Flying books
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From: London
Flying books
I am thoroughly enjoying Wolfgang Langewiesche's "Stick and Rudder". Quite a remarkable chap, especially if you believe the cover blurb "Wolfgang Langewiesche first soloed in 1834 in Chicago". This 69 years before the first flight of the Wright Brothers! He was (still is?) also a Cessna test pilot, this when his 100th birthday was already a distant memory?
I now understand why the stall warner goes off again on recovering from the dive after dropping the nose after a clean stall recovery (2 g's of extra weight on the wings).
Any other books ppruners have found useful or entertaining? Any particularly useless?
I now understand why the stall warner goes off again on recovering from the dive after dropping the nose after a clean stall recovery (2 g's of extra weight on the wings).
Any other books ppruners have found useful or entertaining? Any particularly useless?
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Europe
Uselfull for G1000 conversion, the book from Max Trescott: Garmin G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook and CD-ROM Course
Generally useful as well, the books from Rod Machado Become a Pilot With Rod Machado - Learn to Fly Page
Entertaining: Speaking of flying
Generally useful as well, the books from Rod Machado Become a Pilot With Rod Machado - Learn to Fly Page
Entertaining: Speaking of flying
Joined: Nov 1999
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From: The Land Downunder
First Light (Geoff Wellum) - amazing
A Likely Story (Clive Clapshaw) - very funny (hard to get hold of)
Yeager - An Autobiography (Chuck Yeager) - amazing read
Chicken Hawk (Robert Mason??) - Didn't find this heaving going, amazing.
Going Solo (Roald Dahl) - more a early teenagers book but cracking W11 story.
Flight of Passage (Rinker Buck) - great coming of age story
In the Company of Heroes (Mike Durant) - story written by one of the 'Blackhawk Down' pilots, great read.
All of the above well worth the read.
A Likely Story (Clive Clapshaw) - very funny (hard to get hold of)
Yeager - An Autobiography (Chuck Yeager) - amazing read
Chicken Hawk (Robert Mason??) - Didn't find this heaving going, amazing.
Going Solo (Roald Dahl) - more a early teenagers book but cracking W11 story.
Flight of Passage (Rinker Buck) - great coming of age story
In the Company of Heroes (Mike Durant) - story written by one of the 'Blackhawk Down' pilots, great read.
All of the above well worth the read.
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From: UK
Stick & Rudder - old book but still excellent, better than alot of newer books I tried.
Chickenhawk - superb read (anyone know what happened to him after the incident at the end of the book?)
Wings on my sleeve - Eric 'Winkle' Brown - A FAA test-pilots story (think he's still alive now, I hope so), for anyone who thinks they are really something special as a pilot and have a serious pair of balls - read this and adjust your perception of yourself. Entertaining and bloody scary. Also check out the list at the back of the book of types he's flown in his career (S/E, M/E, Jets, helicopters, gliders, military & civil, you name it - literally).
Slide Rule - Neville Shute: Biog of his early life, flying in the 30's and the R100/101 airship projects, proof, nothing really changes with governments.
Chickenhawk - superb read (anyone know what happened to him after the incident at the end of the book?)
Wings on my sleeve - Eric 'Winkle' Brown - A FAA test-pilots story (think he's still alive now, I hope so), for anyone who thinks they are really something special as a pilot and have a serious pair of balls - read this and adjust your perception of yourself. Entertaining and bloody scary. Also check out the list at the back of the book of types he's flown in his career (S/E, M/E, Jets, helicopters, gliders, military & civil, you name it - literally).
Slide Rule - Neville Shute: Biog of his early life, flying in the 30's and the R100/101 airship projects, proof, nothing really changes with governments.
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: lincolnshire
I must agree with the comments about "Fate is the Hunter"... only just recently discovered this classic, I was going to ask in a forum whether any of today's transport pilots feel any empathy with Gann and whether they feel Fate looking over their shoulders.
Geoffrey Wellum's book is superbly written... I have enjoyed reading it several times.
Anyone come across a book "Ironclaw: A Navy Carrier Pilot's Gulf War Experience"? I read a chapter in "Wild Blue" and have decided to try to find the full book... that was how I discovered "Fate..."
Also enjoyed Sharky Ward's "Sea Harrier Over The Falklands"
Going to re-read the thread then go on Amazon and order some new books
Geoffrey Wellum's book is superbly written... I have enjoyed reading it several times.
Anyone come across a book "Ironclaw: A Navy Carrier Pilot's Gulf War Experience"? I read a chapter in "Wild Blue" and have decided to try to find the full book... that was how I discovered "Fate..."
Also enjoyed Sharky Ward's "Sea Harrier Over The Falklands"
Going to re-read the thread then go on Amazon and order some new books
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From: Ontario, Canada
Yep, I agree with "Chickenhawk" as being excellent.
Also: A lonely kind of war, by Marshall Harrison, Design for Flying and Design for Safety, both by Dave Thurston, Cessna Wings for the World, and Wings for the World II, both by Thompson, Flight Journel, by Corwin Meyer, and Flight, by Chris Kraft.
And Chuck, A do enjoy a "CAR" from time to time. A few of the words in there are mine....
Pilot DAR
Also: A lonely kind of war, by Marshall Harrison, Design for Flying and Design for Safety, both by Dave Thurston, Cessna Wings for the World, and Wings for the World II, both by Thompson, Flight Journel, by Corwin Meyer, and Flight, by Chris Kraft.
And Chuck, A do enjoy a "CAR" from time to time. A few of the words in there are mine....
Pilot DAR
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From: Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk
Chickenhawk - superb read (anyone know what happened to him after the incident at the end of the book?)
Flight of the Mew Gull: Alex Henshaw
Think Like a Bird: Alex Kembell
Joined: Aug 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
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From: Near Stuttgart, Germany
Hello!
My all-time favourite (fiction) book with a flying theme is Gavin Lyall's "The Wrong Side of the Sky". "Shooting Script" from the same author is also very aviation oriented. I always wonder why neither of these has ever been turned into a movie?
Among non-fiction flying books, I really enjoyed reading André Turcat's "Concorde essais et batailles" (English title?) and "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe.
Greetings, Max
My all-time favourite (fiction) book with a flying theme is Gavin Lyall's "The Wrong Side of the Sky". "Shooting Script" from the same author is also very aviation oriented. I always wonder why neither of these has ever been turned into a movie?
Among non-fiction flying books, I really enjoyed reading André Turcat's "Concorde essais et batailles" (English title?) and "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe.
Greetings, Max
Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Chedburgh, Bury St.Edmunds
Eric 'Winkle' Brown is very much alive. I have 'Wings on my Sleeve' moved house recently, got rid of a lot of Aviation books, and was going to do the same with this one. [I seldom read books more than once] I had the great good fortune to go to an after dinner talk by Eric Brown, and my book is autographed by the man. I have never met a more interesting flying person [John Farley is equal with him] , and he kept all of us, including our wives, mesmerised throughout his talk. I'm glad I kept the book. Agree with comments about the others, except I didn't find 'Chickenhawk' heavy going either. Geoff Wellum's 'First Light' lovely book, so different from the usual 'War Stories. Refreshing, that.