Customer Reviews (1)

Best reading of the year!!
Tell tale adventure of a career pilot. Great reading. My book of the year.
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Product Description
These memoirs of a great aviation career are cleverly presented as a life flight adventure. Each chapter is a series of interesting, informative, and easy reading, short stories. Many are airborne adventures, from which pilots may learn from the author's many mistakes, as well as his many achievements. ... Read more

Product Description
Turbulence Before Takeoff is the inspiring story of Marlon DeWitt Green, a successful Air Force pilot, who became the first African America to be hired by a commercial airline. Interspersed with his struggle, which ended with a landmark, unanimous ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, are unforgettable stories from the 1950s and 1960s, when the fight for civil rights nearly tore America apart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The life story of this remarkable man and his accomplishments resisting racism and discrimination
Marlon DeWitt Green did for African-Americans in aviation what Rosa Parks did with respect to bus travel. He was a former U.S. Air Force pilot who pioneered and litigated the right for African-American pilots to fly commercial aircraft. It took a long and expensive court battle against racist airline hiring policies that was to finish with a unanimous landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on April 22, 1963 that enabled Marlon DeWitt Green and all who came after him to be able to pilot commercial aircraft as their civilian career. "Turbulence Before Takeoff: The Life & Times of Aviation Pioneer Marlon Dewitt Green" is the life story of this remarkable man and his accomplishments resisting racism and discrimination against the background of the civil rights movement, political assassinations, and the difference that the right man in the right place at the right time can make in the history of a nation. "Turbulence Before Takeoff" is deftly written and highly recommended addition to community and academic library 20th Century American Biography, Aviation History, and Black Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. ... Read more

Product Description
Seven months before Pearl Harbor the Chief of the US Army Air Corps foresaw the need for a large air force, and approved establishment of a Psychological Research Agency to select pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. Psychologists from leading University Psychology Departments were commissioned, ordered to active duty, and began developing an aircrew classification program. On enlistment in the US Army Air Corps, the author was assigned to Psychological Research Unit #2, San Antonio, Texas, and quickly trained as a psychomotor examiner, a part of the two-day testing program to select the finest aircrew candidates. Between July 1942 and the end of World War II, 600,000 men were examined to select the best pilots, navigators and bombardiers the world had everseen. Selecting The Best gives the reader a view of tests, officers and enlisted men at two of ten examination sites and the School of Aviation Medicine, Randolph Field, Texas. After three days at PRU #2 in 1942, John Steinbeck reputedly called the program, "America's Secret Weapon." Excerpts from letters, diary, official reports, and a reminiscent symposium tell the story of how, by selecting the best, psychologists saved lives and training time, and contributed toward winning World War II. ... Read more

Product Description
This book, published in celebration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003, tells the story of two twentieth- century heroes who fashioned from the raw materials of ingenuity and ambition a legacy that will live forever in aviation history. ... Read more

Product Description
An exciting biography about a 1930's aviator, the perils that he encountered during 3 series of flights, the pageantry he witnessed during the parades and state dinners that he was accorded, and the factors that caused him to risk his life without any expectation of fame or monetary reward.Was his daring a result of leadership traits inherited from aristocratic ancestors going back to 400 AD and including the Emperor Charlemaine and the Scots who fought for Bonnie Prince Charles?A cultural heritage from Jamaica in the West Indies where the Maroons resisted slavery for 80 years?Education that included classes with Booker T. Washington, Colleges in Illinois and Ohio, and medical school at McGill in Montreal Canada?Life experiences that included workinghis way through school and confrontations in Atlantic City?

This is not a dry recitation of one individuals life but a vibrant comparison of the differences between the history and cultures of 10 Caribbean nations and the United States, in general and the cultures of the North and South.It brings history alive as he meets Booker T. Washington, Charles Lindberg, the Cuban dictator Batista, the Dominican dictator Trujillo, and the Jamaican populist, Marcus Garvey.There are vivid descriptions of the places where he lived such as Jamaica, the cities that he visited, and the dangers that he faced--fog, gales, an electrical storm over Texas, overheating over the Mojave Desert, a hailstorm over Utah, mechanical failures, and much much more.

Teachers and students were and students were a prominent factor in his actions.The steering committee for his third flight was primarily composed of principals and teachers.He made many speeches at schools in order to interest students in aviation and encourage them to think positively about their career choices.His last stop before his third flight was at Booker T. Washington High School in Florida.At one island stop, he took the time to hand out certificates to students.

With the first page of Black Flight, the reader realizes that this is more than a biography.The author skillfully intertwines interesting medical, historical, and cultural data with the chronological events in the life of a man who accomplished some extraordinary trips and never made an effort to achieve fame or fortune from it.For example, different aspects of fear and its effects are discussed, some knowledge of three different diseases is provided, the death of a parent and our own individual mortality is explored, information is given on genealogical searches and cultural histories.

This is a book that will appeal to young adults and adults in all ethnic groups. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a collection of many experiences by theauthor when he was a design engineer, pilot, and an aerospace engineerin association with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Thebook, chapter by chapter, hosts a series of his encounters -occasionally risky - of times investigating aircraft accidents andwitnessing certification tests.Often the encounters were with fellowFAAers who were great men in the FAA and others who believed they wereGod's gift to aviation - Little Tin Gods of FAA.In addition, thereare tales of development of unusual aircraft, outstanding men in theaviation industry, and stories involving flight test pilots.Inaddition, the author included some events with his own designedairplane, "Ophelia Bumps" and when he flew a midget racer, "The RareBird."

The demand for aircraft airworthiness, aviators, and aircraftoperation safety standards, dates back to the days of thebarnstormers.Those stunt pilots and daredevils painted a colorfulchapter in aviation history, but left a trail of carnage across thecountry.Accidents and crashes drove the aviation public to demandgovernment controls.This is where Fabulous Affairs with Aircraftbegins - a brief history of events leading up to the present FAA andto when he became involved in aviation.

The book should be of considerable interest to all who fly, haveflown, aspire to fly, or become aerospace engineers.Still, the bookis an exciting narrative for anyone who likes adventure and for thoseconcerned with federal bureaucratic practices.

A LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK

Meet the designer of the Atom Bomb structure.

Fly in a midget racer 50 feet above the ground at 150 mph - Inverted!

Witness the disintegration of the Boeing 737-200 wing during testing.

Participate in the L-1011 emergency evacuation test and other FAAcertification tests.

Learn what it is like to work inside the FAA as an aerospace engineer.

Read stories of FAA engineers and inspectors who saw themselves as "God's gift to aviation"- referred to as "FAA Little Tin Gods."

Enjoy reading stories of interesting aircraft development projects, expert FAA and industrial engineers, inspectors, and flight test pilots.

A story of international intrigue is told about the helicopter modification program conducted in Santiago, Chile.The program became known as the "Chile Copter Project." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hanger Flying
If you have ever dealt with the FAA, you will love these stories. If you have taken a flight test, had your facilities inspected or tried to get a part certificated, you will enjoy these stories. If you are a pilot, mechanic or a recovering aviator, you will find these stories irresistible. Gene Turner relates dozens of interesting, fascinating and historical accounts of amazing, puzzling and dumb things done by FAA inspectors. He also provides captivating behind-the-scenes reports of aviation testing. For coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page.

Gene Turner has been a pilot and aeronautical engineer for over 50 years. He has work for and with the FAA for 38 years. He was there.

As a pilot (SEL and gliders, hang gliders and paragliders), skydiver (1,200 jumps, D-454), author and publisher of 7 books on parachutes, I fly quite often. I recommend this book to every aviator. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

A "must" for students of American aviation history & the FFA
Fabulous Affairs With Aircraft And Federal Aviation Airheads is acollection of short stories that provide an inside look at FAA howengineers test new aircraft, as well as government flight test pilots'experiences. Here are also examples of manufacturers trying to develop newdesigns, FAA engineers and inspectors who were more of a burden than a helpto the progress of aircraft design development. Eugene Turner draws uponhis more than thirty-eight years with FAA as an FAA Designated EngineeringRepresentative who has worked an additional seven years aircraft designengineer in the aviation industry. Fabulous Affairs With Aircraft AndFederal Aviation Airheads is an informative "must read" for anystudent of American aviation history in general, and the workings of theFederal Aviation Agency in particular. ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive biography of the most translated french writer of all time.

When he vanished in 1944-disappearing into thin air as the Little Prince does in his best-loved work-Antoine de Saint-Exupry was already a legend. His name is synonymous with the golden age of aviation, when pilots flew through desert sandstorms in open cockpits and without instruments, fired at by rebellious tribes. The author of many of the classics of aviation literature, he also wrote the children's classic The Little Prince, the most widely translated book in the French language. Stacy Schiff, with an infectious fascination for her subject, has brought Saint-Exupry to life in this definitive, humane, and hugely entertaining biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Very good biography
I read this book in the year 2002. If I am correct, it was in the year 2004 when it was confirmed the plane found decades earlier near Marseilles indeed was his. It had taken all that time to be sure it was indeed his machine, although apart from a watch, no body was found.
I do not know if the pocket version has updates this.
Nevertheless the hardcover was a great read. I liked the way his life was portrayed, as well as his work in literature. As the author herself put it, much of it is flawed now. But nevertheless, it made us dream. I think that was a very apt way of summing it up, since interpretations and analyses of what his books would mean today would become to long and tedious, and pointless.
I loved the details, which good biographies always provide. Too many of course to mention. There are many of them for a good read. Get it!

Incomplete biography
I was there when St. Exupery flew his last mission.He did not return, and succeeded in his verbally requested wish that he wanted to die for his country.

Good overview of the life
Unfortunately most people know St. Ex as a kind of iconic figure, with no sense of who he actually was. This biography provides a good overview of the various phases of his life, although it tends a little much (for me) toward psychological analysis. The first few chapters, which describe what probably was for St. Ex the best period in his life, are particularly well done.

I had two minor problems with the book, which does not reduce its value as a good general biography. One was the tendency to treat St. Ex's work in terms of how close or far it strays from "true" fiction, as if fiction is the ultimate form, rather than assessing the work on its own terms. I also found the ending quite abrupt -- I would have expected a little more discussion about his legacy as an author and how his reputation has fared since his death. Otherwise, a beautifully written book and a good read. REB

Ignorance is bliss
I have read much of Saint-Exupery's work and created a vision of the man and the personality he had. My first reaction while reading this book was absolute horror with my ignorance. After I recovered from the shocking truth I found this book to be extremely well written and most likely very accurate. If you want to live with visions of the Little Prince in mind this is not the book for you. If you want to gain an understanding of what Saint-Exuprey was like and how his life trials contributed to his work then this one's for you.

Review updated, with a confession & a recommendation
Antoine de Saint-Exupery: born 8am June 29th 1900 in Lyons, France.I am only a few chapters into this expertly-written and highly-detailed biography and can already foresee that I will linger through it and saturate myself with it for who-knows-how-long (like I do when I read Saint-Ex's books).Stacy Schiff's extent of knowledge she has gathered on the man floors me.

I am updating this review now as of 1/21/2004.#1 I must confess that I haven't finished this book yet, so I dropped a star due to the enticement level of the reading; although, in good faith I suspect the author HAS included a ton of info.So for that research effort I give four stars.However.#2I have recently read the memoirs of his wife, Consuelo Saint-Exupery.In comparison, I fervently ran through those 350 pages in two evenings.All I am going to say now, here, is this:no individual study of the man, no matter how nonchalant, is worth squat unless someone also reads the "A Tale of the Rose" manuscript from the one who loved him tirelessly.You will never look at his work, or "The Little Prince", in the same light.(Nor his notions of "duty", for that matter!!!) ... Read more

Product Description
Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic, as the world remembers, and Amelia Earhart, who never completed her round-the-world flight with navigator Frederick Noonan in their twin-engine Lockheed, became a legend. Yet the contemporary of these two pioneers in early aviation, Wiley Post--the pilot who circled the earth alone in a single-engine plane, who flew at sub-stratospheric altitudes and discovered the jet stream, and who designed the prototypes for astronauts' space suits--has been largely, and perhaps officially, ignored in history and American folklore. Until now. Based on thirty years of research, this biography by Bryan and Frances Sterling reconstructs the adventurous life of Wiley Post from his poverty-stricken boyhood on a farm in Texas to a certificate from the Sweeney Auto School in Kansas City, Missouri, to a brief career in armed robbery that sent him to prison in 1921. It was in the oil fields of Oklahoma that ex-con Post lost his left eye, a handicap that he did not allow to impede his career as a parachute jumper, stunt pilot, barnstormer, and record-setting ace aviator. Post's incredible career ended in 1935, with a fatal crash in Barrow, Alaska, that also killed his passenger, the great American humorist Will Rogers. As in their comprehensive account of the enigmatic Wiley Post's life, the Sterlings leave no official record or government file unturned in their thoroughgoing investigation of the mystery that has long surrounded this maverick aviator's death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Gives a more thorough account of the aviation pioneer
Unlike other aviation pioneers Wiley Post could not seem to translate his record-making flights into financial security for himself and his family and so he always seemed to push himself further and further in order to accomplish something that would place himself in a position where he could write his own ticket. This push nearly ended his life more than once and certainly contributed to the tragic accident in Alaska which ended his story.

The authors did a wonderful job on this book, researching Wiley's background and putting everything in perspective for the reader. The deliberate sabotage attempts on several of Wiley Posts flights is something I was not aware of and which I felt could have been pursued more.

Certainly a book for those who want to know more about this early flier and American hero.

A very thorough account
This biography is carefully researched, with the footnotes where they belong--at the foot of the page.The authors have done a lot of research and their telling of the dramatic life and feats of Wiley Post makes for a fascinating book.The account of the two round-the-world flights is full of awesome momnets.There is a lot of technical flying data, and for the non-flyer this gets a bit long, as does the exhaustive account of the events following the crash on Aug 15, 1935.From the time that Wiley Post dies there are still 120 pages in the book, but much is interesting and the account of the world-wide grieving is poignant and well-done.There are good illustrations, tho also I would have liked a map of the the area where the crash occurred.But overall, this book tellsthe story well, and is well worth reading if you are interested in the life of a daring and gutsy early flyer, who should be remembered. ... Read more

Product Description
The life story of one of America's most beloved heroines is explored on the 100th anniversary of her birth. Amelia offers new insights into the mystery that has confounded searchers for 60 years. What happened to Amelia Earhart? This work reveals the personality behind the celebrity and includes 30 photographs, some never before published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

"An Attentive Portrayal of Amelia Earhart"
"Amelia: A Life of the Aviation Legend". D. Goldstein and K. Dillon, Brassey's, Washington 1999, ISBN: 1-57488-199-X, PC 288 pages, plus 10 pgs. Notes, Glossary, Biblio., Index and 33 suitable B & W photographs.

Both authors are well-published, and are excellent writers.Whilst a thorough coverage on Amelia is provided, emphasis is primarily focused on her character, but the book covers the usal A to Z's previously reported, thus nothing new was forthcoming.The Book is new enough to discuss some of the more recent searches including those by TIGHAR.The book is divided into 3 parts:I-Takeoff, II-High Flight, & III-Flight Into Mystery - and each part has chapters for easy reference.

I did not detect any especial errors or omissions or novel features in this writing, but it is a somewhat tedious, neutral-ground read: in short, a truly wordy but accurate and lengthy overview, one appearing to be largely a straight-forward journalistic compilation or recitation of everything reported in previous works.Fortunately, not too great of space was provided to the immediate search attempts as the explanation of the radio communication attempts, etc. is best left to technical expert's interpretations.

Comments on Amelia by Goldstein and Dillon
This is book worth reading because it incorporates for the first time in any published book the unpublished and uncompleted manuscript on Amelia and her disappearance entitled "Flight into Yesterday, the Amelia Earhart Enigma" by Laurence Safford, CPT USN (Ret). Safford was a famed cryptographer and a US Navy Intelligence Officer who gained fame for his role in intercepting Japanese codes prior to Pearl Harbor and for his insistance that Roosevelt and others had received the decoded "East Winds Rain" message signifying the imminent attack by the Japanese.

They also include for the first time in any book, significant information provided by Earhart researcher John Luttrell.

The book by Goldstein and Dillon makes good use of both Safford's manuscript and Luttrell's information and correspondence, but also incorporates several mistakes that Safford and Luttrell made and their (Goldstein and Dillon) book should be read with an awareness that it is not the final authority and that there are other books published concerning Earhart's disappearance that should be read for a balanced opinion of any conclusions.Those would include "The Search for Amelia Earhart' by Fred Goerner,"The Sound of Wings" by Lovell, "Amelia Earhart, The Mystery Solved" by Long and Long, "Amelia Earhart, The Final Story" by Loomis with Jeffrey Ethell, and "With Our Own Eyes, Eyewitnesses to the Final Days of Amelia Earhart" by Campbell with Thomas E. Devine.

Amelia: a woman of independence!!
(...) As soon as I started to read this book I couldn't set it down. It was really and truly inspirational, it shows you don't have to be a man, to do something thats considered a man's job, all you need, is determination and to have your heart in soul in it... but most of all do it for fun, do it becasue you love it! I read a lot of books and I know that you always have something to say or a lesson you get out of the story. Out of this book I've gotten knowledge of women heroes, of women leaders, and it also showed me to do what i want to do, when I want to do it, because you will regret it later. That's why I gave this book review 5 stars and 2 thumbs up!!

It's How You Live NOT How You Die That Matters
What makes a person become a pioneer? What was it like to be the FIRST PERSON to fly solo from California to Hawaii? The 1930's were a time verydifferent from ours, but people still have to reach for the best withinthemselves. This is were this book reaches new ground. The authors havestripped the layers of myth away to reveal the wonderful and gifted humanbeing that Amelia created. Trusted and respected author/historiansGoldstein and Dillon (those wonderful folks who gave us the Pearl Harborbooks, Photohistories of D-Day and Battle of the Bulge,etc) turn theirtrained and impartial eyes on this most enigmatic person. (The book hasextensive notes and a bibliography). Amelia believed a women's place wasequal to that of a man's, in not only aviation, but in all areas ofAmerican life.

Doesn't solve the mystery
I read this book with high expectations, being familiar with Goldstein and Dillon from their earlier works with Prof. Gordon Prange on the Pearl Harbor attack.As a short biography of AE it passes muster; however as aserious attempt to investigate her disappearance in 1937 it falls short. The authors rely almost completely on an unpublished manuscript by Capt.Laurence Safford USN (famous to Pearl Harbor conspiracy buffs from his rolein the "East Wind Rain" controversy).In the few places wherethis source is quoted directly, serious errors can be detected.Forinstance on p.236, Safford rejects the generally accepted theory thatEarhart's 157-337 line of position was a sunrise observation by Noonan, onthe grounds that she was using magnetic bearings and "A discrepancy ofnine degrees is hard to swallow".On p.239 we learn that thedifference between true and magnetic bearings near Howland Is. is exactlynine degrees!It is clear from this that Earhardt and Noonan werefollowing the standard practice in celestial navigation of working in truebearings.Evidently none of the authors or editors had even a cursoryknowledge of air navigation.These kinds of errors make me doubt all theinformation in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Briefly describes the lives and accomplishments of five African American pilots: James Banning, Bessie Coleman, Daniel James, Benjamin Davis, and William Powell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

rad
I loved this account of Aviators.Rock On ... Read more