Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I am always looking for a good book to read and really enjoy books on aviation and WWII history. What books would you recomend?

Here are a couple of my favorites.

Flyboys James Bradley

Angels of Death Edwin Hoyt

Phlip

That one's the best! Pappy Boyington's book is pretty good, too.

Phil

Bill Teller

Got a bunch all good
Falcons of France Nordoff & Hall

The First & the Last Adolph Galland

Wing Leader J.E. Johnson

Fighter Len Deighton

Dawn Over Kitty Hawk Walter J. Boyne

Trophy For Eagles Walter J. Boyne


The first three are quite old probably the first one was first printed in 1920 or so ( Nordoff & Hall ) both flew in WW1 France)

Find & enjoy
Bill Teller

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

"Sled Driver", by Brian Schul. Good book about the SR-71.

"Phantom Over Vietnam", can't remember the author, I read it a long time ago, but he was a Marine pilot. Great stories.

"Iron Men With Wooden Wings", I read when I was a teenager (won't say how long ago THAT was) about the air battles of WWI

"God is My Co-Pilot" by Col. Robert Scott; he flew with the AVG and later, the 23rd Fighter Group in China. One of the best books ever about the Flying Tigers and the P-40.

Hossfly

Col. Jack Broughton -- I think -- gave my copy away some years ago and I may be wrong about the COL Jack, but the book was Thud Ridge about the Vietnam F-105 drivers. Really gets into the politics of the Lying Lyndon J era, along with the mission by mission recap. He had a tape recorder hooked up in the cockpit.
It came out and then disappeared for a while but I remember it did return for a short while. Has a few very interesting turns in the book that can turn your stomach, maybe not as much as Flyboys but good stuff if you aren't too naive about our illustrous generals.

Jimmbbo

Two of my favorite books - reread them at about three or four year intervals...

Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann - first person account of Gann's struggle to become an airline pilot and fly DC2s and DC3s with decidedly low tech communication and navigation equipment in the 1930's. The book follows Gann's being drafted as a civilian ferry pilot thru WWII and beyond... Exceptionally well written "you are there" yarn.

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason - Outstanding story of helicopter aviation in Vietnam. As real as it was...

Flypaper 2

Flying For The Fatherland. Hanna Reitschs biography.
*Zero*. Japanese viewpoint of the war.
Riding the Dragon. Test pilot's annectdotes. Makes you appreciate What they do. Such as test flying a supersonic prop on a P 47. Roll over at high altitude. full throttle vertical, terminal velocity dive Fun.

js3

My Feedback: (3)

If you're into fiction at all, I'd recommend "Flight of the Intruder" by Stephen Coonts. Then there's always Tom Clancy. His are of a larger scale that include all theaters of conflict but there are great aerial scenes splashed throughout his work. "Red Storm Rising" although pretty dated now, is one of my favorites.

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

Some might laugh, but my favorite Stephen Coonts book is The Cannibal Queen. It's seems after his success with Flight of the Intruder and other books, Stephen decided to buy a Stearman and fly it accross all 48 contiguous US states. The book gives an interesting look at America and civil aviation, with some insights into Stephen's personal history. If you're a Stearman enthusiast, it's a must read.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Ditto. I've read that one; it still amazes me what they could do with those Huey's.

And Hossfly, I've read Thud Ridge, too. Given the political atmoshere then and all those stupid rules of engagement, I wouldn't have been a -105 pilot for anything. Might as well have painted a big red target on the underside with the caption "shoot me".

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

"War in the AIr". 20 or so chapters and each chapter is an excerpt from some flighter pliot's auto biography

"Fate is the Hunter" By Ernest Gann, The finest ATP and MAC stories ever written. A must read.

"Forever Flying" By and about Bob Hoover

"The Wrong Stuff" autobiogrphy of a Navy test pilot.

"Wind in the Wires" Autobiography from WWI

"Eddie Rickenbacker" Self tittled autobiogrphy of the man that was an Indy car champ, WWI ace, and the man that started Eastern Airlines.

"The Amazing Mr. Doolittle" Audobiography by Jimmy Doolittle, air racer and airman, gave us high test avgas and led the raid on Tokyo

"The Fun of it" Amella Earhart's autobiograghy

"Yeager" Audobiography

"Flight of Passage" 2 schoolboys fly Piper Cub across the USA, true story

"Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot" Audobiography, you know him as the man that rolled the 707 in Seattle at the hydrofoil races. But he was a barnstormer , and the Bell Test pilot that flew the X1 before Yeager, spent many years as test pilot for Boeing during the days of the B47, B52, and 707

Hostage to Fortune.....another great Ernest Gann audobiogrphy .......E. Gann was an airline pilot and an author writing some 21 novels and 3 audobiographies including this one and one about his 14 yacths called Song of the Sirens. The novels are just OK, but his friends include John Wayne, a huge fan of Gann's and he made several movies from the novels including Island in the Sky. The audobiographys are fantastic. Considered to be some of the best writing ever about flying.

"Moondog's Academy" By Pete Fusco, a good friend and expert builder. Written as a novel, The stories are all more or less true. But they didn't all happen to one pilot. Most did happen to Pete, but a few happened to his friends. Humor. Print on Demand.

Taildragger

My Feedback: (204)

"The Blonde Knight of Germany" The story of Eric Hartmann, Germany's leading ace. " The Cannibal Queen" by Stephen Coonts. Just a story of a man and his son flying a stearman across the country. Very entertaining!

Phlip

I'll have to give those a try. On the subject of fiction, I found "Hornet Flight" and "Night Over Water" by Ken Follet pretty entertaining.

Phil

larry@coyotenet

My Feedback: (21)

There are more books than I can name, but here are a few of my favorites.

WWI- Sagitarius Rising. One of the best books ever written about flying in WWI
Inter war years-Best one of the bunch, Spirit of Saint Louis by Charles Lindberg
WWII-Reach for the Sky, the true story of British ace Dougla Bader
Zero! Japanese ace Saburo Saki
The First and the Last. Adolph Galland head of the Luftwaffe and ace many times over
Rocket Fighter! True story of a German pilot who flew the ME-163
Wings of the Luftwaffe. By Capt. Eric Brown one of the all time great test pilots
Stuka Pilot by Hans Ulrich Rudel the most decorated pilot of WWII
Dam Busters. the story of the British pilots who breached the German dams and many other missions
Yeager- autobiography of the worlds greatest test pilot
Post war- Flying the Old Planes- by Frank Tallman one of the most famous stunt pilots

Larry

js3

My Feedback: (3)

Night Over Water! I forgot about that one. That was good.

beepee

Doolittle's autobiography is, "I Could Never be so Luck Again." HIGHLY recommended. I have it and will read it again. Cannibal Queen, by Steven Coontz mentioned above is great too.

Great thread! I have a bunch of ready to do!

Bedford

Red B.

For a rather hilarious read about the difficulties learning to fly I reccomend [link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Propellerhead-Antony-Woodward/dp/0007107293]Propellerhead[/link] by Antony Woodward.
After all those stereotype WWII (auto)biographies this book is refreshingly different.

skyskysky

Night Over Water! I like it very much..

Clark L

"Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" by Captain Ted W Lawson

[8D]