Midwestern aviators changed the trajectory of flight itself--from barnstormers and military pilots to hot air balloonists and NASA engineers.

?Central Illinois in particular dispatched the kind of daring flyers that launched national headlines and international exploits, from the celebrated "flying circuses" of the 1920's to the downed pilots of WWII and their risk-laden counterparts in Vietnam War choppers. Edith Brady-Lunny, Denis Hambucken and John Warner offer a ground-level view of aviation history in the nation's heartland, including personal stories of the flyers and the global legacy of the Flying Farmers organization.