Aircraft Books

I am a ham radio operator and quite comfortable talking on the radio, yet I found this book to be a valuable resource in how to properly communicate with the tower and air traffic control. I would expect it to be that much more valuable to someone who is not familiar with radio procedures or to whom the prospect of keying a microphone and talking to someone is scary. It covers all the way from your first communication with Ground and then the Tower, to Flight Watch, Flight Service Stations, Class G through Class A airspace, and how to announce your intentions at an airport not serviced by a control tower -- and even airports serviced by a control tower at a different airport. I recommend this book to anyone considering flight training.

I am an aviation enthusiast with minimal flight communication training. This book is written using plain english to explain pilot to ATC communications. The maps, diagrams and illustrations are incredibly helpful as well.

Should be required reading for all begining private pilots and some old pros could use it too.
Clear and to the point. This will take you beyond just simple communication etiquette. I found the glossary alone to be worth the price of Bob Gardner's book.
Communicating clearly makes all of us better and safer pilots.

This book is the best way to learn the lingo expected of you, once in an aircraft. It will inform and educate you on all aspects of talking with towers, ground crews and the likes. As an aspiring pilot, I wouldn't have tried figuring it all out in the plane. Great read, and great instruction.

I am a new pilot, and this book is amazing. It clearly explains all aspects of talking on the radio, from untowered airports, to complex Class B hubs, and everything in between. I recently read chapter 10 on the flight service station system and used that to great effect on my solo cross country flights. It boosts confidence and explains all the ins and outs from the pilot's view and more inportantly, gives insight to what the Controllers are dealing with. This is an exceptional book, highly recommended for all types of pilots.

An excellent text for aeronautical students aiming for the mainstream (ie jet-powered military/civil),industry.Not as good as Darrol Stinton's books. Nothing about cooling liquid-cooled piston/rotary engines.
The "Simplified For Hombuilders" version is adequate for homebuilders in my opinion.

A must have for any aeronautical engineer. I recommend it to all students of aeronautical engineering. The book is very professional and comprehensive.

The shipping is fast~ i was expecting it to arrive like 3-4 weeks but no~! is less then that
books are wrapped in good condition

The Raymer's book is a great title for airplane preliminary sizing.
The book is very useful with many tips about the subject.
The Torenbeek's book and Roskam's books is also recommended.

For any aspiring Aeronautical Engineer, this book provides indepth analysis and insights into design of Aeronautical Systems. Several design concepts have been demonstrated with real examples. A must read.

This outstanding book is a must have, particulary for those interested in Cold War aircraft. This physically large book is positively packed with technical details, photos, and personal accounts from those who served with the aircraft. A great coffee table book, and a definitive source on anything B-36! Although I don't own any, I would like to add any one of the photo books suggested by Amazon as a companion. I've always been fascinated by this large aircraft, especially after seeing the example at the Museum of the USAF (Dayton, OH). You won't be disappointed!

If you ever wanted to know anything about this massive airplane you will probably find it in this awesome book. The book will take you back in time to the development and life of the greatest of bombers. The book is not just a bunch of statistics either. It is not a boring narrative, but is full of all kinds of fascinating stories and incidents that went on in the life and times of this great airplane. It is printed on fine glossy stock and has many wonderful pictures from all through the years of the Peacemakers existance. Highly recommended!!!

An extremely well written book. It tells you all about the B36.
The authers use of parts written by "Those who were there" is an object lesson to other authers.
It is A verey large and heavy book whivh should be on all aircraft lovers
bookshelves.
If you live in europe it is half price too.

that is defintitely the best book about the big stick of the SAC. tons of pictures and in-depth text! highly recommended!!!!!

Good reference on the B-36 Peacemaker. Well illustrated with black and white as well as color photographs. Many cut away drawings and diagrams. Lots of background development. Good historical as well as technical information. Lacking in material on the FICON and Parasites fighter programs

If you're reading this then you have an interest in Japanese aircraft- so this is a book you should have. While not perfect, and not as exhaustive as some books on American, British and German aircraft, it still is very good. You get historical text, three view drawings, and photos on each aircraft. Also mentioned are Japanese engines, weapons, brief histories of the JAAF/IJN, and a brief history of the aircraft manufacturers. There are not many books that cover all Japanese aircraft so buy a nice used copy and you will not regret it.

Also buy Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941, it will be useful when the author refers to aircraft that were not used during the war. It also will help you understand Japanese aircraft trends and history.

If you are seriously interested in the Pacific air war, you need this book. It is an exhaustive listing of Japanese aircraft designs with extensive details on the development, production, and use of each machine. Combat operational details are extremely limited. Photographs are adequate--black&white, bigger than postage stamps, just barely large enough to get the job done. There are extensive technical details on each machine. Minor disadvantages are that indexing is frustrating to use, and that the author (correctly, but frustratingly) uses the confusing Japanese nomenclature exclusively. This decision was probably necessary, if only to accurately describe different modifications of each airframe (each modification is lovingly described), but it makes using the book more difficult for sheltered American readers! It would be easier if the American "code name" was more prominently featured in a standard place for each airplane, but the code names are buried in the text, and in some cases not mentioned at all.

Despite the irritating quirks, it is truly an essential reference, and I hope it goes back into print.

This book is very detailed and for the most part satisfyingly complete. The illustrative photographs (or in the case of airplanes that were never photographed, rare original concept drawings) are very clear and effective. Service histories are often sparse in favor of development and technical details, but if you're in the market for a concise dictionary of Japanese aircraft you'll probably appreciate the attention to the harder to come by details.

this is the best book about Japanese Aircrafts ever done...my first impression was: an old book..it smells like grandpa... where are the colours???, but when I read the first page, I understood I had got the best information in a resume book...More than 100 aircrafts, each aircrat has one or more black and white picture, specifications, three view draw and extensive text with explanation of variations, roles, desperate missions, etc.
You can find a clear explanation about the japanese code name used by Navy and Imperial Army and of course American Code Name.
Finally you can find at last pages a sinopsis like index to get easily the page in the book for each aircraft....did you know japanese had aircrafts to catch easily P-51s, Corsairs and B-29s???...read it, and understand why they couldn't use them.
You have to waste a lot of time trying to get and resume this information by internet and even so, I'm sure you won't get all....My respect for this work.

Much in the same way that William Greene is the expert on German Aircraft of WW-II, Rene J. Francillon has researched this subject (off and on) over a period of about 30 years. The orignal edition of this book came out in the 1970's and has been updated as information from the files of the US Department of Defense has become declassified and "Pubic Domain".
One of the most interesting of the facts that one may come across is that many talented German Aircraft designers TRAINED Japanese aircraft design engineers during the 1920's and early 30's, because the Germans were prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles to engage in the design of war planes in their own country. This led to a close working relationship between German and Japanese warplane designers and a great deal of commerce between the two countries in war time designs.
Someone may eventually write a refernce book on this subject. I would if I had time.
Bob Clark
President
International Military Technology Historians
fsearch@yahoo.com

With any theatre of war in the past century, control of the air has been paramount to ultimate success on the battlefield. The resulting aviation arms race has been one of continuous, non-stop technological innovation. One such sterling example is the high-altitude rapid response bomber aircraft such as North American Aviation's XB-70A Valkyrie. Co-authored by military aviation experts Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis, "Valkyrie: North American's Mach 3 Superbomber" showcases an aircraft that flew just 164 times, but was so spectacular in its concept and execution that it became an iconic example of what was technologically possible, only to be scuttled by the political and fiscal conditions that dominated the 1960s. Profusely illustrated with 100 color and 500 black-and-white photographs, "Valkyrie" provides a superbly detailed history of this remarkable and impressive aircraft, making it a highly prized and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Military Aviation History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

In all the years of interest in this aircraft, this is the first book where I have seen photos of the cockpit, and even detailed diagrams of same. It looks similar to the B-52 cockpit, which I flew for 24 years. Best documented book ever on the B-70.

I have been interested in the B70 for decades. I read earlier reviews of this book which were critical of the book's publishing quality. If there were any, I certainly didn't notice them.

This is a well written, exceptionally readable book about a fascinating aircraft developed during the apogee of US aviation history. The book had just the right mix of text and photographs. My only regret is that I waited so long to buy the book. This is a MUST for any aviation buff's library.

This book was the best book I have ever read concerning the XB-70 bomber. Not only do the authors give facts on the XB-70, but they give additional data concerning the events and aircraft that led to the eventual evolvement of this aircraft. The footnotes are numerous leading creedance to the information provided. Volumes of technical data and actual check lists are included as well as actual pilot reports of the flying qualities of the XB-70. If you are a pilot or aviation enthusiast, this is the book for you.

Michael LeBlanc

An amazingly comprehensive view of the B-70 project and other military projects that were associated with it. It's a glimpse into a frantic period when weapons systems were evolving so rapidly and the stakes couldn't have been higher... nuclear annihalation.

As the US and Soviet Union jockey furiously trying to allocate their finite resources to the most promising weapons, the B-70 emerges as the last gasp of the high speed high altitude manned penetrator school of thought... just as unmanned ICBM's and SAM's render this idea untenable.

Although this book is written entirely as a rather detached factual account, the result is remakably dramatic. The stops and starts and misdirections that our government takes desperately trying to stay "ahead" of the Soviets gives a glimpse of how highly charged this issue was.

The book is well-written and well-researched. Not to be missed.

The book and its photos are great. However, Brian Shul is not well-thought of in the Habu community. I don't know if I can buy a book by a person that broke all the rules, and now acts like he is a hero. One of the most incriminating photos is a self-portrait of Shul, with his David Clark pressure suit and helmet, taken DURING a mission. From what I have learned about the "Sled," the pilot was too busy to be snapping photos of himself--especially in a super-secret airplane, during a classified mission.

The amazingly true story of Sled Driver was about a very daring pilot that flew one of the most secretive airplanes in history, the SR-71. Brain Shul, the author and the main personality throughout the book, started as a military fighter pilot, was one of the few people in the world to be to be trained to fly the SR-71 "Black Bird" or the "Sled" as it is sometimes called, let alone actually fly the beast, was chosen to fly the airplane. Two months of severe flight simulating and text manual reading, Brain is chosen to fly the "Sled" and is partnered with the only black man to ever fly the SR-7, Walt Watson. These two men are paired for their entire career of flying the SR-71. The rest of the book are tales of wondrous experiences and frightful mishaps that nearly take their lives, though they always came out strong.
In every book there are at least on thing that does not click with the reader, and in this book this rule holds true. The only problem I experienced while reading this book was the odd placement of pictures. Whenever the Author got into a serious thought or story, the next page would have a picture or series of pictures that would make you lose your trail of thought and provoke you to look at the photos. This severely annoyed me most of the way through the book. I don't quit think the author was thinking to deeply into the placement of the photos or he's a total genius and didn't want you to get completely trapped into his story, giving you time to think about what just happened or recollect on what exactly he was saying.
Of course there are good or great things about a book or the reader would stop reading it, unless he was forced to read it like I was in grade school and throughout High School. The pictures were phenomenal, even though their placement was off. The sheer quality and beauty of them was overwhelming. Also, the author used so much detail in his writing, it was almost as if you were in the cockpit with him and Walt. He used so manning adjectives, that it was almost as if he wanted your full attention on a specific object or experience, just so that you didn't miss a thing.

yes i know that the 'sled driver' by shul is a fantastic book!!
and yes indeed, i have yet to read it
at nearly 1/2 a grand to purchase, i believe i shall never read it
i find it wonderful that the author wants to release another limited printing of 3500 copies
once again, i am sure to be left out of the fold
what is the motivation here?
am i not to ever get a crack at reading this fine work??
am i expected to ever get a truthful answer to my questions??
being a realist and a pilot, i must say its a lousey day for v.f.r
warmest regards to all those profiting at my expense
tim

I first heard about this book when i was a freshman in high school seeing the add in the pacific flyer newspaper, Ever since then I have always wanted to get this book! I searched book stores to this day to find a copy! But after searching I have found it here only to have my dreams shot down like a japanese plane over pearl harbor that at a price of 245+ I will never be able to add this book to my extensive collection i have collected ever since i was 8! I hope one day to win the lottery or something so i can buy it!

I got my copy from Brian when he was selling them at an open house at March AFB. He was planted right under the left wing. You could sit in the cockpit of the SR-71 for a photo for $5. That was well worth it! When you look behind you and see all that mass of black titanium, and imagine that you would leave a 30-06 bullet in the dust, it is truly awe inspiring. By the way Brian was signing, to you personally, his Sled Driver books for a paltry $35. My friend who is also a plane nut , got one too. My treat. I also got his second book by mail from him for the same price. He is a great guy who answers his own phone and takes your order himself. He is also very funny. Look him up at the next big airshow you attend. He'll tell you all about "the sled" Lee

Volume 2 of Macarthur Job's "Air Disaster" series shines the light on 14 different commercial aviation accidents between the years 1977 and 1991.

Some of the crashes that are probed here include....................

>> The mid-air collision of a PSA Boeing 727 and a Cessna prop plane, above San Diego, on September 25, 1978.

>> The crash of "Palm 90" (an Air Florida Boeing 737) into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1982.

>> The terrifying odyssey of "Aloha 243", a Boeing 737 which suddenly found itself without a large portion of its roof in mid-flight on April 28, 1988. Thankfully, nearly everyone survived this near catastrophe.

>> The May 25, 1979, disaster in Chicago, which had American Airlines Flight 191, a fully-loaded DC-10 heading to Los Angeles, falling out of the sky just after takeoff when one of its three engines fell off the left wing.

>> The harrowing ordeal of United Airlines Flight 232 above Iowa on July 19, 1989. The DC-10, incredibly, lost ALL of its hydraulics systems, making it nearly impossible to turn the large widebodied aircraft. Amazingly, however, the crew of the stricken airliner was very nearly able to make a successful landing at Sioux City, Iowa. The plane crashed upon landing, but many people survived thanks to the great work of the cockpit crew.

All of these chapters, and many others, play out in this volume in great detail, with many illustrations and photos that bring each episode to life.

Along with the incidents I've listed above, this publication also contains an edge-of-your-seat chapter that ranks as my favorite from this volume -- that being the incredible tale of British Airways 009 on June 24, 1982. BA 009 suffered an unparalleled equipment failure while flying at 37,000 feet above Jakarta. Unbelievably, all four engines of the British Airways Boeing 747-200 Jumbo Jet had failed at the same time, turning Flight 009 into a 231-foot-long, 800,000-pound glider!

Unbeknownst to the aircraft's pilots, the 747 had flown through the ash cloud of a recently-erupted volcano. The thick ash and soot from the volcanic cloud of debris immediately began to clog the 4 massive engines of the 747, forcing each engine (one by one) to cease functioning. In addition, the 247 passengers aboard Flight 009 had the unfortunate ability to see (and hear) what was happening to the stricken powerplants outside the cabin windows, with many passengers looking on in horror as they saw the engines literally "light up", with streams of fire shooting out of the engines' jetpipes! Plus, everyone on board could hear the deafening *silence* after each of the engines had choked and failed.

Can you just imagine the terror of being inside the cabin of a Boeing 747 jetliner, 37,000 feet above the Earth, and suddenly hearing .... NOTHING!? No sounds of power at all coming from any of the engines?! Engines that should be providing that familiar "hum" that all passengers grow accustomed to when flying on jet-powered aircraft.

The fear and anxiety on that plane much have been overwhelming indeed. All the engines have stopped; the jet is "gliding" at 37,000 feet; and flames are belching out of the stalled engines. Nice situation, huh? This highly unlikely set of circumstances is, though, exactly what was facing the stunned cockpit crew of BA 009 that June day in 1982.

This Flight 009 chapter is a rarity in this series of "Air Disaster" books, in that (thankfully) the 747 did NOT crash, and no lives were lost. Fortunately, as the 747 descended below the level of the volcanic ash cloud, the pilots were able to re-start the engines and the jet landed safely at Jakarta's airport approximately 45 minutes after the terror-filled adventure began. Although the landing was certainly no walk in the park for the Flight 009 pilots, because another side effect of flying directly through all that volcanic ash was that the aircraft's windshield/(windscreen) was almost completely covered in ash and soot, severely reducing the pilots' visibility while landing.

This BA 009 chapter (Chapter 7) is a mesmerizing account of what turned out to be an averted disaster, with no fatalities resulting. But one has to ponder what COULD have occurred -- What if those engines never re-started? THAT scenario would no doubt have resulted in a different outcome, with massive loss of life. Thankfully, those engines DID re-start and the skill of the pilots resulted in a happy ending to this chapter.

"Air Disaster: Volume 2" contains 218 pages of tension-filled reading. Pick this one up now. And watch out for that 7th Chapter. It's a dandy.

Since I was a child, I have always had a fear and fascination of aviation accidents. People ask me if I am afraid of flying, I tell them, "No, but I am afraid of 'not flying'".

McArthur Job's Air Disaster series (4 books) is my favorite, and perhaps the most comprehensive and detailed books on aviation accidents. It is written technically enough to engage experts in aviation field, yet easy enough for anyone to read, understand and enjoy.

I chose to review book 2 because I am most fascinated by the Sept 25, 1978 PSA-182 collision with a Cessna. I have read many other reports and accounts of this accident, and Job has written the most thorough and detailed account.

One of the reasons for this is the CVR transcript. I dont know what his resource was for the transcript, but it includes transmissions that do not appear in any other transcript I have read, such as FO Fox setting flaps and gear, and a few expressions/expletives ("Whoo!" "####") in the final few seconds of the disaster. While these by themselves do not enhance the investigation, they do give you a more accurate feeling of what those in the cockpit may have experienced.

Another reason is artist Matthew Tesch. He further dramatizes and explains the stories/reports, with a very generous supply of detailed drawings, maps, and diagrams. This is in addition to the many photos included in the book (all B&W, the only drawback).

The writing is outstanding. Job combines rich details and aviation-specific vocabulary/terminology, along with a easy story-telling style that lets you feel you are right there in the cockpit.

All in all, I would give Vol 2, as well as the entire series (although I have not read Vol 4), a full five stars.

While I think this is by far the best collection of aviation accidents, I am disappointed that there are some major events omitted (such as Delta 191), and some not so well known events included. I dont mind reading the lesser known events, I would only like to see more major events, even if the books cost more.

However, that still does not detract anything...Job has created an excellent and fascinating collection, and in my opinion these are still the most fascinating reads about aviation disasters that I could find.

The point of these books is MaCarthurs view that to pin point the cause of a disaster it is counter productive to blame an individual. It takes a number of steps for a disaster to happen. If any of these steps are interrupted the disaster may be averted. He also shows the case for cockpit resource management (CRM) that is, how to use the skills of all to best advantage. CRM is starting to flow into fields such as medicine (So the surgeon pays attention to the nurse telling him his about to cut of the wrong leg).

We have all been asked, at one point or another, what book we would bring to a deserted tropical island if marooned there for life. While I will not go so far as to suggest Air Disaster vol 2 should be that book, I will say it is one of the finest books on the subject I have ever read, and I have read many. Its fourteen chapters include the Japan airlines crash of 1985, the Air Lauda disaster in 91, and the 1978 mid-air collision over San Diego. The book is an excellent one for three reasons.

First of all, Job gives the reader superb explanations for how these accidents happened. His writing can be understood by everyone from the aviation expert to the land lubber who has never flown. He shows how each crash resulted from a chain of events, often going back several years, that was never broken.

Secondly, the book does not cover only the technical side of these disasters, as many have. The human side of the calamity is included as well. The reader may find himself at the site of these crashes, feeling as if they have just occured.

Finally, the illustrations in this volume are first rate, and couldn't be better. Several chapters include photos of the actual doomed aircraft years before the crash. Others show the planes right before impact. All together they tell the aircraft's story by themselves. Tesch's illustrations and diagrams add considerably to the work.

I gave volume 1 four stars because many of the accidents included were minor and played little part in disaster history. The same cannot be said for this book. I have not read volumes 3 and 4 yet, but can only hope they are as good as this one.

It's perhaps not the done thing for the artist to comment on his work, masquerading as a "review", but I'm pleased to note the other reviewers' comments about the effort which Mac Job and I put into this series.
Enormous effort by us both was invested in these books ~ on Mac's part to bring the dry bones of the official investigation reports (and other sources) to life in an intelligently readable manner; on mine, to flesh these out with a visual context designed to enrich his text and, almost, tell a 'parallel story'.
The many explanatory graphics, maps and diagrams were, in almost all cases, redrawn ~ or re-crafted from scratch ~ to bring a clear and dramatic visual emphasis to the stories.
The Erebus chapter (a particular personal passion of mine) was an exhaustive collaborative effort between us, the goal being to draw the divergent background official investigations into an appropriately balanced whole.
It was a singular honour to be able to secure the contribution of former Air New Zealand Captain Gordon Vette to write the Foreword to this volume.
Captain Vette's own investigations into the disaster contributed in no small part to the ensuing Mahon Royal Commission, and I can highly commend his own published work "Impact Erebus" as well.
Matthew Tesch

Dr. Kernan's four years overseas, which encompasses the full length of the War in the Pacific during 1941-45 is an autobiographical treasure that is as true a war story as any can be. This book takes us not on a pleasure cruise, but a voyage into a long-forgotten world of young, Depression-era ranchers and shoe clerks turned aviation ordinancemen and pilots. These we meet, however briefly, snaking up the stairs in a long line at the New Congress Hotel whorehouse in old Honolulu, in a below-decks poker game on a rusting, inflammable escort carrier, or seen for a fleeting moment, unconscious in the gaping seas as the result of a slight but deadly flight miscalculation, sinking beneath the waves, impossible to save, gone. Those voices of the past, their thoughts, fears and dreams, are recorded here with a painful honesty and without much sentiment for, as the author admits, he never really intended it for general publication at first. Those of us who appreciate history poured straight up will be forever in his debt that he changed his mind.

War, of course, is the antithesis of wonderful, and yet Alvin Kernan's memoir is so vividly and beautifully written that I wish to have been at his side during that time. The other reviews give a sense of Mr. Kernan's story, but I want to spend my praise on his writing: clear, direct, unadorned prose, which nevertheless conveys an absolute sense of place. If you want to learn to write well, you will read this book repeatedly. If you teach writing (not making up), consider Crossing The Line as a textbook.

Highest recommendation. You can order new copies online at Yalebooks.com.

. When you think of an east coast university professor who specializes in the humanities--Shakespearean literature, in this case--you probably won't be visualizing someone who started adulthood by engaging in vicious aerial gunnery duels with Japanese fighters and otherwise living the stressful, profane, hazardous life of an enlisted sailor on three World War II aircraft carriers, one of which was sunk while he was aboard. Such is the case, though, with retired Yale professor Alvin B. Kernan, author of "Crossing the Line," one of the most interesting and often gripping sagas of navy life that I've read.
. The book came as a surprise to me, on two counts. One, I knew that Kernan had been an aviation ordnanceman on the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway, and later an aerial gunner. But I had very little notion of the depth of his wartime experiences, not only as an aircrewman but also in escaping the sinking of the USS Hornet in the Guadalcanal battles and in a harrowing deployment aboard the escort carrier USS Suwanee (CVE-27). Suffice to say in this short review that Kernan earned a Navy Cross, a DFC, and five air medals from inside the turret of a TBF Avenger!
. And two, I had previously read Kernan's fictitious account of the Battle of Midway, "Love and Glory," which I thought was interesting but flawed in a number of regards (see my review on Amazon). For that reason, I was a little dubious about reading "Crossing the Line." Would this be another "interesting but flawed" piece of work that would cause me to keep my red pen handy while I read it? No. Crossing the Line is simply outstanding. Anyone with an interest in WWII naval air action will also want to read this book. I highly recommend it. Yes, there are a couple of minor nits that a very knowledgeable historian might want to pick, but they are so insignificant as to be unworthy of mentioning here. "Crossing the Line" will not disappoint you. In fact, you'll probably find it hard to put down.
. (Reviewed by R. W. Russell, Battle of Midway Roundtable, www.midway42.org)

Alvin Kernan has written one of the best books on WW2 I have ever read, and I've read a lot of them. His descriptions of his wartime experiences are crisp, vivid, and relevant.

If any of us are ever tempted to generalize in a negative way about sailors in the U.S. Navy, I suggest they read this book all the way to the end. What Kernan went on to do after the war is just as impressive as what he did while he served Uncle Sam.

Alvin Kernan was a 17-year-old from a poor family when he enlisted in the Navy in 1941. He was assigned to the carrier Enterprise and was aboard on Dec 7, 1941. He served aboard carriers most of the war, including a tour aboard the Hornet and he was aboard when she was sunk. He spent most of the time with the torpedo squadrons and gives a vivid account of the Battle of Midway. Most war histories are written by or about the leaders and it is unusual to find someone who was there for all the battles but who was seeing it all from the bottom up. After the war, he went to college on the GI Bill (as did I) and eventually ended his career as dean of the graduate school at Princeton. This is a vivid and knowledgeable account of the carrier war from one who was there and is a skilled writer. Anyone interested in the navy in World War II should read this book.

First, the author was in my dad's squadron when he was killed in action. But his thoughts about the war while he was a bomber pilot sounded a lot like some of the times that are being saidnow about the current conflicts around the world.

Bert's narrative of the different missions he flew showed the fear or devil may care attitude of other people who also flew bombers during WWII.

Overall.. after 64 years the insite is remarkable.

This is not close to the first review of this book. Read the other listings for much more detail.

I gave the book 5 stars, but it isn't at that level as a piece of literature. However, it is well beyond that level as an artifact of history. As I write this in late 2003, the Denver Post has almost daily obituaries for the WWII generation. Soon they will all be gone. In another 30 years the Vietnam vets, in another 50 the Gulf kids. Each will leave some worthwhile fragments of their experience, this is one of the better ones I've found from the WWII group.

As a Denver kid that had problems with Denver Pub Schools, sat on the bench for high school football, went off to war in Vietnam, flew in the Navy, I found Stiles' book to be a godsend, to understand MY life, and my relationship with my father's generation. Read it because it is a ROUGH manuscript, obviously not well edited, and it is honest, and for any number of reasons, it seems that honesty comes at a premium and probably always has.

The current President, who had the opportunity to really be a combat pilot and did everything he could to avoid it, now poses on flight decks. The current Governor of Colorado, who never did a day in the military, passed out pictures of himself in a flight-suit climbing down from a aircraft wing to associate himself with a strong defense. What a miserable collection of mutts compared to their father's generation.

The remarkable thing about these kids wasn't that they were courageous heroes, but because they weren't and they still got the job done. One bloody, gut-wrenching day at a time. Spin that.

Not much I can add to what others have written about the Big Bird. I first read the book while in college in the late 1960s. Some years later I lent the paperback to a friend and it went up in smoke during a fire. I was stunned and mad because I liked to go back on occasion and read a chapter or two when I felt I needed to read something from Bert. Now, to make a short story long, after years of trying to find another copy, the internet came along and I started to find out about Bert. I began pulling things up and contacting various folks. I came across one fellow and damned if they weren't having a get-together honoring Bert at Colorado College. I was there. It lasted two days and no more than a handful of old folks were in attendence (at the time I was in my mid 50s and I was the second yougest person there). As I was leaving at the end of the remberance a fellow took hold of my arm and asked if I would like to have a stack of books. They were compiled by friends of Bert's some time long after he had died! Of course I accepted them! There were writings ranging back to his high school days in Denver. Some of the stuff is pretty good, some not so good. But, the short stories (sorry, there is no lost novel) I found had a appeal for the time and demonstrated Bert's growth as a writer.

Yes, I too think Bert was on the brink of becoming a well known writer. He did, by the way, write for a magazine in New York. I have the books and I still return to then when I need a good laugh (Bert was quite a wit) or just want to step back into the late 30s or early 40s. There must be 5-6 of these books (private publisher, sorry). The fellow who organized the 'event' is no longer with us as, I would guess, many of the others aren't. My God, most were in their very late 70s or early-mid 80s. Alas the group is leaving us at an astounding rate.

Okay, I'm done now. The book gets 5 stars and I have been able to give you a very brief look at Bert and some of his pals - though not many. Yes, there are other "books" by Bert and you might just get lucky and find some of them.

I first read this book in 1960 and discovered that Bert Stiles was my uncle-Robert Langford's roommate in "Copilot House". I sent my copy to my uncle who subsequently got a copy (long out of print) from the publisher. He said the story was pretty much like things were. He said Bert Stiles always said he was writing a book but then everybody was writing a book. I have my uncle's copy filled with photos of the "Big Bird" full of holes afer Leipzig. The aircraft never flew again. It was repaired and blew up with the sqadron commander and chaplain aboard on it's test flight.

When Bert Stiles wrote this book, the war was still raging across the world. It was 1944, he had just completed a horrific tour of duty as a B17 co-pilot, and the memories were fresh in his mind. Even though Bert seemed to be a somewhat sensitive man, some of his words have a callous feel to them. He talks about the officers and enlisted men forming a baseball team, and "..after the Schweinfurt raid, we had to replace the whole infield"-Simply put, so many men had been killed on that mission, no one was left to play on the team. Bert was an intelligent man, a good writer, but he lacked the experience to know when to back out of the war. Passive, intelligent, creative people do not make good fighter pilots. Bert was killed in action shortly after writing his memoirs.

Seriously, I was in a rut when it came to reading, and this book popped me right out of that rut. This book is an inspirational adventure of Louis Armstrong's preparation and trip across the Atlantic ocean in the Spirit of St. Louis plane.

Spoiler alert!! He makes it across the ocean.

I highly recommend it though, an excellent accounting of the true story, and the book includes technical details of the plane, routes (Atlantic trip, plus touring), and the adventure in general. Good pictures too. Smithsonian Institution, here I come!

I think the book is wonderful. I wanted to attain a better sense of Charles A Lindbergh and what better
way then to read something he wrote. He is a good writer and his character comes through. It is also very
enterntaining and down to the practically of having real substance of history in the book. I am greatful to have read it and attained a glimps of a cherished individual in our aviation history.

Great account of an adventure. Includes all the early stages, including conception, financing, building, testing, and monitoring the competition. Especially relevant these days with all the X prize comparisons.

The writing of the actual flight is exhaustive, and sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes to give context and color. His accounts of growing up on a Minnesota farm surely add to the American mythos of self-determination. And his days spent learning to fly through barnstorming and the Army are notable for being enchanting, yet completely straightforward and accurate.

Lindbergh says accuracy is one of his major aims. This adds to the substance of the book, since he examines his mistakes at least as much as his successes. The writing sometimes waxes poetic, as when he says "The dull blade of skill is sharpened on the stone of experience."

Overall, this is a valuable book on many levels. For the historical record of a groundbreaking flight. For the description of the early days of flight, and the adventure and pioneering spirit it embodied. And for the tale of a man who conceived a great project, found the friendly cooperation of others to help him achieve it, worked through many obstacles and setbacks to prepare for it, and then finally executed it well, despite his own human imperfections and mistakes along the way.

Lindbergh took some risks with this book. He wrote it out first person, present tense. (A big "no no".) And he broke up the storyline with frequent flashbacks. Somehow it all works anyway, in spite of or because of these risks.

But, then again, Lindbergh was a risk taker. He put his life on the line with his Paris flight and succeeded gloriously. He does the same thing here, in the literary world, winning the Pulitzer prize.

We should all stop to reflect a moment on how great a coup this was. And how improbable. Lindbergh published this book in the decade following his ill-fated attempt to prevent America's entry into World War II. In many ways his star had fallen with the American public, politically and otherwise. Yet, he was able to resurrect himself through this first-hand story of his great experimental flight. You can't keep a good man (or woman) down.

My favorite part of this book is the section where he refers to his metaphysical experiences during his flight over the Atlantic. He recounts these experiences in more depth in Autobiography of Values, but it is here that they first see the light of day.

This is an enthralling saga of a great moment in the history of aviation, told by the flier himself. It is a unique contribution to world literature, and as such, scarcely needs me to recommend it. Yet, I do so, unreservedly.

Richard Salva--author of Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh [UNABRIDGED]

Lindbergh's flight solo New York to Paris is still hard to repeat with a small, prop driven, aircraft. It is hard to summarize or constuct a methaphor to measure the impact of Lindbergh's historic flight in today's setting, it was such a great leap forward for mankind.

The flight inspired my father, 14 years old and living on a farm in Wisconsin in 1927, to become a graduate aerospace engineer, and later to work on the design of the P-38, X-15, and the Apollo capsule, among others, many of which he could not even tell me about. It had similar effects and results for thousands of others.

This book is well written and documents not only the flight, but the life of Lindbergh, and the logistics of pulling off this incredible event. After reading this book, I came to the opinion that the planning and logistics (including fundraising and sponsorship) may have been more difficult than the actual flight. We owe much for this leap forward to a group of individuals from St. Louis, who told Lindbergh, "you worry about the design, building, and flying of the aircraft, we will take care of the money". Reading about this portion of the effort alone, provides much food for thought about current corporate management and government projects. A case study in delegation! I found this book interesting, fascinating, well written, and inspiring. The event and the book are timeless. Reading it makes you realize the difference one person can make when perseverance is applied in a large dose.