When I first saw the title I thought “aviation books”, but apparently that is not what you had in mind. Anyway here is a book title of that category ; IFR for VFR pilots, I think it’s great book for two out of three types of pilots. It’s very good read (to be repeated every now and then) for
[ post moved to the aviation books thread :) ]
I’ve just had a quick look at my bookshelf for interesting flying books
Dangerous Skies by Arthur Clouston
Maybe the best flying book I’ve ever read. The first chapter is his early life in New Zealand and I remember starting the book and thinking how polished the prose was. Despite the subject matter, he is humble and even self-deprecating. Flicking through the photos, a few highlights (spoiler alert):
Samurai by Saburo Sakai
The WWII memoir of a Japanese A6M Zero pilot. Probably due to the translation, it was a good read, and interesting to see a different viewpoint. At the start of the war, the pilots are inexperienced with far superior aeroplanes, but are outclassed by a few antiquated Dutch Spitfires. By the end of the book, the situation is reversed and he single-handedly fights something like 15 F6F Hellcats. On one flight he was shot in the head and regained consciousness in a dive, but managed to recover and fly 5 hours back to base using his map to stop the bleeding; he afterwards flew with only one eye. A fascinating window into a completely different culture; there’s an argument near the end where it becomes apparent the fighter pilots are a class apart: modern samurai. I should add Wikipedia casts doubt on the veracity of the stories/translation.
La promesse de l’aube (The Promise of Dawn) by Romain Gary
A fictionalised autobiography and almost love letter to his pushy-parent mother, by a Russian-Lithuanian Jew and adoptive Frenchman. In both the book and in real life, as a Free French bombardier, he talked his blinded pilot to the bombing area, back home, through a couple of go-arounds, and then landing. Something to try blindfolded with a safety pilot? At one point he was the in-flight translator between Polish pilots and French instructors; you can guess what happens. Not much flying, but it is beautiful book, on a level with Les Misérables. Interesting from a modern viewpoint is the institutionalised anti-Semitism and his inter-racial relationship in Africa. Fun fact: he’s probably the only person to challenge Clint Eastwood to a duel (for the record, Eastwood chickened out)
I really enjoyed the Flight Lessons 1-5 series by James Albright of Code7700. He’s a great storyteller and the series follows his career while (the first part of each chapter) relating each experience to a practical flight lesson he learned.
I’m going to read Ferry Pilot by Kerry McCauley over the holidays.
Cttime wrote:
I really enjoyed the Flight Lessons 1-5 series by James Albright of Code7700. He’s a great storyteller and the series follows his career while (the first part of each chapter) relating each experience to a practical flight lesson he learned.
I agree! What did surprise me was his picture of the US Air Force as being totally dysfunctional.
Has anyone read Polly Vacher’s “Wings around the world?” Pretty amazing..
shadows – airlift and airwar in biafra and nigeria 1967-1970
by michael draper
incredible book about constellation, mercenaries, the biafrian commander, excellent pictures etc
you can find it for free in the internet if not its out of print but used book shops have it
makes a wonderful reading
ivark wrote:
Has anyone read Polly Vacher’s “Wings around the world?” Pretty amazing..
No, but I must get a copy and read it.
I am just finished Arctic Bush Pilot: From Navy Combat to Flying Alaska’s Northern Wilderness and it was great to see the odds those guys had to deal with. I am glad I don’t have to bring my battery and engine oil with me to bed. Then get up and light a fire under the aeroplane for four hours in the morning.
A couple of funny self-published autobiographical aviation books from Alex Stone, Hauling Checks and the prequel, CFI! The Book. Maybe not literature, but entertaining; a few extracts:
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Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
A 600 page epic about a vanished pilot, Marian Graves, framed by that of the Hollywood actress portraying her on film decades later. There are parallels between the two, and to Amelia Earhart and Kristen Stewart.
Learning to fly in the Prohibition era, and subsequent bootlegging flights to Canada are well researched and eloquently written, both in technical detail and the emotional effect of flying.
The achievements and names of the pioneering female pilots are now largely forgotten, except Earhart, and then only because of the mystery of her disappearance. This book redresses the balance, both in concept and with short histories of both real and fictional pilots, but raises questions about the interpretation of what is lost, both geographically and temporally.
An excellent book, and shortlisted for last year’s Booker.
A bit I liked:
The thought struck him that up in the air they were no different from planes that vanished, only their eventual return to Adak distinguished them. Being aloft meant being lost to everyone but yourself, and he wondered if that appealed to Marian.
Friends of mine named their daughter after Marvel Crosson, a pioneer woman pilot, so at least one person won’t forget her. This is the same little girl who thinks aerobatics are just a way to break up the boredom of flying with her dad. She has a more conventional middle name that she can use later in life if desired, but for now nobody has had the impulse to do so.
