Winter Reading

‘The Lonely Sky’ by William Bridgeman
WW2 bomber pilot and self taught test pilot flying the Douglas Skyrocket,dropping from B29 etc,very interesting book,there are some copies on Amazon uk.
I got mine some years ago in Newton Stewart whilst on detachment at ”Wet Through”;)

Winter reading

Couldn’t wait for Christmas so I went and got myself a copy of the new Coltishall book by Mick Jennings.
Very nice! It is split roughly 50/50 between prop and jet age. Loads of combat and anecdotal stories – has a bit of humour too. Thought it was of those books you just don’t want to put down – sat and read through the WW2 stuff it a single sitting! Though I knew a bit about Coltishall, but I learnt a whole lot more from this.

My wife has bought me for Christmas a year’s subscription of “Pilot” magazine. It is a good read and i cannot grumble.

Definatly a good present, especially after seeing WP840 gracing its pages last month! 😀

‘Flight of the Mew Gull’ I highly recommend. An excellent read that an aviator (lapsed or otherwise) can appreciate, especially trying to get into the mindset of – no nav aids or GPS. Just accurate dead reckoning.

A word of caution. You could easily become the Christmas bore as no one will see you, glued to the book that you cannot put down.

camlobe

Hi WACO
As mentioned before ‘think like a bird’ by Alex Kimbell is a really good read,I have read hundreds of pilot autobios and this one really is unputdownable.
Training in Austers and ops in Beavers…. very well written and easy going style!!

Cheers Baz

Hi All,

I enjoyed “Biplane” by Richard Bach. It is the author’s tale of ferrying his recently purchased Parks P-2A ‘coast to coast’ across the United States. Bach was an F-86 driver and also authored “Jonathon Livingston Seagull”. It is only quite a short book but exudes the pure joy of flying on every page.

Cheers

OZ

P.S. …and there’s always my book ‘Down to Earth’;)

Thanks all…..keep it going !

Good idea BR but am a lapsed PPL….if i were to take a single trip would bring back too many memories and just cannot afford it any more….flying that is !

Well I don’t know about good reads but I am building a couple of scale aircraft over winter a Lysander and a Shackleton AEW2 – does that count 😉

One of my favorite winter activities is to take a vintage Putnams off the shelf.

Avro, de Havilland, Supermarine, H-P, Vickers, Westland…
On a cold snowy day, its fun to sit by the fire with a view of the mountains and immerse myself in UK aviation history.
Thanks to the internet, they can be found quickly and easily…if not always cheaply.

I know this book has been mentioned before, but as it is my all time favourite WWII flying memoir and IMHP an unrecognised classic, I shall mention it again, ‘One Man’s Window,’ by Denis Barnham. He flew Spitfires in defence of Malta in the spring of 1942 and before joining up had been an art student, becoming an art teacher after the war.

From his account, I have litle doubt that he was suffering from clinical depression during this time and yet he flew again and again against frightful odds, commanding his flight and sometimes the squadron.

As far as I know, the book is not currently in print, but if you want a different Christmas read, see if you can get hold of a first edition copy, which is illustrated by his own drawings – one of my prize possessions!

My wife has bought me for Christmas a year’s subscription of “Pilot” magazine. It is a good read and i cannot grumble.

That sounds interesting Norman. Where did you come across it? I have to admit I would have bought a copy immediately if I came across it. Thinking about it our local Borders usually has some good (sometimes slightly obscure) aviation tiles I might give them a try.

Borrowed mine a few years back, guess it might be available on the “net”

That sounds interesting Norman. Where did you come across it? I have to admit I would have bought a copy immediately if I came across it. Thinking about it our local Borders usually has some good (sometimes slightly obscure) aviation tiles I might give them a try.

Infamous Aircraft. Dangerous Designs and their Vices. By Robert Jackson.

Can anybody tell me if Fighter Boys by Patrick Bishop is worth keeping on my Christmas list?

I’m struggling to convince my Mrs 840 that there is nothing wrong with having a slightly ott interest in aviation and all things Chipmunk so am starting small with my Christmas aviation books list.

Can anyone also recommend a good Chipmunk book, hopefully including WP840 somewhere inside?

Re: Fighter Boys, in a word yes. A good read

Stick and Rudder (Wolfgang Langewiesche) is a classic book on how to fly an aeroplane, should you wish to get yourself in the cockpit if only theoretically. Published originally in 1944. Some of the diagrams are very retro.

Get a new missus for christmas, Mike :diablo:

Can anyone also recommend a good Chipmunk book, hopefully including WP840 somewhere inside?

‘Chipmunk – The first 50 years’ by Air Britain ?

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Can anybody tell me if Fighter Boys by Patrick Bishop is worth keeping on my Christmas list?

I’m struggling to convince my Mrs 840 that there is nothing wrong with having a slightly ott interest in aviation and all things Chipmunk so am starting small with my Christmas aviation books list.

Can anyone also recommend a good Chipmunk book, hopefully including WP840 somewhere inside?

Sounds like a wonderful idea BR but one I’m afraid my other half would never go along with. She buys me expensive presents for birthdays, Christmas and our aniversary but treats me like s**t the rest of the time.

Trial lesson at your local airfield?