Good reading

[sain]

Hi All,

 

I've been reading through some old Blog posts by Bob Hoover (nope, not that one) and have found a lot of them full of some great yarns and loads of tips about building planes.

 

Unfortunately Bob died a couple of years ago (back in 2010), but his family have kept the blog online.

 

If your interested in that sort of thing head over to http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com.au and have a read.

 

a qoute from one of his early pieces, which I found particularly poignant given a bunch of the posts on this site recently:

 

Build yourself an airplane. Go fly. Leave the bullshit to the bean-counters.

 

-Bob Hoover

 

I've also been re-reading a book called Propellerhead by Antony Woodward (over here at Amazon (kindle) ).

 

It's about a guy who takes up flying a Thruster after noticing the effect his housemate's pilots licence has on members of the fairer sex.

 

Anybody else read anything good that's flying related recently?

 

 

[ayavner]

I am reading The Complete Book of Australian Flying doctor Stories, by Bill 'Swampy' Marsh. Tons of little short stories and anecdotes, some funny, some sad, but all a very enjoyable light read.

 

 

[alf jessup]

I hunted around for ages and finally got the book Buckley's Chance.

 

Great book written about the life of a local legend & Gippsland high country AG pilot Ben Buckley who has flouted the laws with CASA, been grounded & suspended a number of times, saved lives, done some funny things while flying aircraft.

 

Ben also flew I believe a 2 stoke 532 lightwing from Mallacoota in Victoria to New Zealands south Island (without approval) quite a number of years back. (not in the Buckley's Chance book BTW)

 

Awesome read, couldn't put it down once I started reading it, lots of laughs and lots of flying stories but a very hard book to find as it was written & published by Bob Stevens in 1999.

 

I have met Ben a number of times and he is a character as well as a damn nice man.

 

Alf

 

 

[silvercity]

Not sure if there is a better aviation read than "Fate Is The Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann.

 

As one reviewer wrote: "I have read it three times and today I start the fourth. I guess this is enough review.

 

If you are a pilot or feel something special for aviation there is no justification to skip it, you will never forget it."

 

 

[facthunter]

Have to respond to this. Fate is the Hunter is a genuine pilot's book. It motivated me immensely and many of the words written stuck with me through the whole of my flying career. I just checked with "goodreads' and the assessment of it is confirmation of the enthusiasm I hold for it. So many pilots read it many times. I must do the same soon. I can't recommend any book more. If you want to get into the mind of a real pilot, and great writer. Nev

 

 

[kaz3g]

I hunted around for ages and finally got the book Buckley's Chance.Great book written about the life of a local legend & Gippsland high country AG pilot Ben Buckley who has flouted the laws with CASA, been grounded & suspended a number of times, saved lives, done some funny things while flying aircraft.

Ben also flew I believe a 2 stoke 532 lightwing from Mallacoota in Victoria to New Zealands south Island (without approval) quite a number of years back. (not in the Buckley's Chance book BTW)

 

Awesome read, couldn't put it down once I started reading it, lots of laughs and lots of flying stories but a very hard book to find as it was written & published by Bob Stevens in 1999.

 

I have met Ben a number of times and he is a character as well as a damn nice man.

 

Alf

I was fighting fires in the Wonangatta-Wongungarra and Ben was doing aerial attack in a Pawnee. His very steep right-hand turn a few feet off the ground averted a disastrous collision with the NSCA Dornier. He also brought a critically ill child out from the bush to hospital on a mercy flight at night that raised more than eyebrows. Exceptional pilot, for sure.

 

His brother, John is in my Aeroclub and these days John runs a Tecnam which is now going over to Benalla to help the resurrected Benalla Aeroclub. When he was younger he flew a C 180 from the States to Australia through the Middle East and did many other things that can't be repeated here.

 

We put on a 2 or 3 course meal every Saturday at YSHT and the oldies there have a lot of stories worth hearing.

 

Kaz

 

 

[dazza 38]

Not sure if there is a better aviation read than "Fate Is The Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann.As one reviewer wrote: "I have read it three times and today I start the fourth. I guess this is enough review.

 

If you are a pilot or feel something special for aviation there is no justification to skip it, you will never forget it."

I have read it twice. A great book

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Hi All,I've been reading through some old Blog posts by Bob Hoover (nope, not that one) and have found a lot of them full of some great yarns and loads of tips about building planes.

 

Unfortunately Bob died a couple of years ago (back in 2010), but his family have kept the blog online.

 

If your interested in that sort of thing head over to http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com.au and have a read.

 

a qoute from one of his early pieces, which I found particularly poignant given a bunch of the posts on this site recently:

 

Build yourself an airplane. Go fly. Leave the ******** to the bean-counters.

 

-Bob Hoover

 

I've also been re-reading a book called Propellerhead by Antony Woodward (over here at Amazon (kindle) ).

 

It's about a guy who takes up flying a Thruster after noticing the effect his housemate's pilots licence has on members of the fairer sex.

 

Anybody else read anything good that's flying related recently?

Yes I have had the pleasure of reading Propellor head...a great read with lots of Thruster action. Recently read 'Puff ' the latest from Richard Bach. His story of getting sorted with amphib flying in a Searay, and then his flight across the US with another Searay A book also memorable for its great photos...............Maj...

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Something a bit out of the ordinary -

 

I came across a book written by Manfred von Richtofen, the 'Red Baron', called The Red Battle Flyer, and thought it would be interesting to hear the story from both the horse's mouth and the other perspective, since we mostly hear the allies' versions. Project Gutenberg have published it as an ebook since it is now in the public domain, being more than the author's life plus 50 years and also, since it was published and copyrighted prior to 1923, 75 years have elapsed since the copyright was claimed.

 

The book was written in High German and I don't speak High, Low or any German so I have translated it a few pages at a time using Google Translate and obviously Google has some difficulty with High, so the reading of it is a bit Teutonic to say the least but I still found it to be a very interesting insight. I've attached it as a pdf file as I'm sure some of you will enjoy it too. I think you can save it to your computer if you open it and 'save as' etc., it's only a small file (245kb).

 

EDIT - I just checked the file by opening it and it downloads automatically to Win7 and above but carries a message 'files like this can harm your computer etc'. I assure you it won't, I've scanned it with Avast and it's clean.

 

The red battle flyer (warplane) , by Manfred von Richthofen.pdf

 

The red battle flyer (warplane) , by Manfred von Richthofen.pdf

 

The red battle flyer (warplane) , by Manfred von Richthofen.pdf

[poteroo]

Just completed ' Flying Doctor' published 1st in 1947 with many reprints since. It's Clyde Fentons, (1901-1982), own story of the 6 years, (1934-1940) he was resident medical officer at Katherine, NT. He was not affiliated with John Flynns service, (later to become RFDS), but stands equally tall as a pioneer of aeromed services. He had 'learned' to fly,(DYO), in 1929, after completing his medical degrees in Melbourne. The book chronicles the 3000 hours that he flew in a rickety fabric aircraft around the NT. No formal airstrips, no attitude insts, no navaids, no BoM, no radio, but there was a CAA - and they spent many years chasing him over many, many perceived flying indiscretions. His descriptions of flying 'IFR' through the monsoon storms are frightening, to say the least. How he managed to operate out of poorly cleared 'strips' is amazing. There were many accidents, but he was never seriously injured. He became a legend in the NT. Worth a read. happy days,

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

HITC........Great stuff which I will certainly read when I get time. The Richtofens were proud Prussians (Uhlans ?) so probabily where the strange German came from.

 

I have a book written around 1917 called 'Fighting the Red Baron' written by one of his few survivors. The author was actually shot down by him , loosing his gunner to the Barons bullets, but survived himself. He wrote that the Baron appeared beside him unexpectedly in the red Triplane, saluted them, and then disappeared . Shortly after they felt his bullets from below. Richtofen got a lot this way as the Triplane had the ability to stand vertical and fire straight up into the belly of the enemy aircraft !.....He also liked to take off very early ( often with his pyjamas under his flight suit, as he was found when killed) and hang around enemy airfields . He got a lot on climb out right after takeoff when they were most vulnerable...He would enjoy an evening meal with his men, but didn't enjoy festivities with them later in the evening. He instead preferred to return to his quarters, listened to Symphony, and polished his bullets for the mornings' hunting............................Maj.........

 

 

[pmccarthy]

My best ever is Winged Victory by V.M.Yeates. Available in Kindle. Authentic story of WW1 flying. Yeates died of TB in the 1930s and never saw how successful his book became. It was highly sought in WW2 by pilots.

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

I've just bought Fate is the Hunter as some have suggested, so far I'm hooked, great read. I haven't read a book for pleasure in a long time.....

 

 

[dazza 38]

I've just bought Fate is the Hunter as some have suggested, so far I'm hooked, great read. I haven't read a book for pleasure in a long time.....

I have read it a couple if times. Every aviator should read it at least once

 

 

[Bandit12]

"Reach for the Sky" - the story of Douglas Bader is an old favourite, and not just for the flying but for the sheer determination and will of the man himself.

 

"The Dam Busters" is a great read, and is actually more the story of 617 Squadron through to the end of the war. In some ways the stories after the dam raid are more interesting.

 

"Chickenhawk" is a very honest and raw view of flying a Huey in Vietnam, and provides a very graphic description of a man struggling to cope with PTSD afterwards.

 

"The Cross-eyed Spitting Cobra" is the story of an Australian Navy pilot who goes off to become a mercenary pilot and is a great read. I knew the gentleman and went to school with his son, so that one was always special for me.

 

 

[Camel]

I'm not much of a book reader but picked up the book of Amy Johnson at a garage sale, I couldn't put it down and thoroughly enjoyed it. It would be an inspiring book for any female wanna be pilot or any bloke as she has real determination. Her landings are a laughing point most of the book as they are described as arrivals.

 

 

[naremman]

"Flight of the Mew Gull" by Alex Henshaw gets a top rating for an inspirational read. From winning the King's Cup in his Mew Gull, the same aircraft was modified as a long distance single seater , which in 1939 shattered all existing records for an England to Cape Town and return flight. The outward flight was just on two days, an overnight sleep in Cape Town and straight back to the UK to complete the epic journey in just on four days. All on a 200 hp engine, no radio navigation aids, and whilst the instruments were good for the time by todays standards would be considered basic. The book is still available.

 

Alex also has another book detailing his job during the Second World War test flying Spitfires which is on the to read list.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Alex Henshaw rings a bell, I think he ended up a test pilot on Spitfires during the development of the RR Merlin didn't he ?.......................... Maj.....

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Yes indeed he did....his other book is called 'Sigh for a Merlin ' about his years testing Spitfires........................Maj.......

 

 

[M61A1]

"Reach for the Sky" - the story of Douglas Bader is an old favourite, and not just for the flying but for the sheer determination and will of the man himself."The Dam Busters" is a great read, and is actually more the story of 617 Squadron through to the end of the war. In some ways the stories after the dam raid are more interesting.

 

"Chickenhawk" is a very honest and raw view of flying a Huey in Vietnam, and provides a very graphic description of a man struggling to cope with PTSD afterwards.

 

"The Cross-eyed Spitting Cobra" is the story of an Australian Navy pilot who goes off to become a mercenary pilot and is a great read. I knew the gentleman and went to school with his son, so that one was always special for me.

I've read all of those except "reach for the sky", I read " The Dam Busters" while hungover in the back of a C130 coming back from Butterworth. I enjoyed reading about Barnes Wallis' other creations after the bouncing bombs, like the "grand slam".

I also really enjoyed "Yeager", Chuck Yeager's auto/biography (there are a few authors involved), and his attitude of not being anyone special, but taking opportunities as they come.

 

 

[Mick]

"To Fly & Fight" by Bud Anderson is an interesting read. Bud flew with Chuck Yeager both during WWII and afterwards as a test pilot. The combat stories are good, but some of the testing they did is really fascinating. I have an autographed copy of this book after meeting Bud at Oshkosh in 2008.

 

I have also just finished "Hustling Hinkler", the story of Bert Hinkler. It is a good read too.

 

 

[M61A1]

Something a bit out of the ordinary -I came across a book written by Manfred von Richtofen, the 'Red Baron', called The Red Battle Flyer, and thought it would be interesting to hear the story from both the horse's mouth and the other perspective, since we mostly hear the allies' versions. Project Gutenberg have published it as an ebook since it is now in the public domain, being more than the author's life plus 50 years and also, since it was published and copyrighted prior to 1923, 75 years have elapsed since the copyright was claimed.

 

The book was written in High German and I don't speak High, Low or any German so I have translated it a few pages at a time using Google Translate and obviously Google has some difficulty with High, so the reading of it is a bit Teutonic to say the least but I still found it to be a very interesting insight. I've attached it as a pdf file as I'm sure some of you will enjoy it too. I think you can save it to your computer if you open it and 'save as' etc., it's only a small file (245kb).

 

EDIT - I just checked the file by opening it and it downloads automatically to Win7 and above but carries a message 'files like this can harm your computer etc'. I assure you it won't, I've scanned it with Avast and it's clean.

Only just found this, it's been translated into English. I wish I'd found before I read the one you posted, yours was a very good read, but I found it hard work to get a decent understanding.

http://www.richthofen.com/

 

 

[Nostalgair]

"Biplane" By Richard Bach is a short but quality book. It follows his flight across the USA in....a biplane.

 

Cheers

 

Owen

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

The actor Jimmy Stewart about his commanding and training b17 pilots in US and England is a good read.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

The actor Jimmy Stewart about his commanding and training b17 pilots in US and England is a good read.

Can you remember the title, Ozzie? Jimmy Shtewart was a hero of mine, an actor who actually did these things for real.

Another great red is "Samurai"

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/need-a-good-book.28547/#post-179378