Sailing through the air is a reprint of the first aviation book published in Czech language in 1888.
Mankind's ancient dream of flying in the air received a significant new impetus with the development of the sciences during the Renaissance and then with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. The breakthrough came in 1783 with the invention of the balloon as the first means to detach from the Earth and view it from above. However, it soon became clear that the balloon was not suitable for transport, i.e. for movement from the take-off point to a predetermined destination.
And so the 19th century is full of attempts to solve the balloon's steerability, but also to find other ways to "master the air", in the form of building a heavier-than-air aircraft. These attempts, however, could not be successful for a long time, because of the lack of a suitable propulsion system, both powerful and light. For almost all of the 19th century, only a steam engine weighing hundreds of kilograms per unit of power was available, and this was not suitable for powering aircraft, whether lighter or heavier than air. Air Navigation from 1888 is the first aeronautical book published in the Czech language. A reprint of this book, full of period engravings, gives a wonderful insight into the knowledge of the time.
