Good books about aviation

[Old Koreelah]

I thought Ian’s site had every possible topic covered, but can’t find a section about good flying books.

 

I’ve read a few and just finished one about the first man on the moon.

 

I hadn’t realised how much flying skill these pioneering astronauts and cosmonauts needed. Most of them had mobs if experience as test pilots and in military combat. 

 

Before he got involved in the space program, Neil Armstrong flew everything from jet fighters to B-29s. Many times he flew the X-15 almost into space, and was a highly-qualified aeronautical engineer.

 

One of his greatest inspirations: Konstantin Tsiolkovski, the visionary Russian rocket pioneer.

 

One thing I got from this book was an appreciation of how space exploration is vital for our long-term survival. Even if we finaliy wake up to ourselves and start taking better care of our little planet, we can’t live here forever. Eventually it will get clobbered by a big rock and we’ll be exterminated. Lets hope that by then we have viable colonies on other planets...

 

 NEIL ARMSTRONG 

 

A life of flight

 

by Jay Barbree

 

 

[rgmwa]

This topic has come up before. Some of my favourites, in no particular order:

 

Fate is the Hunter -  Ernest Gann

 

A Higher Call - Adam Makos

 

North Star Over My SHoulder - Bob Buck

 

Weather Flying - Bob Buck

 

Wind, Sand and Fire - Saint-Exupery

 

The Hardest Day - Alfred Price

 

A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin

 

Hustling Hinkler - D.R.Dymock

 

Sagittarius Rising - Cecil Lewis

 

War in a Stringbag - Charles Lamb

 

First Light - Geoffrey Wellum

 

The Flight of the Mew Gull - Alex Henshaw

 

The Man who Saved Smithy - Rick Searle

 

Gallipoli Air War - Hugh Dolan

 

Forever Flying - Bob Hoover

 

Boyd - Robert Coram

 

Killer Caldwell - Jeffrey Watson

 

No Moon Tonight - Don Charlwood

 

The Final Hours - Johannes Steinhoff

 

The Last Plane Out of Berlin - Jeffrey Watson

 

Messerschmitts Over Sicily - Johannes Steinhoff

 

I Flew for the Fuhrer - Heinz Knoke

 

The First and the Last - Adolf Galland

 

Flying Doctor - Clyde Fenton

 

Mustang Designer - Ray Wagner

 

Fighter - Len Deighton

 

The Flight of the Condor- W.E Johns

 

 

[Hongie]

The Dog Stars. - Once you get past the somewhat odd prose, its a great read. Not about aviation per se, but featured heavily in it. I wont give away the story line.

 

Forever Flying - RA Bob Hoover. No explanation needed

 

Stick and Rudder - Wolfgang Langewiesche

 

The Bush and mountain flying handbook - CC pocock

 

Mountain Flying - Sparky Imeson

 

Winging it - Jack Jefford

 

 

[Thruster88]

For a bit of light reading I enjoyed   The diary of "jack flyer" by Tim Heylbut and Buckley's chance by Bob Stevens.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Flying Doctor by Clyde Fenton is remembered by my daughter as one of the funniest books w shared.

 

 

[old man emu]

The first aviation book I read was I Flew for the Fuhrer by Heinz Knoke.

 

 

It is written in diary form and follows Heinz from his youth in the city of Hamlin through to the end of the war. I still have that book, minus the cover.

 

 

[Yenn]

Flying The Edge is a good basic flying textbook. By Brian Mc Allister and it has nothing to do with flying the aircraft called the Edge. Just about flying at low speed and the edge of the envelope. Chickenhawk, a book about Vietnam and military flying is a good read.

 

 

[poteroo]

For details of how our RAAF evolved out of the AFC, and the AFC evolved out of the RFC, (Itself becoming the RAF), in WW1, this book makes for good reading.  A short life for most, but it surely was better than in the trenches.

 

Fire in the Sky

 

The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War

 

MICHAEL MOLKENTIN

 

 

[Methusala]

" Frigate Bird "- P G Taylor and " Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey" - Mike Collins ( From memory - hope I'm not too far out in the titles.)

 

 

[ClintonB]

Missing Man, the Len Waters Story was an excellent read.

 

Reading Pierre Closterman's the Big Show at the moment, having trouble putting it down

 

I have found if I see an interesting book on aviation, especially military I tend to grab it. Collection is growing

 

steadily. If they keep putting crap on TV at night I will be reading lots more.

 

 

[spenaroo]

Been reading the accidental airline 

 

By Howard white and Jim Salisbury.

 

Intersting reas about flying around Canada during and post WW2

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

Some books I have read and recommend....

 

Shadow of a Tiger by Lionel Parker.

 

Boy Phoenix by Helen Blake.

 

The Sky is Not the Limit by Matt Hall.

 

QF32 by Richard de Crespigny.

 

Amelia Earhart by Elgen Long and Marie Long.

 

I found them all a good read.

 

 

[djpacro]

https://www.amazon.com.au/Stalls-Spins-Safety-Revised-Sammy-ebook/dp/B008P1HLJ4

 

 

[facthunter]

Crash Pilot... By Dick Grace. WW1 pilot and Alpine rescue. in Europe.  Piper Super Cub. Older but relevant.  Nev

 

 

[Admin]

I was given a book the other day for Fathers Day from my daughter:

 

Fire In The Sky - The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War by Michael Molkentin

 

Has anyone read it?

 

 

[Neil_S]

I was given a book the other day for Fathers Day from my daughter:

 

Fire In The Sky - The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War by Michael Molkentin

 

Has anyone read it?

 

Yes - I have it. I really enjoyed it.

 

Cheers,

 

Neil

 

 

[old man emu]

I got a biography of an Australian WWll airman for Father's Day, too. I'll talk about it when I've finished reading it.

 

 

[Admin]

I don't know why the family gives me books...they never see me have the free time to sit down and read one...the other one they gave me for Fathers Day was on the history of the Bee Gees, them (pre disco) as well as Pink Floyd and Roger Waters are my favourites but in DVDs I like Aviation and War Movies (preferably Air Force and Navy)

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

I was given a book the other day for Fathers Day from my daughter:

 

Fire In The Sky - The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War by Michael Molkentin

 

Has anyone read it?

 

Yes!  A good read with plenty of research, and pictures.  I have passed it around and it has just come past me again.  I have friends who raid my shelves for good reads.  I'm organised now, I have a pile of books for each with "this might interest .. Bill, Pete etc" to avoid dragging everything out or offering things they've already read.  I must say we got a lot of good books from Ian's shop Clear Prop (Pilot Shop on the side menu)

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I bought it, read it and donated it to our extensive aero club lending library. A good idea if you can arrange it.

 

 

[Admin]

I was thinking about this at about 3am this morning when I woke up and wondered whether we could create some kind of Book and Video library where users can list what they have and users send their copy to them who then sends it to someone else etc. I thought about for about 30 mins and couldn't work out how it would work...and then I fell back to sleep.

 

Seriously though, I wonder whether it could be done and if so HOW???

 

 

[Admin]

I've got it...a whole new Aviation DVDs and Books section that gives the details of the movie/book etc and some custom fields where users can add reviews, who has a copy to lend out, who has the copy now etc...i will look into it

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

I've got it...a whole new Aviation DVDs and Books section that gives the details of the movie/book etc and some custom fields where users can add reviews, who has a copy to lend out, who has the copy now etc...i will look into it

 

Can we include e-books, on-line videos; a rating system (5 stars? planes?) a category (or two, three ...) eg WWI / WWI planes / Australian Pilots / Egypt / England.  Fiction / non-fiction.  A picture of the cover if possible.

 

 

[spacesailor]

It Was a good thing once, now illegal  Some one missing their money.

 

Biggest book depository  was of course "Piratebay"

 

Everything you want (as above), It was all there for the download.

 

( have to have a VPN to access it now I believe.)

 

Great pity it couldn't have been legalised.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Admin]

Can we include e-books, on-line videos; a rating system (5 stars? planes?) a category (or two, three ...) eg WWI / WWI planes / Australian Pilots / Egypt / England.  Fiction / non-fiction.  A picture of the cover if possible.

 

They are great suggestions @FlyingVizsla keep them coming so I can create a good specs sheet to a developer that I know has expressed interest in creating it. For books the user just needs to put the ISBN number in and all details will come up