Fate is the Hunter

[BD King]

"Spirit Of America" by Lindbergh.

Do you mean "Spirit of St. Louis"? Charlie Lindbergh never wrote dog poop. Everything was written by his wife, Anne Morrow. By her own admission, Charles was not a communicator.

 

[Huggyu2]

"Skunk Works" by Ben Rich: great story about making great airplanes.

"Bravo 20": riveting! Not aviation related, but a great, true story about the British SAS guys that got caught behind Iraqi lines in the '91 war.

"MiG Pilot", by Viktor Belenko. The first 1/3 is so bleak and depressing, but really sets the stage as to why he left.

"Black Watch", by Ernie Gann.

 

[KigAir]

Sand, Wind and Stars

Aintoine de Saint Exupery

I read this before Fate is the Hunter. I am amazed how little this book is mentioned.

 

[urflyingme?!]

Was "The Aviator" that EKG wrote the same one on which the Leo DiCaprio movie was based?

Which brings us to our next junction (If I dare ask it) favorite movie with aircraft?

Mine: Airplane, Apollo 13, Memphis Belle

 

[pilotyip]

Was "The Aviator" that EKG wrote the same one on which the Leo DiCaprio movie was based?
No

 

[91100 100 set]

Another good book, since someone mentioned WW1, is a book called "Horses Don't Fly". I can't remember who the author is, the book isn't handy since I loaned it to my Grandfather. But it's about a guy who started off as cowboy in the desert southwest, ended up going to Europe and found himself flying as an observer on FE.2b's (those pusher type airplanes where the observer had two guns, including one in which he had to stand up and face rearward to fire over the top of the wing) and eventually as a pilot. Great book (I need to steal it back from my grandfather!).

Another good WW1 book is called "Diary of an Unknown Aviator". It was exactly that. Published in the 1920's by his squadron buddy, it doesn't exactly flow like good literature, with grammer and spelling errors. It follows the story of this guy from shipping over to Europe from Canada (I think), training in England, going to France, and does end rather abruptly. Good uncensored view of things. It might be hard to find though. I don't know when it was in print last, but my copy is probably 50 or 60 years old and is in pretty bad shape.

 

[pwendell]

"Diary of an Unknown Aviator" is available: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-0748634-1979153?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

[727gm]

"**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** Serious Business" by Ching Willows (pen name of Earl W. Willis) covers aviation from the thirties through the sixties. GREAT book! The (Censors will probably censor the title, so it's: D.a.m.n. remove the periods.) Out of print.

Also, if you like maritime reading, Ernest K. Gann also wrote a non-fiction book similiar to Fate is the Hunter on boats an the sea called "Song of the Sirens", which is still in print. I've seen it at WestMarine.

"Transocean - The story of an Unusual Airline" by Orvis Nelson back when you could range around the world like a Yankee trader with airplanes because no one else HAD airlines. Out of print.

"Tales of the Tiger" about Flying Tigers 1945-1989 by Leverne Moldrem. Some chapters have "bar stories" at the end. Started as a mechanic and retired a 747 captain.

"Aviatrix" by Elinor Smith

Non-aviation:
"The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz: escape by a group from siberian labor camp during WWII and walking from siberia through the Gobi, the Himilayas to India. In Print.

"Tough Trip Through Paradise" by Andrew Garcia, a Texas spaniard who left the army to trade with the Indians in old Montana and lived as an Indian for 9 years. Comstock Press.

"Mukiwa - A White Boy in Africa" by Peter Godwin. Growing up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). In Print.

"Eastern Approaches", by Fitzroy Maclean. WWII adventures of diplomat and S.A.S. in Russia, Iran, Egypt, and Yugoslavia.

 

[EX_CV580FR8Dawg]

Winging It By Jack Jefford.... a good read about the early years of the CAA in Alaska...great read! anything by Mr Gann is a winner

 

[urflyingme?!]

Just got "North Star Over My Shoulder" 120 pages in. "Hard Landing" is sitting on my desk......

 

[ATRCAPT]

Was "The Aviator" that EKG wrote the same one on which the Leo DiCaprio movie was based?

Which brings us to our next junction (If I dare ask it) favorite movie with aircraft?

Mine: Airplane, Apollo 13, Memphis Belle

Ernie Gann's book "The Aviator" is about an air mail pilot who crashes in the wilderness with a passenger on board. Good book. It was made into a lame movie with Christopher Reeves. The best book about Howard Hughes is "Empire: the life the myth, the maddness of Howard Hughes." He was a stud before he went bat $hit.

 

[lowlycfi]

Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck.

 

[urflyingme?!]

HH was one crazy mofo. He knew how to do things right, so when he went crazy he even did that in a cool way. hahaha

 

[lowslow]

Flyboys by James Bradley

I have read a few mentioned on this thread, (really like Gann!) and while Flyboys does not delve into the nuts and bolts of flying, it really gets into the mentality of Jap aggression in WW2, a VERY intresting read. I read a lot, (I'm a pilot - what else is there to do?) this is one of the BEST books I have ever read.

There is no way anyone can read this book and say it was not interesting.

 

[BD King]

HH was one crazy mofo. He knew how to do things right, so when he went crazy he even did that in a cool way. hahaha

Just by chance, I was sent HH's psychological report a couple of years ago. The report was ordered by the court as there was a severe problem with his estate.
He was nuts from day one.

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