Selecting from a collection of almost 400 different memorials, the author has put together the story of the progress of aviation: from the adventurous and hazardous beginnings of the pioneers and the gruelling "firsts" of trans-continental flights, to the courage and sacrifice of the war years and, in more recent times, to the exploration of space. As with any project of this nature, the end is never in sight. New memorials are constantly appearing, while older ones disappear during development, are "re-positioned", or are renovated by a new generation after years of neglect. This work attempts to tell the story of flight and the human endeavour that it enshrines through the seemingly impregnable blocks of stone which others have been generous enough to erect to the memory of those brave young men and women who have made aviation history. Their landmarks remain as memorials to man's conquest of the air.