In 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered flight in human history. It lasted 12 seconds and marked the beginning of a story filled with new records and daring adventures, featuring bold pioneers and pilots, as well as technical triumphs and tragedies. Alexis von Croy traces the journey from the invention of the airplane through Charles Lindbergh's spectacular transatlantic flight, the rise and fall of the supersonic Concorde, to the aviators of today. Through numerous individual portraits, he brings the fascination of flying to life.