Whatcha readin'?

[Humty72]

books

Crimson Skies -- great book about the Korean Air War....

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

Reading

Black Hawk Down

 

[Delta3]

"Wings of Fury"

It's a book about interviews with fighter pilots and their missions.

It has everything from Randy Cunningham telling how he popped rivots out of his F-4 in high g turns over the skies of Hanoi. To the idiotic Rules of enagement that the Navy pilots had to contend with when they shot down 2 Libyan fighters in the early '80s.

 

[V-1]

Illusions, by Richard Bach is a neat, quick read.

 

[hyper]

and here's a couple for you guys/gals..

"A Lonely Kind of War" and
"DaNang Diary"

My father was a FAC flying OV-10s in Vietnam, and these books share the experience. Obviously, I took a special interest in them, but they are a good, exciting and easy read nonetheless.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Everyone who wants to be an airline pilot should read Fate is the Hunter by Ernest Gann. It's essentially the autobiography of an AAL pilot from about 1935 to about 1955. The technology has changed, but the people...I've flown with or met every character in that book.

For those of us who learned and taught at FlightSafety or Embry-Riddle or what not, Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche is an excellent book for washing away a lot of the super-technical B.S. we dealt with. It reminds us that if you pull back, the houses get smaller, etc.

The Probable Cause by Robert J. Serling is a great book about airline safety, and how many of the systems we use today came into being.

The Air Disaster series by Macarthur Job contains excellent summaries of some of the more important airline accidents of the last century. Very educational.

And, although it's not an aviation book, I urge everyone who wants to be a good captain (or leader in any field, for that matter) to read The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. The book (not the movie) caontains some of the best object lessons in CRM I've ever come across.

Happy reading!

P.S. If you enjoy nautical fiction, check out David Poyers "Dan Lenson" books. The Circle and The Gulf are quite good.

 

[dualrated]

"Splash of Color"--John Nance-- history of Braniff written by a guy that lived through it.

"Grounded"--The story of Satan Lorenzo and Eastern Airlines.

"Skygods" story of the last twenty years of Pan Am from a pilot's perspective

"Flying the Line I and II" George Hopkins --Should be required reading for anyone remotely interested in working for an airline.

"Hard Landing" More required reading.

There is an author named Robert Serling (brother of Rod, from Twilight Zone) that has written the histories of several airlines. His writing leaves a lot to be desired, but if you are an airline history junkie, he's a good resource. He's written about TWA, AAL, EAL, CAL, Western, Pan Am. Probably more...

After you read about all the airlines that have failed and all the broken dreams and ruined careers, read "Fate is the Hunter" to remind you of why you're chasing this flying gig around.

 

[bssthound]

I must agree with Dignan on non-aviation books. "A Confederacy of Dunces" is probably the best comedic novel ever. I live in the New Orleans area and can tell you it is spot on!!

Hyper, I know I said it earlier, but, Baxter looks fabulous!!

 

[hyper]

Thanks Bssthound!! He thinks so

P.S. Is that Ollie in the avatar? Cool tail!

 

[aceshigh]

Not an aviation book, but currently reading "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. I'm not too far into it yet, so don't spoil it for me.

 

[bobbysamd]

Catcher in the Rye

It's a great book that speaks to a lot of people, but to appreciate it fully you need an analysis of the symbolism and meaning therein. I'd go to a bookstore and get the Cliff Notes to read together with the book.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

I'll add some of the same one's already mentioned for a 4th or a 5th time; Stick & Rudder, Fate is the Hunter, Band of Brothers (truly an incredible story of Easy company of the 101st airborne in WWII).

A good aviation read from WWII is A Wing and a Prayer by Harry Crosby. He was the lead navigator for the 100th bomb group out of England from 1943-1945. Really great read on life in England at that time for servicemen and the danger faced in the bombing runs from flak or a hundred fockewolfs or messerschmidts looking to cut them to pieces. Good notes on the B-17 as well.

Also heard alot of people rave about Confederacy of Dunces.

If someone enjoys history, David McCullough is a great author. Truman was a great book as well as his recently released John Adams. I've been fortunate to see McCullough speak as well. Worth it if you get the chance. Great perspectives on American History. Both of these run about a 1000 pages by the way.

The Catcher was a Spy by Daniloff was a good read. About catcher Moe Berg, baseball player during the 20's and 30's who became a member of the OSS during WWII. Really electic guy.

Nice thread.


Mr. I.