I've read two of Harry Higley's books, Getting Airborne Volume 1 & 2 and don't really recommend them. They are expensive and, I find, not only hard to read because of the way they are formatted, but not very well written as well. Worse, it seems on every other page is some shameless plug for another of his books. For the Higley fans, I admit that they do contain good information though.

I've not read it yet, but do plan on getting this book should I ever decide to build Great Planes PT 40. Not only does it tell you about building, but it seems to give you some of the information you'd be looking for too.

R/C Modeler Magazine Store
Flight Training Course
Our Price $14.95

By Ray Hostetler

Volume I (304 pages) covers everything you need to know from building to flying. The new Flight Training Course is centered around two aircraft: Great Planes' PT 40 kit and Hobby Shack's ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) Right Flyer 40T. The construction of each aircraft is highly detailed from start to finish, with over 600 photos and 100 figures complementing the text. Subjects covered include: flight theory, control systems, equipment selection, building techniques, your first flight, and much more (2nd Edition).

Hope this helps.