The Speed of Air: The Story of Willard Custer and His Channel Wing Aircraft

When a severe thunderstorm pounces on 26-year-old auto mechanic Willard Custer, corners him in a barn, and then pops the barn's roof in a shocking display of atmospheric power, Willard's life is permanently altered. The banjo-picking son of a West Virginia blacksmith with an unfinished high school education, Willard conceives of a device that will employ the "speed of air" to shorten an aircraft's takeoff and landing (STOL) and, he believes, revolutionize the aircraft industry.

This book tells the story of how Custer, charging into a world for which he has no preparation, secures the necessary patents and funding to build four unique aircraft. Then he publicly demonstrates their astonishing STOL and slow-flight capabilities, gaining converts among engineers, pilots, and business leaders. Over four decades, he guides two companies and spawns four others. He engages scientists, manufacturers and pilots in seven American states and Canada. He fights the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission in court. And he relentlessly solicits the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense, while overcoming corporate double-crossing in Detroit and New York.

Described as one of aviation's great what-if stories and a contribution to American folklore, the story of the "father of powered lift" and his Channel Wing Aircraft will inspire readers to trust themselves, to act on their dreams, and to define success in their own terms.

Also, in this special edition, aeronautical scientist Robert Englar in his Foreword names Willard Custer the "father of powered lift" by virtue of the precedence and simplicity of his design. Then in his Afterword, Englar describes modern NASA research that enhances the Channel Wing with current technologies and points the way to its ultimate integration into the aviation industry.