What's your favorite aviation book?

All the books.

To save looking through the whole post here is a list of most of the books.
Apologies DR if this is a bit long.

Pete.

100 Missions North Ken Ball
A Gift of Wings Richard Bach.
A Good Clean Fight Derek Robinson
A Hostage to Fortune Ernest K. Gann
A Test Pilot's Story Jeffrey Quill
A Thousand Shall Fall Murray Peden
A Town like Alice Nevil Shute
Adak Andrew Jampoler
Aiming High Jon Johanson
Alone Over the Tasman Sea Francis Chichester
Always Another Dawn Jr. A. Scott Crossfield with Clay Blair
America from the Air: An Aviator's Story Wolfgang Langewiesche
An Ode to the Big Bird Bert Stile
Apollo- Race to the moon Murray and Cox
Artful Flying Michael Maya Charles
Autobiography of Eddie Rickenbacker unknown author
Back to the Barrens Erickson's
Bax Seat - Gordon Baxter
Because I fly Helmuth H. Reda
Better Aerobatics Alan Cassidy
Biplane Richard Bach
Bird of the islands;: The story of a flying boat in the South Seas P. G. Taylor
Black Watch Earnest K. Gann
Boys, Bombs, and Brussel Sprouts Murray Peden
Broken Wings, The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Air Armada Bob Kelly. (RV Driver)
Building Aeroplanes for 'Those Magnificent Men Air Commodore Allen Wheeler
Bury Us Upside Down Rick Newman & Don Sheppard
Call to the winds P. G. Taylor
Carrying the Fire Mike Collins
Chickenhawk Robert Mason
Cloud Dance?s Alaskan Chronicles Unknown
Coffee, Tea, or Me? unknown author
Dead Weight Brian Lecomber
Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Space Flight David A Mindle
Down to a Sunless Sea David Graham
Failure is Not an Option Gene Kranz
Fate is the Hunter Ernest K. Gann
Fire and Air Patty Wagstaff
First Light Geoffrey Wellum. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. 2002).
First Man, James Hansen, biography of Neil Armstrong.
Fix the Rising Sun Charles N. Hill
Flight of Passage: A Memoir Rinker Buck
Flight of the Intruder Stephen Coonts
Flight of the old dog. unknown author
Fly for Your Life, Larry Forrester
Fly Low Fly Fast Inside the Reno Air Race Robert Gandt
Flyboys. Bradley
Flying Carpet Greg Brown
Flying North in California Tom Parker
Flying the Old Planes, Frank Tallman,
Flying Tiger Tex Hill
Fool's Errand Marc Norman
FOREVER FLYING R.A. Bob Hoover.
Forgotton island P. G. Taylor
Fortress Without a Roof Morrison
Free Flight. Douglas Terman
Frigate Bird P. G. Taylor
From the Flightdeck Series Ian Allen
Gabby, a Fighter Pilot's Life, Francis Gabreski.
God is my Copilot unknown author
Gunship: Spec Death Zybel
Hostile Skies David Morgan
How Apollo Flew to the moon. W. David Woods
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again. unknown author
Illusions Richard Bach.
IN the Wet Nevil Shute
Instrument Flight Training Manual Peter Dogan
Into the Mouth of the Cat Malcom McConnell
It Is This Way With Men Who Fly Frank K. Thomas
It's Me Again Donald Jack
Kelly...More than my share of it all. Clarence L Johnson.
Kill Devil Hill Harry Combs
Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight Samuel Pierpont Langley and Charles M. Manly
Last Man on the Moon Eugene Cernan
Lindbergh A. Scott Berg
Listen, the Wind Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Lost Moon Jim Lovell
Medusa?s Child John J. Nance
Mirage, James Follet.
Mountain Flying Sparkey Imeson
My Secret War Richard S. Drury
Night Flight Antoine de St. Exupery
No Parachute Arthur Gould Lee
No Visible Horizon Josh Ramo
North Star Over My Shoulder Robert Buck
North to the Orient Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Nothing Chance
On the Beach Nevil Shute
Once a Fighter Pilot Jerry W. Cook
Our Flight to Adventure Tay and Lowell Thomas, Jr
Pacific flight;: The story of the Lady Southern Cross P. G. Taylor
Palace Cobra Ed Rasimus
Pandora?s Clock John J. Nance
Piece of Cake Derek Robinson
Pilot Tony Le Vier
Pobererezney the Story Begins Paul Pobererezney.
Propellorhead Antony Woodward
Reach For The Sky Paul Brickhill
Rocket Men. Craig Nelson
Rolling Thunder, Mark Berent
Round the Bend Nevil Shute
Sagittarius Rising Cecil Lewis
Sailors to the End Gregory Freeman
Sigh for a Merlin Alex Henshaw
Skunk Works Ben R. Rich
Skunkworks unknown author
Sled Driver unknown author
Slide Rule Nevil Shute
Song of The Sky, Guy Murchie
Sopwith Scout 7309 P. G. Taylor
Space James Michener
Spirit of St. Louis Lindbergh
Splash One Tiger. Chick Childerhose
Starfighter David L. Bashhow
Stick and Rudder Wolfgang Langewiesche
Straight On Till Morning Mary S. Lovell
Stranger to the Ground, Richard Bach
Stuka Pilot Unknown author
Tale of a Tiger R. T. Smith
Talk Down Brian Lecomber
Termite Hill Wilson
That's Me in the Middle Donald Jack
That's My Story Douglas Corrigan
The Battle of Britain Richard Hough and Denis Richards
The Big Show (Le Grand Cirque) Pierre Closterman
The Bridges at Toko-Ri James Michener
The Complete Taildragger H. S. Plourde
The Dangerous Skies A. E. Clouston
The Disciple Steven Coonts
The Few Alec Kershaw
The Fighter Pilots Edward Sims
The First and the Last Galland
The Flight of the Mew Gull Alex Henshaw
The Flying Carpet Richard Halliburton
The Flying Tiger?s Diary Charlie Bond
The Fullness of Wings Gary Dorsey
The High Road to China Jon Cleary
The Intruder Stephen Coonts
The Plan: Memories of the BCATP James N. Williams
The Power to Fly The development of the Piston Aero Engine L.J.K Stetright
The Pre-Astronauts - manned ballooning on the threshold of space Craig Ryan
The Ravens Christopher Robbins
The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe
The Shepherd Fredrick Forsythe's
The Sky Beyond P. G. Taylor
The Sky Beyond P. G. Taylor
The Steep Ascent Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Sudden Sky B. Michelaard
The Untouchbles Brian Shul
The Wild Blue, Walter Boyne
The World Aloft Guy Murchie
They Gave Me a Seafire R Mike Crosley
Think Like a Bird Alex Kimbell
Thirty seconds over Tokyo unknown author
Thud Ridge, Jack Broughton
Thunderbolt! Robert S. Johnston
To Fly and Fight a biography of P-51 Col. Bud Anderson.
True North George Erickson
Trustee from the Toolroom Nevil Shute
Turn Killer Brian Lecomber
Unlocking the Sky Glen Curtis and the race to invent the airplane
Up in Harms Way R Mike Crosley
VH-UXX;: The story of an aeroplane, P. G. Taylor
Voyager Jeana Yeager
Vulcan 607 Rowland White
Wager with the Wind James Greiner
We Seven Mercury Astronauts
Weather Flying Robert Buck
West With the Night Beryl Markham
When Thunder Rolled Ed Rasimus
Where No Birds Fly Phillip Wills
Wild Blue - Stories of Survival from Air and Space unknown author
Wind, Sand and Stars Antoine de St. Exupery
Yeager Yeager
You Want To Build And Fly What? Dick Starks
Zero Three Bravo Mariana Gosnell
Flames In The Sky Pierre Closterman
Flames In The Sky Pierre Closterman
Air Vagabonds Anthony Vallone

Gracious!

Peter,
Thanks for doing this!

Pete I have a request

Pete I have a request, please edit your message above to include "Fighter Pilot" Robin Olds with Christina Olds and Ed Rasimus. It is a new book (2010) and 108 pages into 386 I am finding it a great read. I think your list is very important. I have already used it to pay obscenely high prices for some of the long out of print rare ones and Fighter Pilot should not be missed while it is fresh and currently available at new book prices.

Bob Axsom

Author unknown

The book "I Could Never Be So Lucky Again" was written by none other than Jimmy Doolittle. I'm looking for a copy.

Bill Near

Just finished "Return Of The Enola Gay" by Paul Tibbets. A great read about the life of the man tasked with delivering the first atomic bomb in war. Non-apologetic to the very end.

Light reading

Here's a good read - totally aviation. Be forewarned that you will laugh out loud at "Moondog's Academy of the Air and Other Disasters" by Pete Fusco. Pete is a good friend and always has a story. You will enjoy his sense of humor and writing.

Bob,
'tis done.
That makes two with almost the same title. I recommended THE Fighter Pilots, by Edward Sims. A comparison of the USAF, RAF and Luftwaffe in WWII, with chapters by the top aces describing a particular battle. I give it 9 out of 10.

Further to my list.
1. Anyone one who wants it as a MS Word doco, sorted by both Title and Author should email me; [email protected]
2. I have started adding a column listing the forum member who recommended each book, so you may find books recommended by those with similar tastes. Give me a while to collate it all.

Pete.

Bob Axsom said:

Pete I have a request, please edit your message above to include "Fighter Pilot" Robin Olds with Christina Olds and Ed Rasimus.

Bob Axsom

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Just Finished reading Fighter Pilot - Robin Olds

I read this book right after completing Pierre Clostermann's "The Big Show" where he brings up his strong dislike for the 8th Air Force, their poor performing airplanes, and their loud Johnny-Come-Lately glory hogging pilots. I don't believe he ever said he met Robin Olds but if he did I'm sure he didn't like him. I enjoyed reading both books but having been an enlisted man in the Air Force for 4 years I am amazed at the crude behavior of the officers described in the Robin Olds book. At the same time I admired his focus and dedication. A very informative book and I liked it. Just starting Vulcan 607.

Bob Axsom

Great list

Peter thanks for the list of books. I would like a copy of it.
I might say, Sir Fransis Chitchester has several books. One was abour him flying from Aukland to London. 'Flight of the Gipsy Moth' mabe ?? I read it about 40 years ago so my memory might be off a little.
Thanks for sharing
[email protected]

Favorite Aviation Book

Most of my favorites have already been listed, but here are a few more.

Heaven's Breath: A Natural History of the Wind by Lyall Watson

de-fin-ing the wind: The Beaufort Scale and How a 19th Century Admiral turned Science into Poetry by Scott Huler

Wind by Jan DeBlieu

Windswept: The Story of Wind and Weather by Marq De Villiers

The Invention of Clouds by Richard Hamblyn

Vulcan 607

Bob,
Thanks for putting me on to "Vulcan 607".
What an extraordinary book.
What an extraordinary feat.

Our British cousins at there best.

Pete.

Jaypratt said:

Peter thanks for the list of books. I would like a copy of it.
I might say, Sir Fransis Chitchester has several books. One was abour him flying from Aukland to London. 'Flight of the Gipsy Moth' mabe ?? I read it about 40 years ago so my memory might be off a little.
Thanks for sharing
[email protected]

Click to expand...

As I do not check VAF every day, requests for the Aviation Book List should be sent to;
[email protected]

Pete.

I think that would...

Jaypratt said:

Peter thanks for the list of books. I would like a copy of it.
I might say, Sir Fransis Chitchester has several books. One was abour him flying from Aukland to London. 'Flight of the Gipsy Moth' mabe ?? I read it about 40 years ago so my memory might be off a little.
Thanks for sharing
[email protected]

Click to expand...

...be this book...

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Sydney-Sir-Francis-Chichester/dp/0851772544

But this similar titled one is a sailing book, his yacht was called the "Gipsy Moth" - not the de Havilland plane of the same name...

http://www.amazon.com/Gipsy-Circles-World-Francis-Chichester/dp/0071414282

But it's a sailing book, his yacht was called the "Gipsy Moth" - not the de Havilland plane of the same name...

Gabby a Fighter Pilot's Life

I am well started into this book. It is a large format book - like a coffee table book and not too thick. The quality of paper etc. appears to these untrained eyes at top grade glossy. When I first opened it I felt a little like it was going to be a familiar style biography of a WWII pilot. I knew of Francis Gabreski from reviewing Ace statistics in my high school days but no personal details. I am finding this book very engrossing and very good. Even though I remember the attack on Pearl Harbor many personal details and facts about the airplane performance that as a young school boy I thought were great are revealed in summary very candidly and personally as if the man was a friend and he was simply talking to you about them. Gabby was Polish and he spoke the language which allowed him to get to the war in Europe and a temporary assignment into a Polish fighter squadron to learn their tactics and relay them to the US Army to improve performance by the US fighters organizations.

This is a whole different style that any fighter biography I have read before and it is very good so far.

The book is expensive - I paid $30 to Amazon for it.

Bob Axsom

Fate is the Hunter,

Chuck Yeager Auto

Bob Hover Auto

Fate is a hunter.
Night flight, and generally Saint-Exupery's books
as I'm Polish- 303 Squadron by A.Fiedler, about Hurricane & Spitfire fighters during The Battle of Britain.

Finished Gabby... on to Thunderbolt

"Gabby a Fighter Pilot's Life" was very good. In the book I sensed a difference in my reference point as I read through the years.

The early part (the largest part) of the book covers operations in Europe where he became the top US ace before a low pass prop strike caused his plane to be disabled and ultimately resulted in ... Then he went to Korea and was stationed at K-14 and K-13. In the late 60's he completed his career in the Air Defense Command on Long Island.

During the WWII part my reference point was that of a school boy and a reader of books and watcher of movies. During the Korean Part my reference point was was that of a young (19) USAF Airman radio mechanic stationed at K-2 but had been to K-9, K-8, K-14, K-16 and K-55 in 1956 after the shooting war had ended. During the ADC part my point of reference was that of a young man on his first civilian job as an electrical inspector on the F-101B Voodoo production line at McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis.

As a non flying lover of airplanes your perception of them is shaped by others and it tends to be a little on the idealistic side. In this book Francis Gabreski gives his personal observations of how they flew and their limitations against the enemy, the weather and operational requirements. He achieved "Ace" status in P-47 Thunderbolts in Europe and again in F-86 Sabres in Korea but in addition he touched on the P-26, P-38, P-39, P-40, P-51/F-51, P-59, P-80, F-94, F-100, F102 and the F-101B Voodoo. On page 156 there is a photo of three F-101B Voodoos (the 2-place interceptor model) flying down the East River in New York. You can imagine my reaction when he said on page 157:


In the book he mentioned Robert Johnson's book Thunderbolt, which has been recommended several times in this thread so I have placed my order through abebooks for a copy.

Bob Axsom

Bob Axsom said:

In the book he mentioned Robert Johnson's book Thunderbolt, which has been recommended several times in this thread so I have placed my order through abebooks for a copy.

Bob Axsom

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Excellent book.
Well written. He takes you right into the cockpit of this huge fighter.
More like a single engined, single seat DC7.
Amazing the punishment it took and still flew.

Pete.

Bob Hoover Auto
Stick and Rudder
No Visible Horizon
A Hundred Feet Over H**l
Hammer from Above-Marine Air Combat Over Iraq

Forever Flying

I just read the Hoover book for the first time. There are some important lessons to be learned from this book. Hoover has allegedly crashed more airplanes than perhaps any other pilot. The Shrike accident, both engines out shortly after takeoff, is to me one of the most important lessons. The pitch control failure on takeoff in the F86 is another. The basic lessons are never give up and don't stop flying the airplane until its parked. Read the book.

Thunderbolt

I just finished Robert S. Johnson's Book "Thunderbolt." My age must be catching up with me - I'm glad I read it - I learned many things that I did not know before - I'm glad I'm done with it. Even though the book is written in first person it does not consistently give me the feeling that the words are coming from Mr. Johnson. There are times when co-author Martin Caidin comes across very strongly in artistic descriptions - kind of artificial actually.

Bob Axsom

Perceptive.

Bob,
You are obviously more perceptive the I. I do not remember picking that when reading it, though it is 3 years since I read it. Maybe it's my rough, indiscriminate Australian approach.

I do remember being severely impressed with the Thunderbolt, which I had previously written of as an obese tank.
As he points out, it could not stay with the Spit in a climb or an FW190 in a turn, but what an indestructible fighting machine.

Maybe time to hunt for another PG Taylor book.
All of these are poetry.

Bird of the islands: The story of a flying boat in the South Seas
Call to the winds
Forgotton island
Frigate Bird
Pacific flight: The story of the Lady Southern Cross
Sopwith Scout 7309
The Sky Beyond
VH-UXX: The story of an aeroplane

Pete.

I just got Stick and Rudder for Christmas. I must say that it's a great book. Easy to read and understand. I see why it's still popular almost seventy years after it was written.

I guess I'll have to get it

eric_marsh said:

I just got Stick and Rudder for Christmas. I must say that it's a great book. Easy to read and understand. I see why it's still popular almost seventy years after it was written.

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I've heard about the book for decades but I have never actually even seen a copy. I don't usually like "How To" books but this may be an exception. I got the novel "Piece of Cake", also recommended here, for Christmas. Have to read it first. I better order "Stick and Rudder" now or I will rationalize it is not for me again by the time I finish "Piece of Cake".

Bob Axsom

An Unexpected Treasure

"27 Years of the AVator" is great!

I'd held off buying it because I thought it would include all the first flight articles and the travel logs and things like that. I was wrong. It turns out that the book is simply building tips, how-to articles, discussions of options and some of the pitfalls that can grab you. It's well organized by topic

The only gripe I've got is that it covers 1980 through 2006, and some of the topics are slightly dated.

This is sort of a general book, and if I'd known of it a while ago I'd have gotten a copy for a Xenos-building friend.

If you have the Bingelis books, add this to the bookshelf. It's a good one.

Just finished Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane. A compelling account of his experience as a space shuttle astronaut. Very well written, many humorous stories and insider details. It makes being an astronaut sound even better than I thought it would be.

Started Reading Piece of Cake

The start is so bad I would never have read beyond the first ten pages if it were not for the recommendations here. As it is, it is tough reading about totally irresponsible people - hope it gets better.

Bob Axsom

Bob Axsom said:

The start is so bad I would never have read beyond the first ten pages if it were not for the recommendations here. As it is, it is tough reading about totally irresponsible people - hope it gets better.

Bob Axsom

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That book is awesome. Suck it up! Remember, it's a satire, fiction, loosely based on history....it had me in stitches and was much better than the awesome BBC mini-series based on the book.

Stick and Rudder

My favorite part: The appendix where he talks about how these new fangled tri-gear planes are the future/so much better than tail draggers.

(I love tailwheels also - but it was funny)

eric_marsh said:

I just got Stick and Rudder for Christmas. I must say that it's a great book. Easy to read and understand. I see why it's still popular almost seventy years after it was written.

Click to expand...

His son has written several books. "Aloft," just recently made available in the U.S. (???) is a great collection of several aviation articles that he wrote over the years for Atlantic, Outside and others. The ValueJet story is amazing as is the one with the details about the corporate jet/B737 collision over the Amazon.

I really appreciate folks contributing to this thread. I have purchased aviation books based on recommendations here, and I sometimes wonder if I will ever find time to read all of them.

I received a Kindle ebook reader (WiFi plus 3G...thank you, Dear! ) and am wondering if anyone has a listing of which books are available for download to the Kindle. For me it's been a manual process to search for each title in the Amazon Kindle store, but it would be so convenient if we had a listing of which ones are ebooks.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks and Happy New Year!

I think not

lucky said:

That book is awesome. Suck it up! Remember, it's a satire, fiction, loosely based on history....it had me in stitches and was much better than the awesome BBC mini-series based on the book.

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Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I will set it aside and cut my losses.

Bob Axsom

Great Thread!

This has been fun to read. I will have to agree that is difficult to pick one book.
From an engineering standpoint I enjoyed reading "Skunk Works" and "Voyager".
Autobiography: Hoover and Yeager were both great although I liked Hoover better just because he is such a fun guy to talk with.

I will also put a plug in for "Fate is the Hunter". I need to re-read this book.

If I was forced to pick a favorite, I would have to say it was the book my wife and I put together about building the RV-10

You are all making me wish I had more time to read.

Piece of Cake

Bob,

I hope you stuck with it. Not without controversy for it?s less than ?gung-ho? portrayal but I think I liked it even more for that. Goshawk Squadron, A Good Clean Fight and Hornet?s Sting are also good.

I recently finished ?Air Vagabonds? by Anthony Vallone and thoroughly enjoyed it. The true story a light aircraft ferry pilot in the 1970?s and 80?s. Makes you really appreciate your GPS.

For those that like ?Vulcan 607? by Rowland White, his latest, ?Phoenix Squadron?, is another Boy?s Own gripping read.

UNBROKEN

This book is fantastic!! Read it while on vacation this past week. Written by Laura Hillenbrand it is an amazing story about human survival. While the book is not specifically about flying, I couldn't put it down! Must read

339A said:

This book is fantastic!! Read it while on vacation this past week. Written by Laura Hillenbrand it is an amazing story about human survival. While the book is not specifically about flying, I couldn't put it down! Must read

Click to expand...

Scott is correct...very good book. Same gal that wrote "Seabiscuit". They are some great descriptions of the awful flying characteristics of the B-24, one of the war's first bombers. A four engine bomber, it was not known to stay in the air long on 3 engines. You won't be sorry you read it.

Unbroken huh?

I gave up on "Piece of Cake". I bought "Stick and Rudder" and just started it but it is giving me pain to read already. I will stick with it for a while but it starts out as interesting as a book on how to hammer nails. I read "Seabiscuit" when the book first came out and it was outstanding. I'll have to keep "Unbroken" in mind but I can't hold back a little doubt on the ability of the lady to describe flight characteristics of a B-24 accurately after all these years.

Bob Axsom

Calculated Risk

I just finished "Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle-Aviation Pioneer and World War II Hero" by Jonna Doolittle Hoppes a granddaughter of Doolittle.

I thought the insights into a few of the personal family situations that Doolittle faced in his life could only be told by a member of his family. I'm not sure they've ever been revealed in any other account of his life. This is an excellent account of Gen. Doolittle's life as well as his accomplishments. He didn't always make decisions based on popularity, but he always had his reasons for his decisions. And those who served under his military command had the highest respect for him.

Available as an ebook.

Shameless Plug

Maybe not the best, but I'm hoping it's a good one...

My book has been out for a couple of months now. It's all about my experiences flying the Predator over Iraq and Afghanistan:

http://www.amazon.com/Predator-Remote-Control-Afghanistan-Pilots-Story/dp/0760338965

And I'm planning on going to Oshkosh again this year. So find me and the Lemon Squeeze in the RV area and I'll be happy to sign a copy.

-Matt
N402BD

Bob Axsom said:

I gave up on "Piece of Cake". I bought "Stick and Rudder" and just started it but it is giving me pain to read already. I will stick with it for a while but it starts out as interesting as a book on how to hammer nails. I read "Seabiscuit" when the book first came out and it was outstanding. I'll have to keep "Unbroken" in mind but I can't hold back a little doubt on the ability of the lady to describe flight characteristics of a B-24 accurately after all these years.

Bob Axsom

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Bob,

It is very slow at times, they spend a lot of the book floating around in the pacific in a raft. If you like books that zip along, this is not it. As for her description of the B-24, she was quoting several pilots, many of them still alive. In fact, her attention to detail is almost unbearable...even the last 20 pages of the book list the source of every comment. Good luck with your search.

Stick & Rudder

Bob Axsom said:

I gave up on "Piece of Cake". I bought "Stick and Rudder" and just started it but it is giving me pain to read already. I will stick with it for a while but it starts out as interesting as a book on how to hammer nails. I read "Seabiscuit" when the book first came out and it was outstanding. I'll have to keep "Unbroken" in mind but I can't hold back a little doubt on the ability of the lady to describe flight characteristics of a B-24 accurately after all these years.

Bob Axsom

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I have tried twice to get through Stick and Rudder never made it.... you're right Bob. I know it's a aviation classic, but it's laborious to read.

I never read Seabiscuit, not a horse fan. She does a great job of telling Louis Zamperini's story. She spent seven years on research/writing the book. His ordeal has been written about before. BTW he is still alive and busy at 93 living in Hollywood. Looks like a movie deal is underway for this one also...

Regards,

I thought Stick and Rudder was Good

339A said:

I have tried twice to get through Stick and Rudder never made it.... you're right Bob. I know it's a aviation classic, but it's laborious to read.

I never read Seabiscuit, not a horse fan. She does a great job of telling Louis Zamperini's story. She spent seven years on research/writing the book. His ordeal has been written about before. BTW he is still alive and busy at 93 living in Hollywood. Looks like a movie deal is underway for this one also...

Regards,

Click to expand...

I read Stick and Rudder years ago and found it a good read. My views may change if I pick it up again.

Last week my wife picked up a copy of Unbroken and its in the it's in the reading queue. Current book is Capt Jepp and the little black book. So far Capt Jepp is good reading but I am able to put it down.

Happy Flying

Empire of the Clouds

I've just finished "Empire of the Clouds ? When Britain?s Aircraft Ruled the World" by James Hamilton-Paterson and what a fantastic read. It will appeal more to the Brits and Canadians amongst us as it's the tale of the glory days of British aircraft design and how it was ground to pieces by successive governments and general incompetence. I mention Canadians as one of the key test pilots, Bill Waterton, was Canadian.

I really enjoyed Hamilton-Paterson's style and could completely empathise with his feelings as he describes watching a pair of Jaguars flying through a valley, below the level of his car. This is someone who not only understands what it's like to be fascinated with aircraft but can write about it.

For those who fondly remember the Hunter, Javelin, Vulcan and TSR2 this is a must.

Another vote for Bury Us Upside Down

So many great books, so little time. For the Walter Mitty types, which I am one of, this is a must read.
I have read a lot of fighter pilot works and this one rises to the top for me. Not dogfighting, but these guys definitely 'flew airplanes'.
My 2 cents.
Brent

Bob Axsom said:

I ordered this book from Amazon after reading Doug Reeves editorial recently. The writing style is very authentic which is unusual to me and and the photographs are personal with a very "unstaged" look about them. Some of the language is very raw but for an adult that has served in the military overseas it is something you will probably acknowledge as familiar. So far it is an interesting read about a special unit in a tough time. Having met Dick Rutan and getting an air to ground pirep from him when trying to get out of Jackson Hole an number of years ago my interest was aroused when Doug said he was part of the unit covered by the book. The man gets more fascinating even as the years would normaly dull the Voyager memory. I have a two autographed airplane photos on my wall. One is of the Voyager and written on it is "Bob - Get up to 14,000 thru the hole - It doesn't look to bad west Happy Flying Dick Rutan". That was his pirep to me in 1993.

Bob Axsom

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Cloud Dancer's Alaskan Chronicles

I am reading Volume III "The Tragedies" - man this is special! Written in first person by this pilot from the depths of his private soul. This is not a flowery "avaition" book written by some self proclaimed expert at arms length from the truth.

Bob Axsom

My list :

- Le Grand Cirque (The big show) from Pierre Clostermann. WW2 french Ace Pilot. It's like my bible for me ! I have this book in 4 different edition and even one autographied by Clostermann !!

- Chasseur de nuit, les combattant aveugle (Don't know the exact name in english, but the translation are : Night fighter, blind combatant). It's the history of the first night fighter equiped of radar (WW2). The story are tell by a radar operator. His pilot was John Cunningham, who become the De Haviland chief test pilot.

- Feux du ciel (Flames in the sky) from Pierre Clostermann. It's 9 aviation story of the WW2.

?CW2? by Layne Heath ISBN 0-380-71000-5 Helicopters in Viet Nam.

And, if we get the books on tape, we can continue to build (or fly) and still be well read !

Louise Hose said:

....or anyone whose passion in aviation focusses on small, uncontrolled GA airports and the communities around them, I vote for Zero 3 Bravo (Mariana Gosnell).

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There was another book similarly titled (phonetic letters of the airport ID) about life at a mid-west airport that I liked better. Anybody remember that book?

Another vote for "Fate is the Hunter" as my favorite.

"Stick and Rudder" should be required reading for the PPL IMHO.

"Flight of Passage"

Gotta recommend this excellent book.

It's by Rinker Buck, and is an excellent story of the rebuilding of a Cub and flying it across the country. The author was fifteen and his brother was seventeen when they flew from NJ to the West Coast.

Dave