The Flying Mathematicians of World War I
An inspirational account of a crucial period in the advancement of powered flight.
Description
Keith Lucas was killed instantly when his BE2 biplane collided with that of a colleague over Salisbury Plain on 5 October 1916. As a captain in the Royal Flying Corps, Lucas would have known that his death was a very real risk of the work he was doing in support of Britain's war effort. But Lucas wasn't a career pilot - he was a scientist. The Flying Mathematicians of World War I details the advances and sacrifices of a select group of pioneers who left the safety of their laboratories to drive aeronautics forward at a critical moment in history. These mathematicians and scientists, including Lucas, took up the challenge to advance British aviation during the war and soon realized that they would need to learn how to fly themselves if they were to complete their mission. Set in the context of a new field of engineering, driven apace by conflict, the book follows Lucas and his colleagues as they endured freezing cockpits and engaged in aerial versions of Russian roulette in order to expand our understanding of aeronautics. Tony Royle deftly navigates this fascinating history of technical achievement, imagination, and ingenuity punctuated by bravery, persistence, and tragedy. As a result, The Flying Mathematicians of World War I makes accessible the mathematics and the personal stories that forever changed the course of aviation.
Reviews
"A richly textured narrative of the heady early days of powered light integrated with his own personal insights. Royle’s blend of personal aviation experience and technical training as an historian of mathematics make him a skilled an enthusiastic guide.” London Mathematical Society newsletter
"The bravery of these scientists who took to the air to help the war effort is quite remarkable. Untrained as pilots, some paid the ultimate price as they raced against the clock. Royle's viewpoint as a modern airline captain gives a unique insight to the challenges they faced and the game-changing advances they made." Jonathan Agnew, BBC cricket commentator and amateur aviator
- Jonathan Agnew
"This is the story of a British group of mathematicians, engineers, and scientists, who, during the Great War, learned to fly in order to better understand and evaluate the aircraft they were working on or had designed. Author Royle is both a pilot and a mathematician. Fortunately, the reader doesn't need to be either to enjoy what is an intelligent and entertaining read that covers previously untrodden ground." Aeroplane
"The First World War was crucial to the development of UK aeronautics. Who better to tell the story than an ex-Royal Air Force pilot who is a trained mathematician, a dedicated historian and a lively writer: Tony Royle. His compelling book is inspired by academics who became pilots, such as physicist Frederick Lindemann -- later scientific adviser to Winston Churchill -- who experimented with putting an aircraft into a deliberate spin, calculating the effects and then stabilizing it. Lindemann's courage launched a standard spin-recovery procedure." Nature
“[Royle] has written a compelling narrative of the way the talents of mathematicians and flying crew were combined in the face of a world war conflict. They were motivated by a strong sense of duty and they made a signal contribution to the national needs of the time. They really were heroes and this book has rightly brought their story to prominence as part of the history of mathematics.” The Mathematical Gazette
"This book challenges our image of the swaggering warrior-turned-test-pilot who possessed the "right stuff" at the dawn of the supersonic era. Instead we meet an earlier and entirely different breed – the mathematicians, engineers, and scientists of Great Britain during World War I, many of whom learned to fly (some losing their lives) so they could better understand and test the aircraft they were responsible for designing. Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully analysed, written by an experienced pilot, this book is accessible to anyone interested in aviation history." Alan D. Meyer, Auburn University and author of Weekend Pilots: Technology, Masculinity, and Private Aviation in Postwar America
"I cannot think of a better guide to this remarkable story than a former pilot. In uncovering the aeronautical exploits of these men and women, Royle has produced a work in which the human dimension is very much to the fore. Of a high scholarly standard, engagingly written, and abundantly illustrated, this book is a significant addition to the literature on the early history of flight." June Barrow-Green, Open University
"The Flying Mathematicians of World War I is an entertaining and inspiring read that communicates the power of mathematics, along with the romance and personal adventure of flying. The teaching of both engineering and history needs narratives like this one to give students a sense of the value of individual intellectual curiosity and direct experience." Sean F. Johnston, University of Glasgow and author of Techno-Fixers: Origins and Implications of Technological Faith