Description
With a reputation as the hot-air balloon capital of the world and the home of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta(R), the skies of the southwestern desert city of Albuquerque frequently showcase the magic and adventure of ballooning. This legacy links back to the 1880s and a man by the name of Park Van Tassel. Through his pioneering flight, Van Tassel not only opened the skies to future generations across New Mexico, but he also opened minds to the possibility of manned flight throughout the American West.
A charismatic, P. T. Barnum-like showman, Van Tassel rose from obscurity to introduce the new science of ballooning and parachuting throughout the West. Van Tassel toured extensively--from California to Utah, Colorado, and Louisiana and later embarking on an international journey that took him to Hawaii, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Africa, and beyond. Sky Rider weaves together the many threads of Van Tassel's extraordinary life journey, situating him at last in his rightful place among the prominent aerial exhibitionists of his time.
Author: Gary B. Fogel
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Published: 09/15/2021
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 7.70w x 0.70d
ISBN13: 9780826362827
ISBN10: 0826362826
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Aviation & Nautical
- History | United States | State & Local | Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
- Transportation | Aviation | History