The Blue Box

An abridgment of Wicked Problems


The story of Ed Link—the unsung engineer who opened the skies for aspiring pilots—and an ode to the art of ingenuity.

After the Wright brothers helped America “find her wings,” the early days of aviation were fraught with disaster. That is, until 1929, when Ed Link invented the flight simulator, which allowed pilots to train on the ground. Dubbed the “blue box,” the Link Trainer forged more than half a million Allied Force pilots and revolutionized aviation. Link’s later work—from the Apollo missions to deep–sea submersibles—reengineered twentieth–century America. Rich with lessons for today’s creators, The Blue Box reinvigorates the legacy of a man who transformed our access to the skies, stars, and sea.