The 20th century was the century of the airplane. How could one make something which is heavier than air fly ? The struggle to find the answer was moved forvvard thanks to the calculations of scientiste, the ingenuity of inventors and the tare of benefactors. On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, a beach in North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright's aircraft flew for 59 seconds, traveling 852 feet. The Wright brothers became worldwide celebrities. The time for competition had begun, thanks notably to a group of bold, visionary industrialists, led by Lazare Weiller. On January 13, 1908, Henry Farman, flying on a Voisin airplane, made the first closed circuit flight of one kilometer (3,281 feet) while on July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel. During the WWI, the airplane proved useful in areas of reconnaissance, bombing and fighting ; and then came the time of worldwide expansion and the onset of commercial aviation. The French, the Americans, the Italians and the British competed strongly with each other while important aviation companies were being established (for instance, Air France in 1933). With his usual skill, Jacques Mousseau tells the story of this epic adventure.