Must Read Aviation Books

[brokedash]

"Unfriendly Skies" by Captain X

....actually, this was the first aviation related book I had ever read years ago. You won't find too much technical guidance here, just some stories from an anonymous captain for an unknamed airline and what his career was like.

Really sparked my desire to become a pilot. It does speak to an non-pilot perspective, but has some amusing tales tales of glamour and disgrace before and after deregulation.

After the almost twenty years that have passed since this book went to print, it remains an excellent source for a peak inside aviation right when enough time had passed for the first definetive review on dereg. X gives an excellent view of the airline industry at that time and much of what is discussed is still visable today. A book that is worth the read and $ to buy, you will not regret it.

For more lighter reading and a few laughs check out "Plane Insanity" by Elliot Hester. A profsional FA for a major airline dicusses his motavation for becoming an FA and the high jinx of pax, crew members, customs agents and planes alike.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Confessions of a Union Buster
Fly the Wing

 

[Turtlesfly]

Fate is the hunter

Stick and Rudder

 

[ex j-41]

Bush Pilot with a briefcase.

 

[skyaddict]

I'll add in Tony Kern's two books, 'Redefining Airmanship' and 'The Rogue Pilot'; Buck's 'The Pilot's Burden'; Barry Schiff's 3 (maybe it is now 4?) Proficient Pilot series compiling his many columns; and the Air Disaster series, Vols. 1-3, by MacArthur Job, the latter series very well written by a pilot and accident investigator.

And to those throwing in books like 'Finance for Dummies' and 'Selecting a career,' we may as well throw in (seriously) Thomas Friedman's 'The World is Flat' and Charles Fishman's 'The Wal-mart Effect' because they both cover what is happening to the airline industry and the economy whether we like it or not.

 

[Mesabi Miner]

"Frank Lorenzo and the Destruction of Eastern Airlines." - a good read.

 

[Lazy8]

I enjoyed "Captain" and "Captain II" by Earl Rogers.

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Earl-...bbs_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195513470&sr=8-11

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-II-Earl-E-Rogers/dp/0971909717/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Also, one of the best fiction books I've read in a while is "Airframe" by Michael Crichton

http://www.amazon.com/Airframe-Michael-Crichton/dp/0345402871

And if you're a starving FO that doesn't want to drop cash on books - remember there's such a thing as public libraries!

 

[Rip Vanwinkle]

St-Exupery and arguably Gann are literature. Read those. Otherwise, concentrate hard, sound out the words, and try to read books about something more interesting or important than airplanes.

 

[Limeyflyer]

Stick & Rudder by Wolfgang

Good book

 

[Snapperhead]

Moondog's Academy of the Air and other disasters by Pete Fussco

That's a good one too.

 

[Hypoxik]

Confessions of a Union Buster
Fly the Wing

Damn beat me! Also, Why Unions Matter. Another vote for Hard Landing!

 

[dash8driver]

your contract




.

 

[vetrider]

One of Cardinal's recommendations was First Light, By Geoffrey Wellum, and I second that one, big time. Wellum is awesome, with a great sense of humor.

A few others I'd like to add are Wing Leader by Johnnie Johnson, Messershmitts Over Sicily by Johannes Steinhoff, My Logbook by Gunther Rall, SkyGods by Robert Gandt, and anything by Len Morgan.

 

[BoilerUP]

your contract




.

Seconded!

Flying the Line, Volume 2 is, in my opinion, the most topical and pertinent book for people new to the 121 industry. It is a must read for people to have an understanding of exactly what a union does and does not have the power to do...as well as how the issues of the past foreshadowed the issues of today. I really hope George Hopkins writes Vol. 3 soon...

Hard Landing is great as well, and gives folks an understanding of the business and personal side of the airlines. I especially like the contrast between Bob Crandall and Herb Kelleher.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

your contract




.

good idea....

 

[buscap]

Chickenhawk

 

[Paladin]

TRACON by Paul McElroy (fiction)....
A view of things from an ATC perspective. Interesting insights on TCAS as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Tracon-Paul-M...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195602037&sr=1-1

 

[Skaff]

Your SOP. I flew with an FO recently, he said that he liked flying with guys with more than 5 years with the company so he can draw from their experience. After dealing with a problem, he asked how I knew how to do that. I showed him in the SOP where it was. He later mentioned that he had never read all the way through the SOP. He's been here for a year. From then on out I had him look stuff up. I'm happy to answer questions, but you shouldn't expect your captain to be the ultimate source of all truth. Read you SOP!

 

[T-prop]

Chickenhawk

I almost forgot all about that book, good read. Funny as he!! at times.