In the 1990s Russia went through great turmoil, and when visiting Moscow Richard and his party – which included, I note, photographer and ‘Old Timers’ editor Peter R March – were caught up in the bloody 1993 coupe that for a time displaced Boris Yeltsin. In time, new management took over at Sukhoi and prices were raised to an unsustainable level, and when the factory Richard had commissioned to build a Japanese Zero (really!) was raided by armed men, it became apparent quite how badly one’s fingers could be burned in Russia. caption id="attachment_7496" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Night flight captures the solitude and risk of early air mail routes."] [/caption] A classic of aviation literature, the novel Night Flight is heavily based on French aviator and writer Saint-Exupery’s experience of working as an airmail pilot, in the interwar years. The book captures the danger and loneliness of these early commercial pilots, blazing routes in the days before radar, GPS and jet engines. Vulcan 607 – Rowland White Onboard the aircraft were a police officer, a pilot, a criminal, and a politician, as well as 6 deceased passengers who died during the crash. Shaben’s story involves an incredible tale of human survival - making this an adventurous and gripping story about the tragic events that can occur within aviation.

If you’ve been considering a career as a commercial pilot, then Fly the Wing is a must-read. It’s a valuable asset any pilot can use to assist in their training. Insights and advice keep the conversational style of this book easy to read. You’ll gain an understanding of what is involved in being a commercial pilot when you’re finished with this read. Written by Jim Webb and Billy Walker, this textbook-style book covers everything that you need to know about being a pilot from A-Z. Although the book is dense with information, Webb and Walker keep the tone conversational and casual from start to finish, making it an extremely comprehensive piece of literature. What We Like: O’Brien flawlessly writes about the exciting and sometimes heartbreaking experiences these women went through, particularly during the air races in which they took part. Many of their stories remain unknown outside of aviation, but their fearless spirit can be appreciated by all. With that being said, there are so many rare and unique weather conditions that can occur at random, which is why Weather Flying is not only a great read for up and coming pilots but even those that have worked in the industry for years. The author covers so many technical aspects of flying and weather pattern assessment, but he does so in a way that is very palatable and attainable for pilots of all experience levels - making this a very intuitive, hands-on piece of aviation literature. The Wright Brothers Whatever type of aviation book you have been looking to read, we have collected ideas from FLYING’s readers on what they feel are the best ones. We’ve compiled a list of the top-ten best aviation book options that are both excellent reads as well as informative in all the right ways.

The mere fact that Into the Abyss is based on a true story makes the book so much more engaging and relatable. Shaben writes Into the Abyss with raw emotion, as the story is personally connected to her life given that her father was on board the plane when it crashed. Among the stories are those of Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden, who excelled at racing airplanes–and then translated this skill to other aviation pursuits. There are a lot of great books about flying, flight, and aviation but if you want to truly understand the technical requirements of passing your flight exams and piloting an aircraft, there is no better option out there than the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge by Federal Aviation Administration/Aviation Supplies & Academics . If you are looking for a pilot’s handbook that is more intuitive, reader-friendly, and palatable than your airline manual, Fly the Wing is going to be a must-read for so many flight enthusiasts and aspiring pilots. For nearly half a century, Fly the Wing has been an invaluable resource for so many pilots and aspiring aviators, as it contains in-depth knowledge on flying a commercial aircraft. What We Like: David McCullough makes it easy to engage with the inspirational history behind the origin of the first flight. Many have written about the Wright Brothers, but McCullough explores more deeply than those before him.

A major component of this has to do with the ingenious engineering of aircraft technology, as well as the pilots that tested planes through various in-flight scenarios. Many of the greatest pilots in human history went on to write books about their experiences so that knowledge can be passed on to the next generation of flight enthusiasts. These books are incredible resources and present insight into the world of aviation that can greatly help pilots of all experience levels grow in this industry. Against all odds, Louise Thaden, Florence Klingensmith, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Ruth Elder showed the world that women are just as capable of piloting an aircraft as any man. Their participation in the event expanded not only the aviation industry to include more women but also pushed the feminist movement further into what it is today.Learn everything about flight instruments, weather theory, aerodynamics, aircraft systems, airports, and navigation—you name it, this book has it.

Not every book about flying, flight, and aviation needs to be a technical handbook made solely for a pilot’s reference. Into the Abyss is an incredible true story by Carol Shaben and it puts you into the pilot’s seat without the pressure of needing to physically prepare yourself to step into an aircraft. Not every project came off – far from it, as the book reveals. We all know of the successes – Thrust 2, Thrust SSC and the Bloodhound, now out of Richard’s hands but still showing potential to hit 1,000mph – but along the way were failures like the ARV Super 2 light aircraft, the Atlantic Sprinter – a long range powerboat and the Farnborough F1 turboprop. The latter was aimed at delivering an ‘air taxi service’ (Noble likens it to Uber) that, operating from small airfields, would beat the airlines in time taken to deliver passengers to their destinations. The clue is in the title: Ron Lloyd came to fly the Spitfire only after a long operational career that started on the Gloucester Javelin, involved a fascinating stint flying the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger on a USAF exchange programme and by 1969 saw him instructing on the Folland Gnat. The producers of the Battle of Britain movie had acquired their ‘enemy’ aircraft from the Spanish, but it was the RAF that provided the bulk of the home contingent, in the form of gate guardian Spitfires restored to flying – or at least taxying – condition and the pilots to fly them. Among this happy number was Ron, who not only logged lots of hours flying for the director but took a large number of behind the scenes ‘stills’ that add greatly to the appeal and historical interest of Fast Jets to Spitfires. Airplanes have changed the world and have greatly shaped humanity - enabling us to travel and trade like never before. To think that just over 100 years ago, the Wright Brothers had their first flight and that now we are discussing colonizing planets within our solar system - humans have come a long way in aviation.

Agents by Moonlight

Looking to go a little deeper into the world of aviation? The Thinking Pilot’s Flight Manual is one of the best aviation books you can read after you’ve finished your flight training. Keeping your passengers happy is easy when you have this tool in your hands. Antimagic Susceptibility. The swarm is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, the swarm must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster’s spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.