Great Test Flying Books?
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Great Test Flying Books?
Hey all,
As an aspiring test pilot, I was wondering if I could get all of your professional opinions on what are some of the great books out there on the topic. One of the books I have been looking at on the matter is the Socity of Experimental Test Pilots' book on test flying, anyone have any opinions on that text? Any recommends or reviews would be greatly apreciated.
Cheers,
NES (NeverEnoughSpeed)
As an aspiring test pilot, I was wondering if I could get all of your professional opinions on what are some of the great books out there on the topic. One of the books I have been looking at on the matter is the Socity of Experimental Test Pilots' book on test flying, anyone have any opinions on that text? Any recommends or reviews would be greatly apreciated.
Cheers,
NES (NeverEnoughSpeed)
Moderator
Flight Journal by Corwin Meyer,
The Lonely Sky by Bill Bridgeman,
Cessna Wings for the World, and Wings for the World II by Thompson, Wingless Flight by Reed and Lister, for five.
I have others whose titles do not spring to mind at the moment, I'll post them later...
Pilot DAR
The Lonely Sky by Bill Bridgeman,
Cessna Wings for the World, and Wings for the World II by Thompson, Wingless Flight by Reed and Lister, for five.
I have others whose titles do not spring to mind at the moment, I'll post them later...
Pilot DAR
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Well obviously John Farley's new book ' A View From The Hover ' stands out. ' Flyer' books. This is THE one to go for if looking for grown-up technical info' as well as a good read.
As a collection of flight testing anecdotes, but written by an intelligent pilot and full of lessons learned - often the hard way -
' Test Pilots - The History of British Test Flying 1903-84 ' by the late Don Middleton ( Collins Willow, ISBN 0-00--218098-7 )
is by far the most informative and entertaining book I have ever found on the subject's overall history.
It's out of print, but fairly easily found secondhand at the usual river-like places etc.
D.Middleton also wrote another book on very similar lines, ' Tests of Character ' - that's well worth grabbing too.
Eric 'winkle' Brown's 'Wings on my Sleeve' is well worth a read too, if you're interested in historical test flying.
As a collection of flight testing anecdotes, but written by an intelligent pilot and full of lessons learned - often the hard way -
' Test Pilots - The History of British Test Flying 1903-84 ' by the late Don Middleton ( Collins Willow, ISBN 0-00--218098-7 )
is by far the most informative and entertaining book I have ever found on the subject's overall history.
It's out of print, but fairly easily found secondhand at the usual river-like places etc.
D.Middleton also wrote another book on very similar lines, ' Tests of Character ' - that's well worth grabbing too.
Eric 'winkle' Brown's 'Wings on my Sleeve' is well worth a read too, if you're interested in historical test flying.
Last edited by Double Zero; 26th Jan 2009 at 17:25. Reason: Remembered name of book !
For Historical test flying, obviously:
'Sigh for a Merlin', Alex Henshaw
'Faster than the sun', Roly Beaumont.
Of course, modern test flying is a very different occupation.
'Sigh for a Merlin', Alex Henshaw
'Faster than the sun', Roly Beaumont.
Of course, modern test flying is a very different occupation.
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Another Roland Beamont book worth a look is Testing Years. I got my copy as a spotty 15 year old (30 years ago) and it is partly responsible for this accursed aviation affliction of mine.
D.Middleton also wrote another book on very similar lines, can't remember the title - not to hand - but that's worth grabbing too.
"Tests of Character: Epic Flights by Legendary Test Pilots"
ISBN 9781560916710
I also have:
"TESTED: Marshall Test Pilots and Their Aircraft in War and Peace 1919-1999" by Dennis Pasco.
Here you can find a review.
I am an avid collector of flight-related technical documents and I was very happy to find many flight testing handbooks online. I suppose you would be interested in these:
USAF Test Pilot School textbooks (open each Google link and click on the "Handle / proxy Url" link)
US Navy Test Pilot School textbook (This link opens just c1.pdf=Chapter 1. You must download all files from c1.pdf to c10.pdf and from a1.pdf to a12.pdf)
Here you can find the NATO AGARD handbooks about flight test instrumentation (look for the AG-160 series) and techniques (look for the AG-300 series)
NATO Research & Technology Organisation Technical Activities
NATO Research & Technology Organisation Technical Activities
NATO Research & Technology Organisation Technical Activities
Flight Testing
Flight Test – Sharing Knowledge and Experience
BR,
aerolearner
Last edited by aerolearner; 24th Jan 2009 at 10:57. Reason: I forgot a couple of links...
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One book after reading the nuts and bolts of test pilot’s books is to turn to Tony Blackman’s “Flight Testing to Win”.
The book’s blurb says: ‘Tony has recorded some of his own experiences in his book 'Flight Testing to Win' where he explains that safety costs money and that an aircraft need only just meet the relevant design requirements. Tony Blackman tells about testing the V Bombers, selling the Avro 748 around the world and there is a chapter on flying with the legendary Howard Hughes in England.’
That's a reasonable enough description, but speaking as the end-user, mine is a bit more direct: a very good read, goos stories, and very realistic about the business, and chock-full of the commercial realities of being a test pilot. It’s also pleasant just to read (like his other books) when you’re not looking to get too serious. Easy to find by googling his name.
The book’s blurb says: ‘Tony has recorded some of his own experiences in his book 'Flight Testing to Win' where he explains that safety costs money and that an aircraft need only just meet the relevant design requirements. Tony Blackman tells about testing the V Bombers, selling the Avro 748 around the world and there is a chapter on flying with the legendary Howard Hughes in England.’
That's a reasonable enough description, but speaking as the end-user, mine is a bit more direct: a very good read, goos stories, and very realistic about the business, and chock-full of the commercial realities of being a test pilot. It’s also pleasant just to read (like his other books) when you’re not looking to get too serious. Easy to find by googling his name.
Jeffrey Quill-Spitfire
May I recommend the Jeffrey Quill book: "Spitfire-A Test Pilots Story".
A friend of mine gave me a copy to read in the early 90's and I thought that, except for the time interlude and that fact that I was in the rotary wing business, Mr. Quill might have been describing the sorts of issues that were everyday business at Sikorsky. He had a marvelous writing style and hid what had to be an enormous talent with admirable humility and grace.
John Dixson
A friend of mine gave me a copy to read in the early 90's and I thought that, except for the time interlude and that fact that I was in the rotary wing business, Mr. Quill might have been describing the sorts of issues that were everyday business at Sikorsky. He had a marvelous writing style and hid what had to be an enormous talent with admirable humility and grace.
John Dixson
Chipping in here with the three textbooks which (of those which are readily available) I've found the most helpful to date:
Flying qualities and flight testing of the aeroplane, by Darrol Stinton.
Flight testing homebuilt aircraft, by Vaughan Askue
FAA AC23-8, flight test manual for normal, utillity and aerobatic category airplanes.
Regarding the SETP handbook mentioned in NES' original post - it's useful and I certainly have a copy on the shelf but to be honest it falls more into the category of "hints for advanced players" rather than being useful when coming into flight test. I'd suggest starting with the first two I've mentioned here, and some of the excellent historical and biographical books other people have mentioned (to which I'd add Roland Beaumont's "Fighter Test Pilot" and "Aerospace Flight Test Engineer" by William Murry Thompson).
G
Flying qualities and flight testing of the aeroplane, by Darrol Stinton.
Flight testing homebuilt aircraft, by Vaughan Askue
FAA AC23-8, flight test manual for normal, utillity and aerobatic category airplanes.
Regarding the SETP handbook mentioned in NES' original post - it's useful and I certainly have a copy on the shelf but to be honest it falls more into the category of "hints for advanced players" rather than being useful when coming into flight test. I'd suggest starting with the first two I've mentioned here, and some of the excellent historical and biographical books other people have mentioned (to which I'd add Roland Beaumont's "Fighter Test Pilot" and "Aerospace Flight Test Engineer" by William Murry Thompson).
G
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'wings on my sleeve' - Winkle Brown
Chuck Yaeger's biography (a bit of a pain sometimes but tells a great story)
Tex Johnston's autobiography (I forget the name of the book, unfortunately).
the above three are classic test pilot accounts.
Chuck Yaeger's biography (a bit of a pain sometimes but tells a great story)
Tex Johnston's autobiography (I forget the name of the book, unfortunately).
the above three are classic test pilot accounts.
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All of the above - especially Testing Years and anything else by Roly Beamont. A quick scan of my nearest bookshelves also shows:
Test Pilot by Neville Duke
Janusz Zurakowski - Legend in the Skies, by Bill Zuk
Up in Harm's Way by Commander Mike Crosley DSC RN
Fly No More by Lt Commander Brian Davies AFC RN
Flying the Frontiers by Arthur Pearcy (NACA & NASA experimental aircraft)
Various biographies, including John Derry, Brian Trubshaw, 'Cats eyes' Cunningham, Geoffrey De Havilland and Harald Penrose
For a rather different aspect of test flying, try The Sky my Kingdom by Hanna Reitsch and Test Pilots by Wolfgang Spate. These have to be read to be believed, as they describe really 'off-the-wall' experimental flying in Germany in WW2
I think I have too many books... just don't start me on the space programme!
Test Pilot by Neville Duke
Janusz Zurakowski - Legend in the Skies, by Bill Zuk
Up in Harm's Way by Commander Mike Crosley DSC RN
Fly No More by Lt Commander Brian Davies AFC RN
Flying the Frontiers by Arthur Pearcy (NACA & NASA experimental aircraft)
Various biographies, including John Derry, Brian Trubshaw, 'Cats eyes' Cunningham, Geoffrey De Havilland and Harald Penrose
For a rather different aspect of test flying, try The Sky my Kingdom by Hanna Reitsch and Test Pilots by Wolfgang Spate. These have to be read to be believed, as they describe really 'off-the-wall' experimental flying in Germany in WW2
I think I have too many books... just don't start me on the space programme!
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Thank you all for the astoundingly large response thus far. I am going to be sorting through the list so far provided for a little while. Lately my go to book on the matter has been "Flight Testing Homebuilt Aircraft" by Vaughan Askue and am specifically looking for something that goes a little more indepth on the professional side of things. From looking through those mentioned thus far, a couple stand out as perhaps fitting the bill. To what Genghis the Engineer said, certainly in my option, I agree with the sticky idea for reviews.
NES (NeverEnoughSpeed)
NES (NeverEnoughSpeed)
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Just butting in a moment, would anybody be interested if I created a sticky for flight test book reviews at the top of the page?
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At a slight tangent - Doddy Hays' "Man in the Hot seat", the evolution of the ejector seat at Martin-Baker is excellent reading.
** Edit: ISBN: 0002115263 9780002115261 **
** Edit: ISBN: 0002115263 9780002115261 **
In addition to reading the exploits of eminent test pilots above, an aspiring tp should arm him/herself with a good understanding of human nature. In particular start with yourself and progress to the interactions with others, the aircraft and its systems, and how all of these might be affected by the test flying situations that you could be exposed to.
In these regards, standard books on human factors would provide a good background, but also some of the lighter texts on thinking, perception, judgement, and decision making. Revisit the concept of airmanship and apply this, and human factors aspects to test flying scenarios.
Modern test flying is much more than stick and rudder skills. It involves understanding how others will see the aircraft or systems, which you will evaluate on their behalf, and how they will react under a range of circumstances; above all, how you will judge these.
Much of this will (should) be taught on the course. The majority involves self learning and developing judgement, particularly of when to apply past experiences. For these I, have yet to find a good book, but look hard in several of the texts above and you should find some good pointers, but this might depend on how they are ‘read’ – understood and applied - by you.
In these regards, standard books on human factors would provide a good background, but also some of the lighter texts on thinking, perception, judgement, and decision making. Revisit the concept of airmanship and apply this, and human factors aspects to test flying scenarios.
Modern test flying is much more than stick and rudder skills. It involves understanding how others will see the aircraft or systems, which you will evaluate on their behalf, and how they will react under a range of circumstances; above all, how you will judge these.
Much of this will (should) be taught on the course. The majority involves self learning and developing judgement, particularly of when to apply past experiences. For these I, have yet to find a good book, but look hard in several of the texts above and you should find some good pointers, but this might depend on how they are ‘read’ – understood and applied - by you.
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"The Chosen Ones" by Sean Rossiter Douglas & McIntyre 2002 about Canadian test pilots: Don Rogers,Jimmy Orrell,Mike Cooper,Bill Waterton,Peter Cope all with A.V.ROE Canada.
Russ Bannock,George Neal,Bob Fowler of De Haviland Canada.
"Testing For Combat" by Captain Eric Brown is a good precis of testing various types.
Russ Bannock,George Neal,Bob Fowler of De Haviland Canada.
"Testing For Combat" by Captain Eric Brown is a good precis of testing various types.