The flight of birds has always challenged and dazzled the human mind, but man had to learn to fly the hard way. He had to construct for himself a science of aerodynamics instead of wings, as he once naively dreamed of doing. This book is an account of the development of that science since the time of Newton, but most particularly during the past fifty years of exciting discovery. Although many people are familiar with the spectacular improvements in airplanes that have taken place since the days of the Wright brothers, not so many persons are familiar with the behind-the-scenes struggles of engineers and physicists with problems of lift, drag, stability, aeroelasticity, and that collection of phenomena known as the sound barrier. Yet only our increasing understanding of the motion of the air and the forces that it exerts on objects moving in it has made possible the visible improvements in airplane design, performance, and safety. --book jacket.