Attempts at electric powered flight date to well before the 19th century. Battery weight and low energy output made it impractical until the 1990s, when the advent of lightweight materials, more efficient solar power, improved engines and the Li-Po (lithium polymer) battery opened the skies to a wide variety of electric aircraft.

The author describes the diverse designs of modern electric flying machines--from tiny insect-styled drones to stratospheric airships--and explores developing trends, including flying cars and passenger airliners.

“Desmond has written what is certainly one of the most comprehensive histories of electric aviation and drones to date. ...[He] takes readers through an engaging time line of the development, use, and technological changes affecting electric airplanes and drones throughout the world. ...a highly readable scholarly history...highly recommended”—Choice

Kevin Desmond, a technology historian and biographer, lives near Bordeaux in southern France. Since 1976, he has published 33 books and 300-plus articles on the men and women innovators, often forgotten, behind the progress of transport and related subjects.