Fate is the Hunter

[BCpilot81]

Great book by Ernest K. Gann. Not a big reader (because the big words hurt). But a passenger gave me a copy of this book on my way home to Chicago. Great autobiography of early airline flying.

 

[Jmoney]

Yep!

Probably the best aviation-related book I have ever read. EKG was pretty cool-he actually lived thru a lot of that stuff.

Every time I hear some wussy complain about the size of our plane, or make some smart remark about being on time or some other such triviality, I think of people who built the system we have today. Those guys had serious guts, and took some crazy risks from our perspective today. Modern passengers (and most pilots) have no perspective on what the early days were like. People got killed with frightening regularity but it did result in a system with an amazing level of safety like we have now.

I always thought it was interesting that EKG dedicated that book to the long list of pilots who got killed at these early airlines with "wings forever folded."

-GREAT BOOK!

 

[PositionandHold]

If you liked Fate is the Hunter, pick up the Bob Buck's North Star Over My Shoulder. Excellent writing, and focuses more on airline flying.

 

[Rally]

Fate is the hunter the title is talking about the aviation industry not how fate kills certain pilots. IE One guy goes to American one guy goes to United one does'nt get layed off the fate is the hunter.

 

[CFIT]

Drifting to the technical side, someone told me of a book "Flying the Wing" was pretty good about airliner type aerodynamics.

Anybody have a rundown on this one?

 

[Nindiri]

It's by Jim Webb, an Eastern Airlines captain and instructor. It's an excellent book, imo. I still refer to my old dog-eared copy sometimes.

 

[pilotyip]

Fate prevents death

Fate is about why one pilot dies and another doesn't. In every one of his chapters, there is situation that without the intervention of Fate would have lead to disaster. The icing, TRW's, balance hinges, spark plugs, lost, etc. In the end he elects to hang it up because his Fate is running out.

 

[GearUpLightsIn]

I read both books, Fate and Northstar, I liked Northstar better. It may have been because I read it first. They both have similar stories about DC-2's etc... It is interesting how the two pilots' paths diverge, one rides the senority list towards the top as a 747 cpt. The other gets tired of being a number, switches from a large airline to a cruise ship line that started airline flying before hanging it up all together. Does anyone know what cruise line that was? I don't think he says in the book.

Both good reads

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Could be Carnie.

 

[woutlaw]

Fate and Northstar over my Shoulder are must reads in my opinion.

Gann was an amazing guy. Started out as a writer on broadway, was a low-level spy for the allies before the war, flew airlines pre-WWII, helped pioneer long over-water routes during the war and then flew the last of the big piston airliners post-war before retiring to paint and write movies.

Buck was just as fascinating. It's chilling that the flight he describes making in the opening of the book was TWA 800, which later wound up at the bottom of the ocean.

The era they describe is long gong and that's 99% a good thing, but what they learned built the system we use today. Respect.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

That's when all the women pilots popped up. Not until it was perfectly safe.

Pioneered by men, poisoned by women.

 

[pilotyip]

Mattson

I read both books, Fate and Northstar, I liked Northstar better. It may have been because I read it first. They both have similar stories about DC-2's etc... It is interesting how the two pilots' paths diverge, one rides the senority list towards the top as a 747 cpt. The other gets tired of being a number, switches from a large airline to a cruise ship line that started airline flying before hanging it up all together. Does anyone know what cruise line that was? I don't think he says in the book.

Both good reads

Mattson, EKG does state the name of the company in his Bio "A Hostage to Fortune"

 

[JediNein]

In the end he elects to hang it up because his Fate is running out.

From a GA standpoint, how is that any different than today? One guy gets through to 747 captain without any trouble, another watches friend after friend die and has multiple close calls. . .

Both books are excellent reads.

 

[LearLove]

ekg's "flying circus" is good too.

 

[GearUpLightsIn]

Mattson, EKG does state the name of the company in his Bio "A Hostage to Fortune"

thanks!

 

[Donsa320]

Mattson

Mattson it was. It was an attempt to copy PanAmerican and Grace Steamship Lines' South American attempt....called Panagra.

There are pictures somewhere of Gann in his Mattsonesque Steamship Captain's hat and uniform.

~DC