"Chronicles the involvement of government in the evolution of air transportation, including passing mention of early governmental involvement in prior modes of transport, such as the maritime and railroad industries, which formed the foundation of aviation."--Publisher Web site.

Beginnings -- The Industrial Revolution -- The railroads -- The Industrial Age and the rise of unionism -- The beginnings of flight -- Prelude to powered flight -- The Wright Brothers -- Glenn Curtiss -- World War I -- Airmail story -- Horsepower -- The privatization of airmail -- The founding of the airlines -- New deal : the Roosevelt administration -- State of the airlines before the Civil Aeronautics Act -- The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 (McCarran-Lea Act) -- World War II -- A new beginning -- On the way to the jet age -- The Federal Aviation Act -- The next jets -- The Department of Transportation -- Airports -- Prelude to deregulation -- The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 -- The age of Lorenzo -- Carl Icahn and TWA -- Pan American and deregulation -- Airline labor relations -- The progression of deregulation -- Deregulation and the significance of competition -- Antitrust enforcement after deregulation -- Airports and deregulation -- Airports and the environment -- Deregulation in the Nineties -- Airlines at the beginning of the 21st century -- Treaties and international civil aviation organizations -- Europe after World War II : the rise of the European Economic Community -- American deregulation and the European Union -- Global deregulation takes off -- Global aircraft manufacturing -- Beyond Earth.