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The Story of John Paul Stapp and How a Renegade Doctor Became the Fastest Man on Earth
by Craig Ryan
Sixty years ago, cars and airplanes were still deathtraps waiting to happen. Today, both are safer than ever, thanks in part to one pioneering air force doctor's research on seatbelts and ejection seats. The exploits of John Paul Stapp (1910–1999) come to thrilling life in this biography of a Renaissance man who was once blasted - faster than a .45 caliber bullet - across the desert in his Sonic Wind rocket sled, 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 revolutionize automobile and aircraft design. But Stapp didn't stop there. From the legendary high-altitude balloon tests that ensued to the ferocious battles for car safety legislation, Craig Ryan's book is as much a history of America's transition into the Jet Age as it is a biography of the man who got us there safely.
"Starred Review. A fine, groundbreaking biography of one of aeromedical sciences' more legendary figures." - Library Journal
"Starred Review. "A consistently fine appreciation of the medical maverick who, as much as any other, helped make the Space Age possible." - Kirkus
"Ryan delivers fine explanations of technical details, byzantine military politics, and Stapp's bumpy personal life, and though he fails to explain Stapp's suicidal bravery (superiors wisely forbade planned faster runs), readers will share his admiration for Stapp's achievements." - Publishers Weekly
This information about Sonic Wind was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.
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