Sonic Wind: The Story of John Paul Stapp and How a Renegade Doctor Became the Fastest Man on Earth

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Craig Ryan

Sonic Wind

The Story of John Paul Stapp and How a Renegade Doctor Became the Fastest Man on Earth

Craig Ryan

$45.95

Hardback

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English

Liveright Publishing Corporation
18 September 2015

Sixty years ago, cars and aeroplanes were deathtraps waiting to happen. Today, both are safer than they were, thanks in part to a pioneering US Air Force doctor's research on seatbelts and ejection seats. The exploits of John Paul Stapp (1910-1999) come to life in this biography of a man who was once blasted across the desert in his Sonic Wind rocket sledge, only to be slammed to a stop in barely a second. The experiment put him on the cover of Time magazine and allowed his swashbuckling team to gather the data needed to revolutionise car and aeroplane design. From the high-altitude balloon tests that ensued to the battles for car safety legislation, Craig Ryan's book is as much a history of the transition into the Jet Age as it is a biography of the man who got us there more safely.

By: Craig Ryan
Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 1
Dimensions: Height: 244mm, Width: 165mm, Spine: 36mm
Weight: 620g
ISBN: 9780871406774
ISBN 10: 0871406772
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 18 September 2015
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Craig Ryan is the author of acclaimed books on extreme adventure and scientific discovery in the stratosphere as well as the coproducer of the documentary film The Angry Sky. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews for Sonic Wind: The Story of John Paul Stapp and How a Renegade Doctor Became the Fastest Man on Earth

[The] remarkable, almost-forgotten story of an aerospace pioneer. ...Ryan's full-length biography uncovers the private man, Stapp's offbeat sense of humor, his awkward love life, his passion for classical music, and his friendships with daring test pilots Chuck Yeager and Joe Kittinger, fellow trailblazers whose fame has persisted. A consistently fine appreciation of the medical maverick who, as much as any other, helped make the Space Age possible. -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review