Aviation Books

I am a 60 hour student pilot. I found Schiff's book to be broken down in easy to digest sections. I've learned much.

Even you are familiar with the principle of flying, the book can provide new insight in every flying aspect. It uses different point of view to elucidate the basic theory. I am sure you can get more understanding about what you have learnt in flying.

Schiff's wisdom and clarity are tough to appreciate when you don't know anything about flying. Save this one until after you've soloed at the very least. Then reread it once per year. And don't forget Volume 2 when you can learn how to fly the North Atlantic and also how to ditch if your flight to Europe doesn't go as planned...

As a physicist and private pilot, having read a few dozens of books on aviation, I find this book (in fact the two volumes I and II) the best aviation reading I have ever come across. Strongly recommended even if you think you have read it all.

Being a helicopter and fixed wing instructor pilot for 7 years, I thought I knew how lift worked. NOT. Read what they did not teach you in flight school in this great book by Mr. Schiff.

If you like experimental aviation, this is a must read.

Completed by Curtis Peebles after the death of Milt Thompson the story of Flying without Wings is told by a pilots pilot. Milt has the uncanny ability to mix the technical engineering side of experimental aviation and then put the reader in the pilots seat for a hair-raising ride from 40,000ft down to the ground.

Milt thompson has written a great book on the hardships of the early attempts at flying with out wings. He describes in detail how the M2F1 was designed and tested and how the program eneded with the futuristic X-24B. A great book and a must read for aviation buffs of all ages.

Lifting body research may be an esoteric subject, but is fascinating for anyone interested in aeronautics; Thompson was in the cockpit during most of the testing of the early forms, and draws an exciting picture of the high risk drama of these pioneering flights. The final chapters link the early research in the 60s with the later design and construction of the Shuttle, and the reader will understand how these "mad monk" test pilots really made the orbiter possible, by proving the validity of the core design. Finally, one interesting note is how the early testing was done with minimal funding, and a lot of do-it-yourself common sense by the teams at Edwards. Those days are certainly gone. Highly recommended if you have an interest in the field, and at least a basic understanding of the terms, concepts, and physics of flight.

The late Milt Thompson, one of the top NASA research test pilots during the glory days of flight testing at Edwards, kept an extensive diary of notes during his years of work. The book digests these notes and presents them in a very readable format that truly captures the imagination of the reader, describing a time of grassroots research and the determination of individuals at Edwards. Thompson, the pilot, and other great engineering minds, notably, Dale Reed, truly believed that there was a better way to bring spacecraft back to earth that didn't involve splashing down somewhere in a large ocean. Their efforts resulted in the construction and testing of the Lifting Bodies, giving us a body of knowledge that led to the Space Shuttle concept and will continue with NASA's newest efforts...the X-38 and Venture Star single stage to orbit concepts. The book is a must for anyone with an interest in this field of aeronautical history.

It's best monography of French WW I aviation in Englisch language. Marvelous plans (in modeler's scales!), hundreds high-quality bw photos, lot of useful information in text. In minus - there are small number of colour plates. If you interested in WW I aviation, you must have it!

This is a massive book that tells everything there is to know about every aircraft developed by the French during WW1. I had no idea there were so many. Very detailed and very well done. Hundreds of pictures and three view drawings. Full color illustrations in the back. It is a bit pricey. Is it worth it? If you are a hardcore fan of French WW1 aircraft...yes.

This is truly an honest and inspiring testimony of amother's experience with prenatal diagnosis and termination. Itchallenges the notion that God would never guide a woman to choosetermination when a genetic anomaly is prenatally diagnosed. Mrs. Lyon is open about how she struggled with guilt and depression, but has now found a healthy way to cope with her pain. It should be read by any Christian person put in this position who is struggling with a life-changing decision.

This is XXL book not only in its size and weight, but mostly for the contents. I wish I had similar on other air services of Great War. No doubt is worth the money paid...because it accumulates huge amount of systematic information which helps in orientation among sometimes confusing mess of names and abbreviations of French air service. All planes (even prototypes and concepts) have at last one photograph. For example Nieuports are covered on 70 large pages, SPADs on 50 - monographs of its own. Taking in account the difficulties caused by destroying many of original sources it must take years for the team to produce it.

This is without a doubt the finest study of French military aircraft during World War One to be published, and will become a classic reference. It presents a very detailed organizational account of the units of the French Air Service, and then a complete detailed account of over 400 aircraft types hat were flown. More than 900 photos, over 180 three-view drawings in 1/72 and 1/144 scales, 25 pages of color art work by Alan Durkota of 56 different aircraft. 1997, new hard bound, color laminated cover, 9 x 12, glossy page stock, 618 pp. FLYING MACHINES PRESS series

I went into this book thinking "how in the world could this happen" and finished it asking "how is it that this didn't occur before."

A fascinating book that has significance for all types of emergency responders, who need to understand how such "mistakes" might occur and thus how to potentially prevent such mistakes from occuring in the future.

Good case study which introduces the powerful concept of organisational drift. When operations start too often rules are too complex and too restrictive. So operators find work-arounds an informal alternatives. These work until one day circumstances mean that the gaps created allow an accident to occur. Then guess what? - the rules are tightened and the cyle resumes. This is vital reading for any quality and/or safety manager.

In this book, Scott A. Snook, Ph.D. provides a thoughtful and readable account of how things can go tragically wrong in normal, healthy organizations. The author creatively applies several key theories in organizational structure and change to develop an understanding of (1) the tragic shootdown of two Army helicopters by U.S. Air Force jet fighters, which occurred in northern Iraq in 1994, and (2) "friendly-fire" events in general and broadly-defined --- or how it is that bad things can happen to good organizations, and there really is no one to blame. The book begins with an impressive, detailed examination of the data surrounding the 1994 Blackhawk shootdown. This includes thousands of hours of transcribed testimony gathered in hearings and court martial proceedings. In addition to official reports, Snook personally interviewed many of the key players in the Blackhawk friendly-fire incident. Using a "grounded-theory" approach, the author allows the data to shape and guide his reconstruction of the event itself, and his subsequent theoretical formulations to explain what happened. His resultant theory of "practical drift" spans multiple levels-of-analysis, from the individual to the cultural, providing dramatic insight into how such seemingly impossible events can be expected to occur in complex organizations. This book sheds the kind of light which both clarifies and disturbs. It should prove of real value not only to military leaders interested in reducing friendly-fire incidents, but also to leaders in non-military organizations who wish to understand, and perhaps avoid, normal disasters.

Friendly Fire is a marvelous analysis of one of the most horrific accidents in recent military history. Snook is unfaltering in his tenacity to get to the root causes of this tragedy. The reader is given a broad perspective of how events, even those occuring years previous, led to the fateful day when 26 peacekeepers lost their lives. His ability to put the reader into the mind of each participant is riveting. More than just a recitation of facts or an outpouring of emotion, this book blends all the elements into a comprehensive understanding of a most complicated event. Friendly Fire should be required reading for all military personnel and anyone whose actions hold the lives of others in their hands.

Friendly Fire is a insightful, intriguing analysis of the 1994 incident that resulted in the needless deaths of 26 peacekeepers in the Iraqi Norther No Fly Zone. Snook presents a compelling tale of a complex system gone awry, an organization operating on the edge of chaos, and the ultimate result of a deterministic system spinning out of control. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of systems theory and organizational behavior, LTC Snook presents his thesis with exceptional clarity and depth of understanding; his conclusions are as disturbing as they are fascinating: a series of rational decisions made by equally rational human beings still failed to prevent the very incident the organization was designed to forestall. A concise, well-written account of and incident with lessons that we should all take to heart.

Dusty Rhodes was a gifted and dignified man who lived an extraordinary life of adventure and sacrifice. As one of those intrepid few who sailed outnumbered to fight the Japanese in the remote South Pacific in the tough first year of America's entry into World War II, he was shot down during the Battle of Santa Cruz and endured three years of torture, starvation and loneliness as a POW. His father died while he was in captivity and he basically lost his first marriage because of the separation. But he returned to become an early leader of the navy's Blue Angels and to fly and fight in the Korean War. Dusty's life is a testament to courage, will and innovation, both on the ground and in the air. He was not only a war survivor who made good, but a naval aviation pioneer. Jim Armstrong tells Dusty's story with distinction and subtly. Anyone interested in aviation, the Blue Angels, World War II and the kinds of men who made up the Greatest Generation will find this book thoughtful and enlightening.

From POW to Blue Angel is the story of Commander (CDR) Dusty Rhodes, one of the first commanders of the Blue Angels. Mr. Armstrong tells us of CDR Rhodes exploits in the US Navy. Critical to the story is his time in WWII and the time between WWII and the Korean War. Unfortunately for CDR Rhodes most of his WWII time was spent as a POW of the Japanese (Dusty was shot down on his first combat mission and captured during the Battle of Santa Cruz). Most of the book focus's on his time as a POW. His treatment seemed to depend on the guards and camp he was in. This is the true high point of the book as Mr. Armstrong, while being distant in his telling does justice to Dusty's situation. His time as a POW is followed by his return the US forces and to the US (a good story on how he got back to the US). Once back in the US, Dusty decides to stay in the Navy and relearns how to be a pilot. This is followed up by him being accepted into the Blue Angels and eventually becoming the leader. I will spoil one little bit, while leading the Blue Angels he took them from F8F Bearcats (propeller driven) to F9F Panthers (jets).

This book is a solid 4 star book. I preferred the front half of the book when Dusty was a POW. The story was sharper and more interesting. His observations of the Japanese and of his situation were insightful on something most people don't being to understand. In the later half, things seemed to drag a little. While it was interesting what he did as a Blue Angel, I felt that there was more struggle with writing it than the earlier section. My other reason for only 4 stars (really, the front part was a strong 4.5 stars) was the writers style. There were to many times when his style just killed the chapter for me. While no Chuck Yeager, From POW to Blue Angel is a good story to read!

Raleigh E. 'Dusty' Rhodes helped develop the Blue Angels, the world's most famous military aerobatic team - and was only the third fighter pilot to become its leader. Interviews, Dusty's scrapbooks and flight logs form the foundations of a survey which is part biography, part aviation history, and always interesting: fans of military history and aviation will find it a top pick. Mark Matthews' SMOKE JUMPING ON THE WESTERN FIRE LINE: CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS DURING WORLD WAR II offers a fascinating and rare probe into a little-researched aspect of World War II history: the story of deeply religious young men whose beliefs led them to reject military service. Instead, some of them were paid a minimum wage to volunteer for the Civilian Public Service as U.S. Forest Service smoke jumpers based in Montana: this is their story, and uses extensive interviews with World War II conscientious objectors and original documents to recreate their stories.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The statistics for the first combat patrol of a fighter pilot are not good. No matter how much training they have, no matter how mentally ready they are, getting into combat for the first time is simply different than anything training can teach.

Then again, at the beginning of the War the Americans were flying the F4F Wildcat. Up against the Japanese zero it was slower in both climbing and level flight. It didn't turn as sharply so was outmatched when it came to dog fighting.

Finally at the beginning of the war the Japanese pilots were the best trained with the most hours, the most experience in the world.

October 26, 1942 was the date of Dusty Rhodes first combat patrol. They ran into zeros and Dusty Rhodes was shot down. From the book it appears that he never saw the plane that got him. It fits right in with the statistics.

From there it was a series of Japanese prisoner of war camps until the end of the war. Surprisingly his stories of life in the camps are not nearly as bad as many of the stories that have been published. His life was by no means good, but by no means as horrible as say the Bataan Death March.

After the war, it also seems that he had less troubles than many. Divorce, yes, but he handled this easily - to short a marriage, to much had happened. He was soon back on flight status. Soon after that he commanded the Blue Angels. He went on to flying a fighter in Korea, and a reasonable career after that.

This book covers from basically getting shot down to his return from Korea. It is largely based on his memories, but exhaustively researched to back up what he said. It is well written and an joy to read. You have to respect these members of what Tom Brokaw correctly called 'The Greatest Generation.'

I am distantly related to Dusty Rhodes, which is why I bought the book. However, it's not the reason I couldn't put it down - it's just an amazing story, and very well-told. I expected a dry explanation of war battles and air flights. This book is anything but dry. It is touching, funny, heart-warming and truly inspiring. It's very readable, even for someone who would normally never pick up a "war book". Dusty's story is one of courage, hope, determination, a love for his country, and a love of life.

FRC3 is the latest effort by Erik Hildebrandt, those of you familiar with Mr.Hildebrandt's work will know what to expect. For newcomers welcome to an oppurtunity to see an airshow while seated in your favorite chair. I've been to numerous airshows across the country, even to some of those pictured in this wonderful book. But I have to say that looking at this book puts the airshow experience in a new perspective.

I wish that I could take pictures as breathtaking and as vivid as the ones contained in this work. The text that accompanies the pictures is as vivid and real as anything that I have obsevered at a actual airshow. Maybe more so! If you are an airshow nut like myself you will appreciate this work of art. Airshow regulars like Michael Goulian, Patty Wagstaff, and others are featured. Special attention is given to the United States Navy Air Demonstration Team, The Blue Angels, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary.

This a very entertaining book by a wonderful aviation photographer. Well worth the investment and time to take a look at. While reading this book you will ask yourself two questions, how do the pilots do that? and how did Mr. Hildebrandt get that shot?

An excellent, unusual and informative title, Erik Hildebrandt's Front Row Center covers American air shows and aviation history, providing a lavish coffee-table style book which includes bright color photos of the planes in action. A gorgeous, involving study tracing a popular sport.

Eric brings the euthusiam of air shows and aerobatics with his spectacular vivid photography right into your living room! This is truly one of a kind book! Hats off to you, Eric!

The images in this book are one-of-a-kind! It's like being in the aircraft with Erik. As a aviation-junkie, this book is on my top list.

This is a great book for anyone's coffee table; whether you love aviation or not. The photos are absolutely beautiful. It's amazing that Erik Hildebrandt can snap such a perfect aerial shot every time. I definitely recommend this book.

This is a very absorbing book about the giant airliners that fly today's skies, covering them from their inception, to the drawing board, last minute changes, technical information, how new ideas and technologies gained ground and their service with the airlines. The chapters are not organised by aircraft but by topic such as Stretching and Shrinking, the Operator's Role in influencing the final design, Safety Measures, Concepts and Hurdles and the Giant Jetliners of the Future. This organisation makes for a much more exciting read on a concentrated topic rather than the more boring Chapter by Aircraft type approach which is more like reading a dictionary. This is how the book "Boeing Jetliners" is organised and although that is also a good book, I prefer this one for that reason. So in the Safety chapter, you get to see how these planes introduced redundancy, early warning systems, the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft system, fatigue testing, design changes and of course, ETOPS. Loads of information for the serious commercial aircraft enthusiast in an immersive documentary that you will find hard to put down.

Nicely illustrated guide on "Giant" airliners. From the 747 to the A340. Potential variations and designs that never made it to the production line. A look forward to the "Giant" jetliners of the future. Buy this book...

This book is nicely illustrated and very informative. A must buy for any aircraft enthusiast.

This is an illustrated book with substance. If you just want some pretty pictures, get a calendar. This book gets into the hows and whys of large commercial aircraft. It meaningfully and clearly discusses flight physics and how these great aircraft are engineered. Any lay aviation buff would enjoy this book.

Giant Jetliners is the perfect book for anyone who has ever even been the least bit facinated by commercial aviation. Full of pictures and info about the most facinating things around. Worried about the future of commercial aerospace? See some of the proposed future aircraft like the MD-XX, 747-X program, Blended Wing, and the A3XX. The future is full of X's! This is a must-read for you.

This book is the standard for airline interviews, particularly Cathay Pacific. Very technical but hey, so is the interview! Good luck and don't confuse the title of this book. This is where Cathay pools most of their questions from.

"When I'm setting down over 200,000 pounds of 707, I want something under my wheels that's plenty long and mighty dry." Captain William Demerest (aka Dean Martin, Airport)

I acquired my first copy of "Handling the Big Jets" during my university days when studying aeronautical engineering (at Loughborough University of Technology, Leicestershire, England) in the early 1980s. This was an excellent reference book then on handling jets as it covered all the major topics that I needed comprehensively, in simple and easy to read language and explanations.

However, decades later, it is difficult to find a similar definitive book on the subject. This makes "Handling the Big Jets" an important part of my library which I consult on subjects ranging from aerodynamics to aircraft control and stability.

This is a timeless classic which should be an indispensable part of every pilot and aircraft engineer's library.

A top notch choice for the experienced pilot who decides to fly very large jets. For those who are applying for an airline pilot position, this guide makes sense of the new-hire pre-screening flight simulator check on the B-767 or DC-10. The book earns it's keep on the book shelf as a nice review for the twice yearly proficiency checkrides. An excellent refernce guide for high speed aerodynamics and heavy-jet flight characteristics. Captain Davies writes in a way which allows pilots of all types of craft to add to their knowledge of flight. This is a classic book, buy a copy if you can and do not let go.

Despite its age, this is still the definitive book on handling jets. Comprehensive coverage of the widest range of topics, and to the deepest depth needed to satisfy any technical enquiry. Davies has an unmatched writing style that is highly readable, and right up there with the likes of Bill Gunston. If you prefer reading fiction more than textbooks, then this book is just about as readable as fiction.

Excellent sections on landing and takeoff. Davies makes full use of his background as Chief Test Pilot of what was then the UK Airworthiness Authority. He puts all the topics into the context of proper engineering and aviation fact, shows how the rules evolved from there, and generally gives you complete confidence that you've mastered the full range of the subject. PPRUNE Tech Log has always got one or two side references to this book.

Chase it up hard - it's still around - and keep it at the front of the bookshelf. My copy sits between 737-700 manuals and 4th edition Horonjeff.

This is the best book on the HO229 from the technical perspective. I like the detailled technical drawings. You could almost start building a Ho229 using these!

Shepelev & Ottens make great attempt at making a lot from very little actual information,interviews with people who where there, great photos, excellent diagrams but the brothers Horten remain an enigma.

I've been in love with the Horten 229 since the first time I saw a picture of it. This book is packed with photos and technical drawings. It covers the whole development of the plane. Recommended!

... and just the right amount of writing - this book has got the mix right.
Researching this little known family of aircraft that must have taken the writers years to research, and not to be content with that, the authors uncovered the Dunne D.5, a British WW1 era tailless swept wing biplane -in the introduction ... an even more obscure aircraft.
No mention of the Northrop wings in there, so this is history of European flying wings.
The main driver was for drag reduction and maximising the range of the aircraft not stealth.
If you like unusual aircraft you should buy this.

I've been fascinated since I saw the first pictures of the Horten jet powered, wooden, flying wing from the Smithsonian collection. The stories I heard was that this was a deliberate attempt on the German's part to build a 'stealth' fighter way back at the end of the Second World War. But there has been very little published about the plane. Therefore I was delighted to find this book that covers this plane in great detail.

Clearly the plane was far ahead of its time, indeed, its design looks so much like the canceled A-12 from McDonnell Douglas/General Dynamics that it's uncanny.

In reading the book, the authors make it clear that the Horten brothers were thinking of aerodynamics and scarcity of materials rather than stealth when they designed the plane. The book points out that the wooden skin of the plane would basically have been invisible to radar, but the metal frame underneath the wood would still reflect radar waves. Designers simply didn't know enough about radar at the time.

The modern American flying wings such as the B-2 bomber are stable only because of sophisticated computer controls. The book reports similar problems with the Horten plane. This might well have prevented its use for its intended use as a fighter, but we'll never know.

The authors have collected an amazing amount of information and a large number of photographs that I don't believe have been published before.

What I love about this book is that the author tells how many Hurricane aces were killed or wounded and gives the names of most if not all those wounded/dead aces. Its about time that people start hearding about Allied dead and wounded military personnel. It is downright boring when you are always reading about the German losses particularly among German aces and never about the Allied dead especially fighter aces.

Tony Holmes' "Hurricane, a Fighter Legend" started my interest in second worldwar aviation again, and this book is a nice companion to the former, focussing on the merits of the plane and its pilots in those very crucial days and giving an exellent account of it.
For Hurricane colour photographs you have to have the 'fighter legend' book, but the colour sideviews in 'Hurricane Aces' are very good, and more than make up for the lack of colour photographs. Very good in my opinion is the last part of the book, where all planes depicted in the sideviews get their own small piece of history, including their eventual fate in most cases.

This Osprey Series is really amazing, no wonder it's making a big sucess. "Hurricane Aces" go deeply in details about the aces involved in those hectic days of 39/40, as always making a link with the enemy's units involved. We can find the scores, the ones who died, the ones who became great wing leader in the future. Excellent work by Tony Holmes.

As I say in my Amazon's Profile: "I am a science fiction fan and a history buff (especially WW II, Napoleon, Civil War, Ancient Rome), I read omnivorously on these subjects."

Osprey's different collections are a great resource for History "aficionados". In a very compact book series with excellent presentation, first quality paper and nice reproductions gives the reader a succinct and complete view of the subject.
"Aircraft of the Aces" is a very specialized series, reviewing in each volume a special brand and model of aircrafts in a limited war-time period.

The present one is focused on Hurricanes during 1939 thru 1940, encompassing the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain and a brief description of Malta & North Africa (these last scenarios will be revisited in detail in other volumes of the collection).

Mr. Tony Holmes as author and editor and the art and technical team (Mr. Keith Fretwell, Mike Chapell, Mark Syrling and Iain Wyllie) has provided excellent profiles of specific airplanes, showing personal marks from the pilots, badges from the squadrons, different paintings styles, rank insignias and any relevant detail.

The photographic material is outstanding there are many less known airplanes photos (even some crashed or disabled) and portraits of British aces (actually Commonwealth as there are many Canadians, Australians & New Zealanders among them) as "Cobber" Kain, "Fanny" Orton and "Ginger" Lacey.

Mr. Holmes collects lots of personal anecdotes from pilots and some times is able to reproduce first person reports from confronting pilots, giving the reader a very dynamic perception of that specific "dog-fight".

This book is a good short volume that will be appreciated by neophytes, general public and very specially enjoyed by airplane modeling fans as it gives valuables details of different Hawker Hurricane variants.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

This excellent account covers the pilots who were some of the first RAF aces during WW2, whilst also giving a superb history of the early part of this legendary fighter's operational combat career. I've always had a soft spot for the Hawker Hurricane and the extraordinary young men who flew and fought in it. The Spitfire has received an unfair share of the credit for the victory that was the Battle of Britain, despite the fact that two-thirds of the RAF fighter squadrons were composed of Hurricanes. 'Spitfire snobbery' was displayed by downed German aircrew, who refused to accept that they could have been bested by anything less than a Spifire. The careers of pilots such as Kain, Brothers and Frantisek illustrate how this magnificent machine was the equal to anything the Luftwaffe flew. This is an informative and fascinating account of the part played by brave young men, and the legend that was their steed, during the darkest days of WW2.