Tag Archives: aviation books

Amazon Aviator

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Amazon.com flying

Ok, I’m not talking about “flying the jungles of South America” kind of Amazon Aviator. I’m referring to the cyber-jungle that is Amazon.com. Why am I a big fan of Amazon? Because you can find almost anything at the click of a button and aviation paraphernalia is no exception.

It’s not just about books anymore! Although Amazon does have an unrivaled selection of books, it also has about anything else you might want.

Need a flying gear, no problem! General parts for your airplane, sure thing! And much, much more.

I was blown away recently when I happened to look on there for a replacement battery for my airplane and I found it (same manufacturer and part number, but less expensive). Amazing! More poking around and I discovered headsets, transceivers, GPS units, and the list goes on and on.

amazon.com for pilots
Plus I love buying something and then throwing in an obscure flying book or other aviation knick knack that I might not otherwise come across at the local brick and mortar book emporium.
If you are an Amazon power-user like me, you can join AmazonPrime and get several other perks, chief among this is free and unlimited 2-day shipping. Although I am an Amazon AffiIiate, I admit that I haven’t graduated to that level just yet…

Pricing varies so I can’t testify that Amazon is always cheaper, but they do a good job in most cases. Plus if you aren’t opposed to buying something “pre-owned” that is often an option as well!

In my recent need to obtain new spark plug wires for my IO-360A1A, I looked, but no joy. I guess I found the limits of what Amazon can do for aircraft maintenance.

So I have incorporated Amazon into my shopping scan and unless price is significantly better somewhere else, you can call me the Amazon Aviator!
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I Love Biplanes!

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stearman biplanes

I Love Biplanes!
One of the most existential things you can do as an aviator is fly a biplane, especially an open cockpit variety.

Having been lucky enough to have been a steward to one of these sentient vehicles in my youth, I can say I have tasted it’s nectar first hand.
There are few flying experiences so tactile and engaging. There are many other airplanes that put the pilot literally “out in front” in terms of the experience; the Breezy, the Kolb (one of my favs), the Woody Pusher, and the Air Cam, to name a few, but biplanes remind you that you are partners in this dance, with braced wings and wires permanently affixed to your field of view.
Seeing the word through the biplane’s picture frame really makes the transformation come alive.
biplanes at sunset
And since most, but not all, biplanes are aerobatic, you can point that mess of metal, wood and wires in about any direct you please, adding to the experience.
For those with open cockpits nothing can replicate the lidless view, the roar of the wind, and even the smells of this kind of flight. I taught myself aerobatics in my open cockpit Bücker Jungster 1 twenty years ago and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I can’t say that about many of my other logbook entries. These machines have a way of leaving an indelible mark on those who court her.
aerobatic biplanes
I truly love my RV-8, it does everything I want it to do, but if gas were cheaper and it was warmer here in Ohio, there might well be a Stearman parked in my hangar instead. Oh, I know Stearmans are impractical beasts, with low cruise speeds, high fuel burns, and little protection from the elements. But for what she lacks, there is just something ethereal (magical?) about these twin-wing conveyances that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Maybe it’s the swashbuckling manner of which their pilots saunter aboard, climbing onto (rather than in) these nostalgic machines from a time now lost.
Or perhaps, it’s the size – seems most classic biplanes, sans the Pitts and its progenitors, are large. These magnificent birds are so formidable as to make every thing else on the ramp disappear.
Or as stated before, it’s the total immersion that happens once airborne. You are hypnotized and there is no breaking her trance.
It might be all these things, and more.
All I know is that flying a Stearman specifically is near the top of my bucket list. Luckily there are several in the local area and even one for rent down near Cincinnati.
boeing kaydet biplanes
So if you haven’t been up in an open cockpit biplane, let me encourage you to add that to your to-list as well. If there are no opportunities nearby, you can try to get a sightseeing ride at a tourist destination the next time you find yourself on holiday.
Below are a couple of books on the subject that will get the juices flowing. If you haven’t already read them, I highly recommend taking a look.

The Cannibal Queen by Stephen Coonts
Biplane by Richard Bach

by Brent Owens                                                                   Subscribe to this flying blog

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iFLYblog.com Book Club February 2013: Fire and Air by Patty Wagstaff

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Patty Wagstaff

Each month I will feature an aviation book that I would recommend you add to your collection.

This month I’m featuring Fire and Air A Life on the Edge by Patty Wagstaff. This book is one of my favorites, and not just because it’s about aerobatics. The reason I love this book is that you can really tell that Patty revealed her soul in the text. It provides a great deal of insight into the women, the world-class competitor, and airshow performer that is Patty Wagstaff.

Even if you have seen so many airshows that you could care less about another wiz-bang monoplane pulling 12Gs, you owe it to yourself to read this book. You’ll get to see inside the personality that has amazed crowds for decades and inspired countless new pilots, including many women!

Fire and Air: A Life on the Edge

iFLYblog.com Book Club January 2013: You Can Fly Now

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You can fly nowEach month I will feature an aviation book that I would recommend you add to your collection.

This month I read a really cool book about learning to fly. Titled You Can Fly Now: Your Keys to a Sky Full of Opportunity, by John S. Craparo. This book is a really quick read, but it covers the full spectrum of LSA from a guy that has been-there-done-that. John explores all of the different aspects of LSA from float planes to powered parachutes, to legacy LSAs and he writes it in a way that is fun to read and easy to grasp.fly ercoupe

I was so excited after reading the book I was ready to go out and do an add-on float rating! He really makes it sound fun and provides some real-world details that demystifies many elements of learning to fly. I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about learning to fly (LSA or not). I also recommend it to folks that are already flying as a great way to see how LSA can work well and how fun it can be.

Buy it through the link below and you are helping support this site.

Aviation Book List: ebooks

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Aviation Books by heipei

photo by heipei

Aviation Book List: ebooks

A friend of the blog asked on our Facebook page about a list of recommended aviation books. He was specifically interested in books that could be downloaded, since he lives overseas.

Although we have the Book of the Month Club where we feature a book each month, I am going to break tradition and provide a simple list with no reviews in this post (I haven’t read all these books listed).

The links below take you to amazon.com who I am affiliated with.
Some of these ebooks are under a $1.00! Continue reading →

iFLYblog.com Book Club November 2012: Stick and Rudder

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Stick and Rudder BookEach month I will feature an aviation book that I would recommend you add to your collection.

An appropriate title for some of my more recent posts, Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying is the oldest flying book I have read and it might be the most practical. Wolfgang Langewiesche was way before his time in dissecting the essence of flying. Some of the terminology is different and there are some aspects that are not applicable, but overall there are some real gems in here if you take the time to read it. It’s relativity short at only 384 pages.

For a book that was first published in 1944 and still available today, you need to have this in your library.

Buy it through the link below and you are helping support this site.