Flying is an experience in itself – Book Review
Do you come from a flying family? Have you ever considered flying for a living or getting your flight license so you can experience something really great? Are you looking forward to having a flying car in your life? Well if so, or if you just love aviation, I have a great recommendation, a great book that I think you should read. No, it’s not a new book, and it’s not just one book, it’s actually a lot of books in one: about 75 stories in all, easy reads each and just the right length. The name of the book is:
“Men in the Air: The Greatest Flight Stories of All Time, from Greek Mythology to the Space Age,” edited by Brandt Aymar and Walter J. Boyne, Wing Books, New York, New York, 1990, pp. 597, ISBN: 0-517-14656-8.
The book stays true to the title as the first chapter is the famous story of Daedalus and Icarus, the Greek mythology of a father and son who fly with their artificial wings and the son gets too close to the Sun that has wax on it. to. he melts and falls to his death unable to maintain his altitude. Next we have several science fiction stories, including one by Isaac Asimov; “To Saturn And Back” and then the book starts with human powered flight stories and very cool I might add.
On the human-powered flight front, there are stories about blimps, balloons and blimps, then the Wright brothers, Lindberg and designs and the story of Sikorski who made the first viable helicopters. I found the stories of flying mail, storms, air races, and early air shows quite interesting.
The book is not without its conflicts, as it tells of the first World War I flying aces in Europe. World War II flight histories are numerous, involving accounts of pilots on all sides of the war; Japanese, Allied Forces, US Airmen, Luftwaffe and Russians. There are stories of pilots in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War.
The latest set of stories is about women pilots in aviation, a must read for inspiring input from future female pilots. I highly recommend reading all the stories there. Interestingly, there are also interesting stories about flights and the weather, as well as hurricane hunters.
The book has major sections on the prop age, the jet age, and the space age. Our most famous Apollo astronauts have stories told, intense and heartbreaking stories. I think you will love this book as much as I do. Be cool, don’t hesitate.