Hobbs analyzes the original Wright Kitty Hawk Flyer engine from the point of view of an aeronautical engineer whose long experience in the development of aircraft.

Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- The beginnings -- The engine of the first flight, 1903 -- The engines with which they mastered the art of flying -- The four-cylinder vertical demonstration engine and the first production engine -- The eight-cylinder racing engine -- The six-cylinder vertical engine -- Minor design details and performance of the Wright engines --Appendix --Bibliography -- Index.