Anyone read any good books ?

[Arclite01]

Ladies 'n' Gents

Winter on the way - Anyone read any good aviation books recently that they could recommend for those long evenings ?

I've got several favourites like those below, anyone else got any ?

Delta Papa - Derek Piggott (great book)
Think like a bird - Alex Kimbell (even better)
Happy to Fly - Anne Welch
On being a bird - Phillip Wills
Wing Leader - Johnnie Johnson
Fly for your life - Larry Forrester
Airborne - Neil Williams

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Arc:ok:

[flyingfemme]

We had a joint effort on just this subject a couple of months ago (on the Flyer Forum). The emphasis was on entertainment rather than education.......

A gift of wings Richard Bach
A rabbit in the air David Garnett
Aerobatics Neil Williams
Air America Christopher Robbins
Air disasters Stanley Stewart
Airborne Neil Williams
Airymouse Harold Penrose
Always another dawn Scott Crossfield
An aeroplane affair John Isaacs
Black Sunday Thomas Harris
Bomber Len Deighton
Cannibal Queen Stephen Coonts
Carrying the fire Michael Collins
Chicken hawk Robert Mason
Cloud cuckoo land Harold Penrose
Contact!:the story of the early birds Henry Serrano Villard
Emergency Stanley Stewart
Enemy coast ahead Guy Gibson
F4 Phantom : a pilot’s story Robert Prest
Faith is a windsock Miles Tripp
Fate is the hunter Ernest Gann
Flight of passage Rinker Buck
Fly for your life Larry Forrester
Flying for fun Jack Parham
Gift of wings Richard Bach
Goodbye Mickey Mouse Len Deighton
Hitler versus me : the return of Bartholomew Bandy Donald Jack
How sleep the brave (Flying Officer X) H.E. Bates
I flew for the Fuehrer Heinz Knoke
Inside the sky William Langewiesche
It’s me again (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
Kill devil hill Harry Combs
Me Bandy, you Cissie (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
Me so far (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
Me too (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
Mosquito intruder Dave McIntosh
No highway Neville Shute
Notes from a small mind Rob Sawyer
Pablo’s travels Pablo Mason
Propellerhead Antony Woodward
Reach for the sky Douglas Bader
Round the bend Neville Shute
Saggitarius rising Cecil Lewis
Sea Harrier over the Falklands Sharkey Ward
Serenade to the big bird Bert Stiles
Sigh for a Merlin Alex Henshawe
Sky fever Sir Geoffrey de Havilland
Slide rule Neville Shute
Spitfire – a test pilot’s story Jeffrey Quill
Stick and rudder Wolfgang Langewiesche
Stranger to the ground Richard Bach
Talkdown Brian LeComber
That’s me in the middle (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
The Air War for Yugoslavia and Greece Christopher Shores, Brian Cull, Nicola Malizia
The flight of the mew gull Alex Henshaw
The last enemy Richard Hillary
The right stuff Tom Wolfe
The Shepherd Frederick Forsyth
Three cheers for me (Bandy Papers) Donald Jack
Thud ridge Jack Broughton
Under an english heaven Robert Radcliffe
Vol de nuit Antoine de St. Exupery
West with the night Beryl Markham
You want to build and fly a WHAT Richard Starks

[High Wing Drifter]

Boy that is a list and a 'alf! Can't compete with that but just to highlight one or two:-

I would personally recommend "Think Like a Bird" by Alex Kimbell and "Fate is the Hunter" by Ernest Gann.

If you want a brain idling thriller then Michael Crichton's "Airframe" is worthy alongside "Night over Water" by Ken Follett.

[SlipSlider]

two of my favourites not in that list:

Spreading My Wings - Diana Barnato Walker (ATA - enough said!).

Zero Three Bravo - Mariana Gosnell (coast to coast USA solo in a Luscombe)

Slip

[flyingwysiwyg]

" The Killing Zone" - How and why pilots die.

Quite an interesting read.

F - Wyg

[Arclite01]

Thanks all

I'd also have to add Wings over Georgia by Jack Currie

cheers

Arc

[Maxflyer]

First Light by geoffrey Wellham is well worth a look.

[Monocock]

Have read quite a few books that are associated with flying in the last few years.

There is one book that stands out in my mind and that is "Flight of Passage" by Rinker Buck. A great book, you'll never forget it.


I've read it 3 times now :)

[WestWind1950]

Great book about the ATC in the USA "Tracon"

... the author I can't remember because I lent the book out and haven't gotten it back yet :* but check in google... you can find the homepage which is also very interesting! sorry, no time to find it for you at the moment.. maybe later then I'll add it in here

Westy

took the time and found it: www.japphire.com author is Paul McElroy... great homepage!!

[englishal]

"Fate is the Hunter" & "The Killing Zone - How and why Pilots die" get my vote. FITH is probably the best aviation book ever written.

EA

[High Wing Drifter]

FITH is probably the best aviation book ever written.
Oh! It was the first one I read, so its downhill all the way from 'ere then :uhoh:

[Dude~]

You all absolutely must read Chuck Yeagers book, can't remember what its called, but its his autobiog so should be easy to track. Its the most amazing read ever.

Re non pilot stuff, try reading about Ernest Shackletons amazing feat of humun endurance back in 1914 when his ship (endurance) sank in Antartica and the crew spent 18 months heading back to safety. Dammed amazing...!

[cirrus01]

"At the Edge of Space " by Milt Thompson

Story of the X-15 Flight programme.

Brilliant ! :D

[MLS-12D]

You all absolutely must read Chuck Yeager's book, can't remember what its called, but its his autobiog so should be easy to track. That's easy: Yeager - An Autobiography, by Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos.

I agree with most of the books other people have cited, except for Cloud Cuckooland and Airymouse, both by Harold Penrose. I have copies of both, but despite several efforts I have never been able to 'get into' either one.

One worthwhile book that has not been mentioned thus far is The Cockpit: A Flight of Escape and Discovery, by Paul M. Gahlinger.

MLS-12D

P.S. I agree with Monocock, Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck is a wonderful book. Almost as good is the similarly-titled Flights of Passage, by Samuel Hynes (story of a USMC TBM 'Avenger' pilot in WWII).

[Phoenix09]

I think that the best flying book that I have ever read (and re-read and re-read) is First Light by Geoffrey Wellum . An excellent book that describes his experiences as he learns to fly and then goes on to fight in the Battle of Britain.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Having in the last fortnight just read "first light" I agree totally on that one, I really felt that it put me in the cockpit, which any good flying book should do.

I'm a little surprised to see AW's "happy to fly" listed - although I'm well known for my deep admiration for the late Ann Welch, I found her autobiography by far the least interesting of anything she wrote - I suspect because her very self effacing nature meant that she talked (in my opinion) too much about other people and not herself. Her "accidents happen" I found much more interesting.

Having worked in the environment that Crichton wrote about in airframe, I found it interesting and well researched, but not altogether plausible in some areas (although his big idea about a divergent SPO killing pax in a big airliner is certainly possible). He does write a good yarn however.

Alan Bramson's "Book of Flight Tests" is non-fiction but fascinating for most GA pilots IMHO. Same author "Pure Luck" is a very insightful biography of Tommy Sopwith.

Anybody who enjoyed "Yeager" should also try "John Glenn, a memoir" by John Glenn and "Aerospace Flight Test Engineer" by William Murray Thompson.

And for something slightly off the wall, and incredibly readable, try "Father Goose" by William Lishman - this is the true story upon which the film "Fly away home" was somewhat loosely based.

Also, the perfect loo-book "the daily telegraph book of airmans obituaries".

And never forget good old "Pooleys flight guide" as an entertaining read of adventures to come!

G

[MLS-12D]

If you enjoyed First Light (as did I), then you might also like Carrier Pilot, by Norman Hanson. It is the only Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot's autobiography that I have come across so far (of course, there are at least two good FAA Swordfish pilots' autobiographies: Charles Lamb, To War in a Stringbag, and John Godfrey, Bring Back my Stringbag)

[High Wing Drifter]

Also, if you enjoyed "First Light" then you really must read "Think Like a Bird". Sorry to keep pushing this one but it is a gem. It is all about the author's experiences in the early Army Air Corps flying Austers and Beavers. From training through to operational flying in Aden. I especially enjoyed the type of training they had to go through to be effective spotters and how to fly Austers to evade fast jet fighters trying to shoot you down! Very gritty stuff.

Books added to my list of stuff to read now include Yeager and Carrier Pilot. Thanks guys :D

[scottish_ppl]

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe is well worth a read....


Fate is the Hunter also, but I doubt theres many one here who hasnt read it already...

[Dave Gittins]

To add to the emminently readable list :-

Testing Years by Roly Beamont

and if you've really got your technical head on :-

Handling The Big Jets by Dave Davies
Flying the Big Jets by Stanley Stewart

And on the technical but interesting ....

Papa India - The Trident Disaster by John Godson - who also wrote a number of other very in depth books about assorted aviation disasters, like the Paris THY DC-10 in 1974 - and all the rest of the early DC-10 story, which looked like an accident waiting to happen and "Unsafe at Any Height". a general indictment of the aircraft manufacturing and airline businesses.

And for books with just pictures ... Skytruck and Skytruck 2 by the late Stephen Piercy.

[Flyer Flier]

Glancing at this thread made me cringe, am I really that sad? So I had a quick check on the old bookcase and sure enough there were just too many of the aviation titles shown on the long list for me to escape any vestige of individuality. Thus with my anorak exposed, I can only offer a couple of extra little gems, which although not mentioned, do deserve being hunted down and read by those with a similar literary flying addiction.

The first is a WWII autobiography by James Goodson called Tumult in the Clouds. A quite incredible personal story, but also great descriptions of fellow RAF and US pilots and the life that they experienced during the air war over Europe.

The second title really will be a hunt as it always sells out after a reprint and will probably only be found second hand. In fact the story goes that it was highly sought after during WWII by pilots, changing hands at £5 a copy. It is written by RFC veteran V.M. Yeates and is called "Winged Victory". It is a novel about flying on the Western Front in WWI and given the author's experience and the fact that he died aged 37 of tuberculosis due to war strain (technically called Flying Sickness D) makes it all the more poignant and moving. For those of us who love watching the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden, reading this book really brings home the experience of flying those amazing First World War Machines.

(Oh and finally, in case the penny hasn't dropped with any non-believers........ Fate is the Hunter, good book!)

[strafer]

'First Light' for a rollicking good read (esp if you know your arse from your aileron).
'Killing Zone' to stop you dying early.

[Miserlou]

Page 2 of the thread and still no-one has mentioned"Flight to Arras" or "Wind, Sand and Stars" by Antoine de St Exupery!

It must have been an oversight!

To the list I'd like to add,
"Echoes in the Sky" an anthology of aviation verse from the two world wars by Ronald Dixon, ISBN07137 12716 and,
"Dancing in the Skies" an autobiography of an Icelandic fighter pilot in WWII, by Tony Jonsson, ISBN 1-898697-03-5.

"The Ghost of Flight 401" and "The Airmen who would not die" are also worth a read. Can't remember the author, Lyall Watson rings a bell.

[Fly Stimulator]

I'd add Antony Woodward's Propellerhead which is not only a very funny book in its own right, but includes some wonderful quotes from other aviation writers, and also Bob Buck's North Star Over My Shoulder which chronicles his career from mail flying in the 20's to captaining 747s and is a fascinating aviation autobiography.

[Monocock]

If any of you can get hold of it I would also recommend "A Standard Pilot's Notes" by Nigel Hamlin-Wright.

Published by Chocks Away it is a short book but worth reading.

My wife bought me my copy for Christmas. Although I had finished it by Boxing Day it was worth reading for sure.:ok:

[Arclite01]

And 'The Big Show' by Pierre Closterman........

and 'The One that got away'..........

and 'Cheshire VC'.........

and 'Tornado Down' by John Peters & John Nicholl (don't bother with 'Team Tornado' though by the same authors)

I'm sorting through my bookshelf as we speak

Arc

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Just bought Killing Zone, having been reminded by this thread to read it.

About half way through, so far I'm thinking "I know most of this stuff, I wouldn't be that stupid". Hmm. Which, I wonder, of the following is true: I'm going to be one of the ones who survive
all the other pilots who killed themselves by being stupid thought exactly as I do now. Back on topic, add to the list that book by Marshall's test pilots, can't find my copy just now but I think it was just called "Test Pilot". Probably mostly of interest to anyone who learnt to fly at Cambridge whilst these people were the instructors.

[paulo]

Fate is the Hunter - well, I'll be logging off any minute soon. Thanks for reminding me, there's nothing like a good re-read. Just finished a 2nd pass on Propellerhead. Bang on.
;)

Not convinced about the killing zone. The subjects are good but there's nothing that really substantiates the 'zone' itself, i.e. Is it really a 'zone' or is it merely the typical hours done by privates before they pack it in for other reason (medical, cash, boredom, whatever). :confused:

[Taildragger55]

Here is an idea.

The good book theme is a recurring one on PPRUNE.

If we had a special book page, with members recommendations, but with links to Amazon so that Danny could earn a few quid in commissions to help fund PPRUNE..

I'd be delighted to shop there.

[mixturelean]

Arclite01,


A couple of good books I read lately are:

'Chicken hawk' by Robert Mason, about a chopper pilot flying in Vietnam - true story and a very good read.

Another excellent book is 'God is my co-pilot' by Robert L. Scott.
(http://www.475thfghf.org/Friends/scott.htm)
This pilot flew a P-40 in the second world War - the book was made into a film by the same name - and the author is still roaming the earth aged 90+, again a very interesting read.

Mixturerich.

[Keygrip]

Sod all to do with Private Flying - but I've just read..

"Flight" The biography of Chris Kraft (the first ever mission controller for NASA).

Fascinating book - all about the exploits of test pilots and the space race between the Soviets and the USA.

Fascinating.

[Phoenix09]

Another good book that I have read, and which is also available on-line here (http://www.skygod.com/quotes/) is Slipping the Surly Bonds, Great Aviation Quotes by Dave English. Well worth a read.

[RodgerF]

No one has mentioned Sheila Scott's books

'On top of the world'
'I must fly'


There is this thread elsewhere in pprune

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65903

[In Altissimus]

One I'm suprised no-one had listed is Spirit of St Louis , Lindbergh's own account of his Atlantic crossing. A gripping read I thought. I didn't get so far with his autobiography, but I may give it another go.

Another good read, despite the fact that it is only partially devoted to aviation, is Beryl Markham's biography Straight on til Morning . A fascinating social document about an amazing woman. (She made the first solo east-to-west nonstop trans-Atlantic flight in 1936.)

[MLS-12D]

RodgerF,

Good recommendations!

If you like Sheila's two books, you might also be interested in Judy Lomax, Sheila Scott: A Biography (1990).

It's too bad that so few people now remember Sheila Scott. Sure she was mentally ill and a sponger, but she certainly accomplished some extremely impressive aviation feats. I believe that this link (http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/scott_sheila.html) is about all that is available on the 'net.

MLS-12D

P.S. to In Altissimus: Also worth reading are Beryl Markham's own book West With the Night (ghostwritten by Raoul Schumacher), and Errol Trzebinski, The Lives of Beryl Markham (1993). The made-for-TV movie Shadow on the Sun (1988) is also good (see generally here (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ShadowontheSun-1018691/about.php)).

[Monocock]

Terry Wogans Biography is good too:zzz:

[The Nr Fairy]

"Chickenhawk" is the definitive book on helicopter flying in Vietnam, but there are more in the same mould.

"Rescue Pilot" by Don McKinnon is worth a read - writing style is a bit odd, but the descriptions of the early days of helicopter flying in the US Navy are worth a read.

[QDMQDMQDM]

Time to resurrect this thread. I have just been reading The Mad Major, autobiography of Chris Draper, who flew under the London bridges with his Auster. Terrific read. Talk about member of the awkward squad!

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=christopher+draper&y=0&tn=the+mad+major&x=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Draper

QDM

[Jenni Morton]

I am enjoying First Light by Geoffrey Wellum

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I think all my favorites are already mentioned. One that I don't think has been yet is the excellent 'F4 Phantom. A pilot's story' by Robert Prest. And has anyone mentioned Brian Lecomber's novels? - all quite excellent. And Richard bach's 'A Gift of Wings', 'Stranger to the Ground', ans some others but not that seagull book which did little for me.:bored:

I, too, am currently reading Wellum's 'First Light'. It's superb!

SSD

[3PARA]

Behind the cockpit door, written & illustrated by Arthur Whitlock. From his early days flying the tiger moth & DC3 in India to relocating to the UK in the early fifties & progressing onto flying Elizabethans, Bristol "frighteners", Britannias, Tridents & Tristars as the Years passed :ok:

[Kolibear]

I'm re-reading 'Ironclaw' by Sherman Baldwin. I got it from the library yesterday & read it in one hit, so I'm re-reading it to enjoy the bits I missed the first time round.

The author was a US Navy pilot, flying Prowlers from USS Midway in the Gulf War, on ESM missions. He was a inexperienced first tour pilot so everything was new and exciting. The first chapter describes a night tanking followed by a landing.

Other chapters include first combat mission and the pressures of maintaining curency and alertness while flying daily.

I finished the book with an even greater admiration for navy pilots, but couldn't help being reminded of the Sea Harrier motto 'Its easier to stop & land, rather than land & stop'

Anyway, its a very good read - Ironclaw, Sherman Baldwin, ISBN 0-688-14303-2.

[ChampChump]

I don't think anyone's mentioned Ann Morrow Lindbergh yet. Her achievements were notable, too.
To avoid the more writerly writing*, you might do worse than read Listen, The Wind.
*I think that's a euphemism for (light) purple, which is unfair. You just have to be in the mood for some of the more pensive output, IMHO.

[waco]

Have just put two for sale on ebay: "The Crew" and "Radar Contact Lost". I would'nt rave about either but just fine for the beach this summer.

[ChampChump]

I've been comparing my collection with the above and can't disagree with anyone about the classics, but I've just found another one that only gets lent out to trusted souls:
Flight of the Ginn Fizz - Henry Kisor
I'd also add several more Ganns...Flying Circus particularly. None but F.I.T.H. is in print, but can be tracked down. My copy, and a (signed) copy of Band of Brothers were found in a second-hand aviation bookstore in Virginia. Deep joy.....
Serendipity is the reward of persistence.:)

[Ian_Wannabe]

I'll second/third/fourth?! ....."Fate is the Hunter" - Great read on airline flying when the pilots really were looked upon as Gods

[Penguina]

The [fairly] recent Amy Johnson biography is a surprising page-turner. Read it on a reunion tour with my amateur wind ensemble from the uni days a couple of years ago and they couldn't get a word out of me for 3 days except 'not another bl00dy rehearsal already - I'm on a good bit'!

[Tarq57]

Definitely Faith is the hunter. He used to write articles for the American "Flying" magazine- if you can find any old (60's) copies, well worth a read. Others, Chickenhawk/Bob Mason, TangoNovember/John Howlett.

[HiFranc]

I second those who suggested "The Killing Zone - How and why pilots die". I'm 3/4 way through it and the overwhelming feeling I have is why isn't a book like this given to all new drivers (it'd make the roads a lot safer)?

[flyboyike]

Impact Erebus by Capt Gordon Vette.

[kevmusic]

I must add my recommendation to Geoffrey Wellum's First Light.:ok: In similar vein, though from a Bomber Command point of view, is Jack Currie's Lancaster Target. It's a classic - very evocative of day-to-day life as a bomber pilot alternately in the skies over Germany or the pubs of Lincoln. Funny at times.:)

My Part of the Sky, by Roly Beamont details his wartime life from the Battle of France right through to 1944 & his capture by the Germans. A great Hawker advocate; so read this if you're tired of only hearing about how wonderful the Spitfire was!

Kev

[RudeNot2]

I have read "The Killing Zone - How and why pilots die" and it's given a great insight as to what can and does go wrong when poor judgement gets in the way. No one can ever say that they will not become a statistic, but a foresight as given in this book may help in situations that you encounter.

Dave

[Julian]

The Killing Zone.

Should be made compulsory to read before you go solo!
Excellent book which makes you think about your flying.

Julian.

[CDH]

I'll second "you want to build & fly a WHAT?" FlyingFemme- Absolutely hilarious - NOT recommended if you get embarrassed about laughing out loud without helping/ realising when everyone else in the room (workplace) is quiet...:uhoh:
Well it was MY lunch break

[aluminium persuader]

Illusions - the adventures of a reluctant Messiah (Richard Bach) is very good & will make you think.

For those who have read his first book "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" and are into surrealism then "Jonathon Livingston Trafalgar Square Pigeon" might tickle you. Wont reveal too much, but a pigeon tries to persuade his mates that it's easier to take the tube!

ap:uhoh:

[BroomstickPilot]

To the illustrious listing above, I would add the following:-

1. 'For Your Freedom and Ours', the story of the Polish participation in the war, told through the medium of 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF. Poland alone was our ally from day one of the war, to the very last day. I think every Brit ought to read this one. (Make sure you have a box of paper tissues to hand; it's a very sad story).

2. 'Amy Johnson, Queen of the Skies', the story of Amy from the time she learned to fly a DH Moth and then flew to Australia with only 45 hours experience total time to her death during WWII.

Broomstick.

[justinmg]

My 2 pence worth:
Stick & Rudder : I did not quite get why and how the aeroplane flew until I read it. Easy going..... for main part of the book, and a delight to read. The later analysis section was not quite as good, but still useful.
The killing Zone. Also an important read, but the stats give a bit of a skewed view of reality. The concept of the book is good, although imperfectly executed. Most will be safer after reading it, perhaps by being scared out of the sky for a small minority.
Redefining Airmanship by Tony Kern.
The book that the Killing Zone should have been.
This book examines in great detail the nebulous concept of good airmanship. What makes a good pilot. Whilst there is a little on physical skill, it explodes the concept that good stick & rudder pilots are good airmen, and rebuilds the model from the ground up. It is not however, a theoretical exersize. A model is put forward for personal, step by step development.
I lent my copy to a friend, who ended up not letting me have it back, he thought so highly of it!!!! I remarked it should be required reading for all pilots, but he disagreed. His argument was that many pilots are not ready for it.........now there is a challenge if ever I saw one ;)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0070342849/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-9142077-6816021#reader-link
My flying has changed forever

[18greens]

I just finished Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck. Two 16 year olds build a Piper cub and fly it across America. A very good non war read.

[Yellow Sun]

Two that don't seem to have been mentioned so far:

Flying Without Wings by Milton Thompson & Curtis Peebles - Pub. Crecy (no ISBN)
Test flying the lifting body vehicles for the NASA programme. Hair raising stuff!

Pilot's Summer - Frank D. Tredrey - ISBN 1 902914 12 0
A diary of the author's CFS course at Wittering in the 1930s. Evocative account of the RAF in the last days of peace.

I endorse the recommendations for "Chickenhawk". An old friend of mine served two tours with 1st Air Cavalry and he avers that it is pretty close to the truth.

"Ironclaw" mentioned above is also one of those books which has the ring of veracity. The author has obviously been there and conveys his experiences well, a great read.

YS

[stocker]

"falling for icarus" by rory maclean.

more about living than flying although the aviation theme is very much at the forefront of this book. Anyone who has spent time in Greece will appreciate this book.

[Alvin Steele]

I agree wholeheartedly with Penguina, I picked up a book about Amy Johnson by Constance Babington-Smith (great name) at Hendon a couple of years ago and was hooked, despite having no interest in Amy before that.....in fact I still don't know what made me buy the book......it was a superb page-turner.
As a result, I picked up the 'Amy Johnson-Queen of the Air' book and 'Amy Johnson-Enigma in the Sky' and was equally impressed.
As far as the others people have mentioned, 'First Light' is the Battle of Britain book.....excellent.
One (out of print) book I haven't seen mentioned so far which I picked up second-hand is by the late great Frank Tallman USN aviator and top movie pilot......his book 'Flying the Old Planes' is superb, it is a great book to dip into, if only to snigger at Frank's brilliant metaphors contained in his experiences of flying everything from a Curtiss Jenny to a B-17.
I usually avoid aviation fiction like the plague.....except V.M.Yeates superb WWI novel 'Winged Victory' and Brian Lecomber's books.
Next on the shelf to be read are Alex Henshaw's 'Flight of the Mew Gull' and 'Sigh for a Merlin'

Tim

[fireflybob]

"Flight of the Mew Gull" by Alex Henshaw - from the moment I started reading I couldn't put the book down and the solo record from London to Cape Town which he achieved in just over 4 days in the 1930s STILL stands!!

Alex Henshaw was airborne again recently in one of the Spitfires which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the type.

[Alvin Steele]

Alex Henshaw was airborne again recently in one of the Spitfires which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the type.

It was seeing that footage that gave me the kick up the a**e to buy his books, a quick flick through the books is enough to convince me I'm going to enjoy them.

[Primetime_Joanna]

I'd add Antony Woodward's Propellerhead which is not only a very funny book in its own right, but includes some wonderful quotes from other aviation writers, and also Bob Buck's North Star Over My Shoulder which chronicles his career from mail flying in the 20's to captaining 747s and is a fascinating aviation autobiography.


Hear hear! 'Propellerhead' is a great read! made all the more funny if you learned to fly in a Thruster Microlight!

And 'Solo' an adult book by Roald Dahl is interesting. A lot about his young life, but a fair chunk about his time learning to fly.