The Boy Aviators in Record Flight; Or, The Rival Aeroplane

In 1910, the sky belongs to the brave. When Billy Barnes, a sharp young reporter for the New York Planet, learns that a rival newspaper has put up fifty thousand dollars for the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast, he knows exactly who he wants behind the controls: the Chester brothers, Frank and Harry, airdrome regulars with steady hands and steadier nerves. There's just one problem the boys are hesitant to commit. What follows is a breathless race across an untamed continent, where weather and mechanical failure prove as dangerous as the competition itself, and where the boys must outthink, outfly, and outlast rivals determined to see them fail. Goldfrap writes with the kinetic energy of early aviation itself, capturing a moment when flight was still miraculous, still reckless, still something that could kill you. The cross-country route becomes a proving ground not just for aircraft, but for courage, friendship, and the stubborn refusal to quit. For readers who love adventure stories rooted in history, who want to feel what it was like to take to the skies when doing so was an act of genuine daring.