are streamed through secure, non-downloadable embeds.

  • Lecture slides summarizing key concepts, diagrams, and timelines.
    Students may review them online or download for personal study.

  • Interactive and printable versions of:

    • major aviation milestones

    • global air transport development

    • the Jet Age

    • regulatory evolution

    • technological breakthroughs

    • and more

  • Short summaries and study guides aligned with each textbook chapter

  • Printable versions of:

    • reflection prompts

    • primary source analysis sheets

    • case studies

    • interactive exercises

    • aviation history research project guides

COMING SOON

Forces of Flight

Secondary Education Adaptation for middle school and high school students

This edition is designed for classroom adoption, extracurricular instruction, and home school use.

Robust instructor guidance including supporting materials, student courseware, and online support will allow for simple adoption and effective use.