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-   -   What's your favorite aviation book? (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=11441)

flybill7 10-05-2006 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonbakerok
With all due respect to the Wright Brothers achievement of simply demonstrating that flight was possible, the planes we fly actually owe a heck of a lot more to Glen Curtis than the Wright Brothers. He invented everything from the aileron to the seaplane (and even the motorcyle twist grip) -- all on an elementary school education.

The Wright Brothers did a lot more than simply demonstrate flight was possible. Systematically, using the scientific method, they literally invented the airplane. They divided the problem into different components, addressing each and then solving it in turn.
1) They determined the previous work done on calculating lift was junk, so they built a wind tunnel and developed accurate lift tables for different airfoils. They "knew" how much lift they could expect from the airfoil they used.
2) They developed 3-axis control, critical to true flight.
3) They understood that they could use gravity to "power" their early designs; i.e., the gliders. They were experienced pilots, learning on fly using the gliders before they ever started with the power.
4) There was almost no worthwhile information available on propellers, so they figured it out themselves, and built a very efficient propeller from theory, not trail and error.
5) Kitty Hawk was just proof of concept. The only reason the underpowered Wright Flier got airborne on December 17th was because of the strong winds and cold temperature. They spent 1904 and 1905 perfecting the Flier. By the end of 1905 they could stay aloft for hours and maneuver at will.

Not until the Wright Brothers finally revealed the airplane to the public in 1908 did aviation take off. Aviation owes much to Glen Curtiss but as someone once said he "stood on the shoulders of giants".

Toddav8r 10-05-2006 11:32 AM

Jimmy Doolittle called him the "greatest stick and rudder pilot that ever lived".

Yeager called him "the greatest pilot he ever saw".

I'm absolutely amazed that this thread is 5 pages long and nobody has mentioned R.A. "Bob" Hoover's book, FOREVER FLYING. Wow what a good read.

Todd Farnsley
RV-8 (Wings)
Fort Wayne, IN

jonbakerok 10-05-2006 12:24 PM

We need a "Bookshelf"
 
Doug, I just had an idea.

How about if you captured all these great book titles and created a virtual bookshelf. You could put in links to the books for sale on-line and maybe even get Amazon or Barnes & Noble to kick in some ad bucks. People could vote for their favorites and you could rank them.

And how about a separate bookshelf for "how to" books.

Same idea for all the great airplane movies from that other thread a few months ago.

Ironflight 10-05-2006 03:39 PM

I like the "bookshelf" idea!
 
There is no way I could EVER pick a favorite book - I like way to many of them, and this list has brought back reminders of ones I had forgotten....Jon is right - someone should capture all of these titles!

Headed back to Houston tomorrow....

Paul

the_other_dougreeves 10-05-2006 08:50 PM

"Free Flight", Douglas Terman. "Flight of the Intruder" is a close second.

Bryan Wood 10-05-2006 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toddav8r
I'm absolutely amazed that this thread is 5 pages long and nobody has mentioned R.A. "Bob" Hoover's book, FOREVER FLYING. Wow what a good read.

Todd Farnsley
RV-8 (Wings)
Fort Wayne, IN

Totally agree. Great Read...

Two others that are hard to put down are the story of Max Conrad "Into the Wind" which chronicles his life and record breaking flights. For those who have not heard of him do a google search and you'll be amazed by his exploits. Most of his records were in Piper Comanches, but some in other Piper models. Example: Casablanca to Los Angeles, approx 60 hours in the air. There are many, many more. This book can be bought on line for around $2 now. Best two dollars you can spend to read about flying.

Another great one is the story of the atomic bomb missions written by Charles Sweeney who flew on both missions. I can't recall the name, but searching Sweeney's name should produce the title. There were approx. 6 months of extreme training for this mission and the stories are facinating.
I loaned mine out so many times it fell apart, litterally.

Best,

Scott_F 10-06-2006 05:45 AM

I'll throw in another vote for "Fate is the Hunter" and also give mention to one I haven't seen in this thread yet - "North to the Orient" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She was a master of descriptive writing and offers a slightly different perspective than the pilot authors. Also, if you'd like to sample some of the authors mentioned but don't know where to start, check out "Wild Blue - Stories of Survival from Air and Space" edited by David Fisher and William Garvey (Thunder's Mouth Press/Balliett & Fitzgerald Inc.). It's a collection of exerpts from many of the books mentioned in this thread.

Jim P 10-06-2006 12:10 PM

I'm Stunned
 
I haven't seen Fredrick Forsythe's "The Shepherd" on this list. It's a short read and is definately worth the couple hours. It may have the best twist in any aviation story.

Jim

n5lp 10-06-2006 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_F
..."North to the Orient" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She was a master of descriptive writing and offers a slightly different perspective than the pilot authors...

Let's make it clear that although Anne may have not been PIC on this flight, she was, most assuredly, a pilot, as well as a wonderful writer. I believe she held the first glider license of any female in the US.

Barry 10-06-2006 01:49 PM

2 Books worth a read
 
Two books well worth a read although not mentioned in the previous posts as they are perhaps not well known in the US are the following:

The first one is by the French WW2 ace Pierre Clostermann. The English translation is "The Big Show" or if you can read French it is "Le Grand Cirque". This book is often considered the best one to come out of WW2. It covers Mr Clostermann's exploits in the RAF as he became one of the highest scoring allied aces during the war.

Another interesting book is "A Test Pilot's Story" by Jeffrey Quill. Mr. Quill was the chief test pilot for Supermarine during the second world war. Apart from the initial Spitfire test flying by Mutt Summers he test flew every version of the Spitfire and Seafire. He gives an interesting insight into how the various models flew. It is also interesting to learn that the Spitfires as they came off the production line often had a heavy wing problem, like some RVs, and they had to "tune" the ailerons during the initial flights.

Barry RV6A F-PRVM

Jekyll 10-06-2006 02:08 PM

God is My Copilot
The First and the Last

Jekyll

n5lp 10-06-2006 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n5lp
Let's make it clear that although Anne may have not been PIC on this flight, she was, most assuredly, a pilot, as well as a wonderful writer. I believe she held the first glider license of any female in the US.

Speaking of which. I just this minute got an e-mail regarding a brand new book about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Although I have not yet read the book, I know the author (a pilot) and discussed the upcoming book with her last winter. She is passionate about the subject and about making it more known what Anne did in aviation.

http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Morrow-Li...e=UTF8&s=books

mikehoover 10-06-2006 05:10 PM

A Good Mystery
 
My favorite so far is "Vans RV Construction Manual." It's a mystery! I've read it a few times - still don't know the outcome!

Sorry, just had to! :rolleyes:

fodrv7 11-22-2006 02:11 AM

The List
 
As my MT Prop is away for repairs (?%#* stone damage) I have been at a loose end, so I have taken the time to compiled a list of all the books recommended on this post.
Added by me are:

"Dead Weight" by Brian Lecomber
"Turn Killer" by Brian Lecomber
"Talk Down" by Brian Lecomber
Lecomber books are impossible to put down and worth hunting for.

"The Fighter Pilots" by Edward Sims. Sims interviews the best Aces from both sides in WWII and writes about there most memorable mission. He also offers a balance analysis of the fighter on both sides.

"The Power to Fly" by L.J.K Stetright. An unbelievable text on the development of the Piston Aero Engine from the Wright Brothers to the end of the era. Full of technical info, charts, tables and pictures. I got mine for $100 after one years wait on Amazon. I see it is now available for $800.

Pete.
PS. Delta Romeo; Hope this doesn't take up to much of your HD.


?A Gift of Wings? by Richard Bach.
?A Hostage to Fortune? by Ernest K. Gann
?A Test Pilot's Story? by Jeffrey Quill
?A Town like Alice? by Nevil Shute
?Adak? - Andrew Jampoler
?Artful Flying? by Michael Maya Charles
?Autobiography of Eddie Rickenbacker?
?Bax Seat? - Gordon Baxter
?Biplane
?Carrying the Fire? by Mike Collins
?Chickenhawk? by Robert Mason
?Coffee, Tea, or Me??
?Dead Weight" by Brian Lecomber
?Failure is Not an Option? by Gene Kranz
?Fate is the Hunter?
?Flight of passage?
?Flight of the Intruder? by Stephen Coonts
?Flight of the old dog.?
?Fly Low, Fly Fast?: Inside the Reno Air Races by Robert Gandt
?Flying Carpet? - Greg Brown
?Flying the Old Planes?, by Frank Tallman,
?Flying Tiger? by Tex Hill
?FOREVER FLYING? R.A. ?Bob? Hoover's book
?Free Flight?, Douglas Terman
?God is my Copilot?
?I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.?
?Illusions by Richard Bach.?
?IN the Wet? by Nevil Shute
?Instrument Flight Training Manual? by Peter Dogan
?Kill Devil Hill? - Harry Combs
?Night Flight? by Antoine de St. Exupery
?No Parachute? by Arthur Gould Lee?
?North to the Orient? by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
?Nothing by Chance?
?On the Beach? by Nevil Shute
?Piece of Cake? - Derek Robinson
?Reach For The Sky? by Paul Brickhill
?Rolling Thunder,? by Mark Berent
?Round the Bend? by Nevil Shute
?Sailors to the End? by Gregory Freeman
?Skunkworks?
?Sled Driver?
?Slide Rule? by Nevil Shute
?Song of The Sky?, by Guy Murchie
?Space? by James Michener
?Spirit of St. Louis? ? Lindbergh
?Stick and Rudder? by Wolfgang Langewiesche
?Straight On Till Morning?by Mary S. Lovell
?Stranger to the Ground,? by Richard Bach
?Tale of a Tiger? by R. T. Smith
?Talk Down" by Brian Lecomber
?Termite Hill?- Wilson
?The Battle of Britain? by Richard Hough and Denis Richards
?The Big Show? (?Le Grand Cirque) by Pierre Closterman
?The Bridges at Toko-Ri ?by James Michener
?The Fighter Pilots" by Edward Sims
?The First and the Last?
?The Power to Fly" The development of the Piston Aero Engine by L.J.K Stetright
?The Right Stuff,? by Tom Wolfe
?The Shepherd?Fredrick Forsythe's
?The Wild Blue,? by Walter Boyne
?Thirty seconds over Tokyo?
?Thud Ridge,? by Jack Broughton
?Thunderbolt!?- Robert S. Johnston
?To Fly and Fight ? a biography of P-51 Ace Col. ?Bud? Anderson
?True North? - George Erikson
?Trustee from the Toolroom? by Nevil Shute
?Turn Killer" by Brian Lecomber
?Unlocking the Sky: Glen Curtis and the race to invent the airplane?
?Voyager? - Jeana Yeager
?Wager with the Wind?
?West With the Night?
?Where Know Birds Fly? by Phillip Wills
?Wild Blue - Stories of Survival from Air and Space?
?Wind, Sand and Stars? by Antoine de St. Exupery
?Yeager?
?You Want To Build And Fly What?? by Dick Starks
?Zero Three Bravo? - Mariana Gosnell

Dave_Boxall 11-22-2006 02:50 PM

Could I add "Propellorhead" - Antony Woodward and "The Pre-Astronauts - manned ballooning on the threshold of space" - Craig Ryan.

Entirely different from each other - but both page-turners.

Dave

rv6ejguy 11-22-2006 03:36 PM

Looking down the list here. Ouch! Thunderbolt by Bob Johnson. Makes out that the Germans were useless. Might make a good Hollywood movie if you liked the last Pearl Harbor one. If you want to read what it was really like- real fear, real horror, against a skilled enemy, written by a real writer, pick up "The Big Show" on this list by Pierre Clostermann. I've read almost every WW2 fighter pilot book ever published. This work stands out. Clostermann was an amazing, talented fellow who just recently passed away. This book was just re-published and updated a few years ago and remains one of the best selling books of its kind.

worf 11-22-2006 04:14 PM

Ok my list

1. Think Like a Bird by Alex Kimbell
This is written by a British Army aviator in the 1960s - one of the last to be trained to fly light fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft he describes are very humble compared to the ones described in most military aviation books - the Chipmunk, the Auster AOP 9 and the Beaver.

Being an air force brat, I always thought that light aircraft flying didnt really need the discipline and approach that flying "real" aircraft did. However this book showed me that it might actually require MORE discipline.

Alex Kimbell operated in Oman - and the use of the Beaver there is fantastic. He describes how his instructor Mr Summers, who was a WWII Mosquito and RAF jet pilot, tell hims that the essential qualities of the light aircraft had been the same for 40 years (this was the 1960s!) and that real skill was required to fly them.

2. The Dangerous Skies - A. E. Clouston
This is the story of RAF test pilot who took part in the long distance air races (UK- New Zealand, UK-South Africa) and flew the first homebuilt "The Flying Flea"

3. The Flight of the Mew Gull - by Alex Henshaw
Sigh for a Merlin - Alex Henshaw
Flying light airplanes in racing and the adventures of flying a Percival Vega Gull (a Cherokee size airplane) around Africa. The "Sigh for a Merlin" book was about production testing Spitfires during WWII.

4. They Gave Me a Seafire - R Mike Crosley
Up in Harms Way- R Mike Crosley
Flying on carriers with the Royal Navy during WWII
"Up in Harms Way" was about testing the first jets off carriers

5. Pilot - by Tony Le Vier
Lockheed test pilots story

6. America from the Air: An Aviator's Story by Wolfgang Langewiesche
Flying a J-3 Cub around America after learning to fly in the big radial engine biplanes

7. Flight of Passage: A Memoir by Rinker Buck
Two teenage boys fly a Piper PA-12 coast-to-coast

AlexPeterson 11-22-2006 08:08 PM

Very difficult, so many great ones. Here are a couple not yet mentioned:

Fly for Your Life, by Larry Forrester, originally published 1956 in Great Britain. It is a simply unbelievable true story about RAF pilot Stanford Tuck.

First Man, by James Hansen, biography of Neil Armstrong. Very well researched, authorized biography of someone who really just wants to be remembered as an engineer.

Gabby, a Fighter Pilot's Life, by Francis Gabreski. Gabreski's story is one of the best WWII fighter pilot's story that I've read, perhaps second only to the first book listed above. I believe he had about 35 kills between WWII and Korea.

Mirage, by James Follet. This is not a flying book per se, but details the true story of how a young Israeli ex-fighter pilot conspired to steal a quarter million drawings of the French Mirage fighter. His motivation was the fact that the French had filched out on a deal to sell the badly needed fighters to Israel. Five years later, the Israeli Aircraft Industries produced their first copy of the Mirage, the Kfir. Fascinating story.

Bob Axsom 11-24-2006 02:42 AM

First Light
 
I just finished reading the Fall 2006 issue of Sportsman Pilot wherein Jack Cox gives a very favorable review of the book "First Light" by Geoffrey Wellum. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. 2002).

I'm still waiting for "Around the Bend" from Amazon.

Bob Axsom

fodrv7 11-24-2006 03:11 AM

Added to List
 
Thanks Bob,
I have added it to the list which I shall update from time to time.

I bought ?Carrying the Fire? by Mike Collins from Amazon on someone's recommendation.
I read a book a week (Lately, mostly about American politics and Foreign Policy) and I must say ?Carrying the Fire? is one of the most moving books I have read in years.

Pete.

tangocharlie 11-25-2006 06:29 AM

Too many to pick just one favorite... But here are a couple of recents...


Fiction- Piece of Cake- Derek Robinson

Nonfiction- Chickenhawk- Robert Mason

tc <><

Bob Axsom 11-28-2006 06:37 PM

Poberezney the Story Begins, Aiming High, Fool's Errand
 
I read these books at least a couple of years ago and have them on my bookshelf.

Pobererezney the Story Begins. This is a very special book, especially for EAA members, because it gives a look into aviation during its formative years, the aviation and life experiences that shaped the man and woman who went on to develop the EAA and the emergence the organization through years of "always forward - never doubt the need" work. These people, Paul and Audrey Poberezney, are what make the book so special. This is not just a little pump-up propaganda book about an organization.

Aiming High by Jon Johanson, about him and his RV-4. A very inspiring personal book about a very unique man and his homebuilt plane. This book is so good you would think it a novel if you didn't know it is true. Young people (and not so young people) with inferiority complexes should read this to show them that their situation is not unique and seemingly insurmountable obsticles can be overcome from within. For the over the hill gang like me, well, it is just an amazing true story.

Fool's Errand by Marc Norman, a novel that I read more than 20 years ago and involving Ford Tri-motors with flight operation sequences that I still remember. Inside the cover I wrote "Great Story".

Bob Axsom

fodrv7 11-28-2006 06:44 PM

Update
 
Here's an the update of recent additions to the original list I posted.
A complete list, as a WORD document, is available from rvseven@bigpond.net.au
Pete.

?Aiming High? by Jon Johanson
?America from the Air: An Aviator's Story? by Wolfgang Langewiesche
?First Light? by Geoffrey Wellum. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. 2002).
?First Man, by James Hansen, biography of Neil Armstrong.
?Flight of Passage?: A Memoir by Rinker Buck
?Fly for Your Life,? by Larry Forrester
?Fool's Errand? by Marc Norman
?Gabby, a Fighter Pilot's Life,? by Francis Gabreski.
?Mirage, by James Follet.
?Pilot - by Tony? Le Vier
?Pobererezney the Story Begins? by Paul Pobererezney.
?Propellorhead? - Antony Woodward
?Sigh for a Merlin? - Alex Henshaw
?The Dangerous Skies? - A. E. Clouston
?The Flight of the Mew Gull? - by Alex Henshaw
?The Pre-Astronauts - manned ballooning on the threshold of space? - Craig Ryan
?They Gave Me a Seafire? - R Mike Crosley
?Think Like a Bird? by Alex Kimbell
?Up in Harms Way?- R Mike Crosley

N55CU 11-28-2006 07:02 PM

Whats your favorite book?
 
Biplane / Richard Bach / forgot what he traded for a Fleet Biplane but he picked up the Fleet in Lumberton, N.C. and proceeded to fly it back home (west coast) via Myrtle Beach, S.C. Lots of repairs and off airport landings (fields) / it was a good read 30 years ago / wish I could find it again!
Randy Utsey
N55CU reserved
RV-7 Charlotte, N.C.
Finish kit

Bob Axsom 11-28-2006 07:37 PM

1946 Fairchild 24
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by N55CU
Biplane / Richard Bach / forgot what he traded for a Fleet Biplane but he picked up the Fleet in Lumberton, N.C. and proceeded to fly it back home (west coast) via Myrtle Beach, S.C. Lots of repairs and off airport landings (fields) / it was a good read 30 years ago / wish I could find it again!
Randy Utsey
N55CU reserved
RV-7 Charlotte, N.C.
Finish kit

The plane he "traded in" was a 1946 Fairchild 24 according to the book. I bought a copy in Crown bookstore in 1990. I would be surprised if you can't get it through Amazon.com. I agree it is very good.

Bob Axsom

Todd 11-29-2006 04:30 PM

"Bored Nothing to Do"
Not one for adults really but if you have young kids with an interest in aviation they'll love it.

mlw450802 11-29-2006 04:52 PM

HERESY
 
While "Stick and Rudder" is supposed to be ooohed and aahed over by every pilot, I have to admit it didn't do much for me.

-mike

Ironflight 11-29-2006 05:58 PM

Since Peter Dredged This Back Up....
 
When this thread first appeared, I wasn't at home. Now that I am sitting here in my study, here are a couple I have that aren't on the list....

"The Sudden Sky" - B. Michelaard - two German brothers, both learn to fly in gliders after WW1, one becomes an aeronautical engineer as well as a pilot, the other joins the Luftwaffe...follows them all through their lives - outstanding story, and lots of good flying stuff!

Maybe these Lindbergh books have already been mentioned - "We" and "The Last Hero". Growing up in Minnesota as an aviation nut, there is no way that Lindbergh wouldn't be high on my "hero" list!

Now don't laugh....but there was a children's book that I remember called "Ann Can Fly". I remember looking at the pictures before I could read. Very well illustrated story about a girl being taken across the country by her father in his Cessna float plane - covers the flight planning, flying, etc.....Got a kid you want to hook at an early age? Find a copy!

Oh, and Pete, yes, I have a signed copy of Gene's book ("Failure is Not an Option"), and Chris's (Flight)..... Of course, we all had to pay for our copies - retired civil servant authors can't afford to give them away! ;)

Paul

lucky 11-29-2006 06:36 PM

Piece of Cake
 
Without a doubt, Piece of Cake. Get the BBC produced movie while you are at it. No better footage of Spits anywhere even though the book was based on a Hurricane squadron.

Lucky

JoeG 11-29-2006 08:30 PM

My favorite is...
 
Kelly...More than my share of it all.

The autobiography of Clarence L Johnson; the father of the skunkworks. Designed and built the F-80 in 143 days.

A great read.

fodrv7 11-29-2006 09:39 PM

Clarification
 
Joe, For 'The List', I assume it is;
"Kelly...More than my share of it all." by Clarence L Johnson.
Pete.

Phyrcooler 11-30-2006 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironflight
Now don't laugh....but there was a children's book that I remember called "Ann Can Fly". I remember looking at the pictures before I could read. Very well illustrated story about a girl being taken across the country by her father in his Cessna float plane - covers the flight planning, flying, etc.....Got a kid you want to hook at an early age? Find a copy!

Paul

Wow... that brought back memories from... oh... second grade! That was a favorite of early childhood. Funny how that book still sticks in my mind after all these years. A couple other favorites that I read as a kid were:

Reach for the Sky
Flying Fortress
And of course - "A Gift of Wings"

az_gila 11-30-2006 06:00 PM

Biggles books for kids
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironflight
Now don't laugh....but there was a children's book that I remember called "Ann Can Fly". I remember looking at the pictures before I could read. Very well illustrated story about a girl being taken across the country by her father in his Cessna float plane - covers the flight planning, flying, etc.....Got a kid you want to hook at an early age? Find a copy!

Paul

Also, a boys book (I know that's not very PC, but....) to get youngster hooked....

Any of the Biggles books by Capt. W E Johns.... and there are a lot of them... :)
Good adventure stories for pre-teenagers...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/...biggles++johns

gil in Tucson

Walked to the local library in Liverpool when I was a kid and read them all... ;)

Scott 12-03-2006 07:18 PM

I'm pleased to see that Derek Robinson has been mentioned, but only in regards to his "Piece of Cake".
I actually found his "A Good, Clean Fight", about the airwar in the desert of North Africa during WWII, at least as good. He has other titles too, about aviation in the First World War.
And most of the titles mentioned previously bring back terrific memories. I think Johnson's description of flogging his shot-up Thunderbolt back home( in the book with the same name), with every Luftwaffe plane along the way courteously taking turns shooting at him until they had expended all there rounds, until finally a bullet even carries away the movement from his wristwatch, leaving the strap intact, with so many holes in the wings that he can hear the screaming sound his plane is making and see the ground going by beneath, while feeling the armor-plated seatback jumping constantly as it did its job is one of the most enthralling stories I have ever read, and a great tribute to an unbelievably-sturdy bird.
IIRC, there were nineteen bullet holes in the prop blades alone. He couldn't bail out as the canopy rails had been smashed by a cannon shell that opened up the fuselage behind the cockpit like the foil top on a plate of microwave popcorn.
Two excellent books about flying Sabres in the RCAF were written by Chick Childerhose, but I can only recall the title of one at the moment: Splash One Tiger.
British publisher Ian Allen has a series called "From the Flightdeck" and I have three of them: an un-numbered one about flying the Harrier, number 2 about "flying" the Space Shuttle, and number 5 about the Concorde. One of the others is about the BaE 146, I believe.
David L. Bashow's book about his ( and his squadron mates') experiences flying the Starfighter in Europe is both fascinating and hilarious, with such antics as unintentionally lobbing a "shape" ( a concrete simulation of a nuclear weapon) right outside the boundaries of the range on the North Sea and scoring a direct hit on a Russian elint-gathering "trawler" and getting lost in the European haze and wandering around until sighting an airfield, only to recognize rows of Migs!
A book that I loaned out and was never returned is called "The Plan: Memories of the BCATP". Very interesting read about the sudden gearing up and flooding of Canada with airfields, buildings, staff and airplanes almost overnight, with plenty of reminiscenses (sp?) from flying instructors and cadets. An insight: before Pearl Harbor, the US could not be seen to be helping any nation at war, so there was a steady stream of new Texans flying from California up to the grass strip at Sweetgrass, Montana, which is located and oriented such that the centre of the runway was the border. The North American ferry pilot would egress, a team of horses would drag the new airplane to the north side of the runway, which just happened to be Cutbank, Alberta, and a uniformed RCAF pilot would strap in and fly it to one of dozens of training fields across the nation.
Murray Peden's "A Thousand Shall Fall". I can't say enough about this book; those that have read it will understand. Lancasters in WWII. "Boys, Bombs, and Brussel Sprouts" is close second.
Bert Stile's "An Ode to the Big Bird". B-17's in the Mighty Eighth, and the book just comes to the most-jarring stop, not even an end, as Bert was writing it as he flew missions, and he just didn't come back from one, and the book was published just like that.
No one has yet mentioned the novels by John J. Nance, although they are mostly airline-oriented, and have led me to have a too-short sleep more than once on a layover, as they're hard to put down. Much like Stephen Coonts and the Intruder, his description of flying the 767 or 747 can only come from one who has actually been there. The tale of a wounded 747 dragging its tail by the control cables down the runway somewhere in mid-Atlantic while being repeatedly targetted by an armed bizjet is compelling stuff. Or force-landing a 767 on a frozen lake in Northern Canada in the dark and during a snowstorm, fixing it, and actually taking off again: well, what more can I say.
A satirical series based on aviation in the First World War was informally referred to as The Bandy Papers, and the descriptive scenes of his encounter ( getting trapped, actually) in a long decommissioned bathtub and test-jumping different parachute designs while drunk ( his CO was actually hoping he would be killed) or force-landing his biplane on top of his commanding officer can only be topped by his description of the first time he laid eyes on the woman who would become his wife: she had the vacant smile of the truly stupid. All I can remember is that each of the titles had the word "Me" in it somewhere, and two of them were, "That's Me in the Middle" and,"It's Me Again".
"Gunship" by Zwebel is another one that I cherished but a "friend" chose not to return. Terrific real-life experiences flying Herk gunships along the HoChiMinh trail every night.
"Down to a Sunless Sea", about the ultimate horror: a total nuclear exchange, and what happens to the aircraft over the Atlantic in the dark when it occurs. The ending is as heart-wrenching as "On the Beach".
Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" was not mentioned, I believe.
Guy Murchie's "The World Aloft" has already been mentioned, but I confess that, although I have had it for many years and read it several times, he leaves me in the dust towards the end, talking about spirituality, existentalism, other-worldly stuff. I don't even know what it's called, being just a dumb airplane builder...
Scott in Vancouver

Bob Axsom 12-03-2006 07:35 PM

WOW!
 
Scott, I mentioned the "Spirit of St. Louis" in the first post but I have never read a post with more sincere sharing thought brhind it. I am going to print your post and hit amazon.com again. This thread has made one thing very clear to me - we like our flying books - deeply.

Bob Axsom

fodrv7 12-03-2006 08:27 PM

Time
 
Scott,
I have added most to the list and sent you a private email for clarifcation of others.

Where do you find time to build an RV with all this reading.
Pete.

rv7boy 12-04-2006 09:48 AM

Thanks
 
Thanks to you guys for posting your favorite books.

This thread has given me a good "choose from" list to give to my family for my Christmas list. (They're afraid they'll buy the wrong tool or RV accessory, and that usually becomes a gift certificate, so the book list should be better.)

I haven't read this book yet, but here's another worthy of consideration. Barry Schiff in his latest article in AOPA Pilot says the short book, The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth is a good addition to an aviation library. Even though I am going to put it on my list, I would still like to hear any comments from anyone familiar with The Shepherd.

Quoting Barry Schiff from his article "...My favorite Christmas tale was penned by best-selling author Frederick Forsyth (The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, and The Dogs of War). He wrote an aviation story, The Shepherd, as a Christmas present for his wife, Carole.

The short page-turner involves a Royal Air Force pilot flying a de Havilland Vampire from Germany to his home in England at night on Christmas Eve, 1957. While over the North Sea, the pilot experiences a total electrical failure. Fog has formed along the entire route and bailing out into the frozen sea would be as certain a death as going down with the airplane into fog over land. The pilot is concerned that this Christmas Eve is going to be his last.

What happens next is what makes the tale so hauntingly powerful. This is my holiday gift to you. Locate a copy of this small book ? it is a fast read ? and I know that you will find the remarkable ending both beautiful and unforgettable."

Sounds like a good read to me.
Thanks again,

Don

Update: GULP!!! AMAZON's price for it used is $99.99!!! Looks like I won't get that book for Christmas!

philcam 12-04-2006 10:25 AM

The Shepard
 
Don,

Try Amazon UK. Much cheaper, I guess there are lots of used copies floating around the UK?

Phil

captainron 03-31-2007 10:32 AM

"Fix on the Rising Sun"
 
"Fix on the Rising Sun", by Charles N. Hill, is a favorite of mine due to the fact that I know the author personally, and found that we had much to talk about concerning Amelia Earhart, a subject of great interest to both of us.
The book is a great, but technical read about events leading up to WW2.
Charlie has taken a lot of flak for his writings and has a web site:
www.hawaiiclipper.com/

The book is available in paper cover at Amazon and others for about $12.00-$16.00

Google the title for more info about the author and book.

Scott P 03-31-2007 04:44 PM

I liked "The Compleat Taildragger Pilot" by H.S. Plourde. I read it before getting my TW endorsement and it was a great help.

A fun read is "Wager with the Wind" by James Greiner. It's a biography of Don Sheldon, an Alaskan bush pilot. Some of the stories will stand your hair on end.

I'm currently reading "Better Aerobatics" by Alan Cassidy. It was recommended by my aerobatics instructor. It gives nice details on what's going on aerodynamically in different maneuvers, which fits well with my engineering personality.


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