hifly 925 Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 When I'm not flying, working, eating or sleeping I like to read. Mostly aviation or 20th century history. Not sure if this topic has been covered before but I thought you good, intellectual forum folk could list your favourite NON fiction books here. So to kick off, here's a couple of mine. A Book of Air Journeys; Pub. Fontana/Collins. An anthology of air journeys compiled by Ludovic Kennedy. Lindbergh, Ernest K. Gann, (anything by him), Alan Cobham, Winston Churchill and many more are included. Wild Blue; Pub. adrenaline/ Mainstream Publishing. Another anthology with Michael Collins, Saint-Exupery, Roald Dahl and more. I will add more later but please join in with your recommendations. Now where's my pipe and slippers? Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,283 Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Don't forget your smoking jacket. Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Don't forget your smoking jacket. Or the old leather armchair, a labrador at my feet and a brandy. Here's a couple more if you're interested. Google these. Empire of the Clouds by James Hamilton-Paterson. The post war British aviation industry. Chickenhawk by Robert Mason. His account as a Huey pilot in Vietnam. Heavy stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,283 Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 I just got Chickenhawk from the library after you had mentioned it in another thread, thanks. Finishing another book up first and then I can jump on it. Edit: Great book, as I was reading it, the stories came back from my fuzzy memory. I must have read it before and still enjoyed reading it again. I don't think enough folks read it because it had a great moral to the story and here we are in the same situation again, just in another part of the world. Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 OMG, Brett I'm repeating myself here already. I recommended Chickenhawk to an ex helicopter pilot chum. 'Harrowing stuff' he said after he had read it. You'll be reading it into the wee small hours though. Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 I have various Bomber Command books, including the three by Kevin Wilson. Well worth a read, along with 'Vulcan 607' Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Hi Hurri. Have read 607 and Kevin Wilsons' is on the 'to read' pile. There's never enough hours in the day. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Wings on my sleeve by Eric Winkle Brown a fascinating auto-biography From Amazon...Eric Brown went to Germany in 1939 on an exchange course, and his first experience of the war came when the Gestapo arrested him, not knowing he was an RAF pilot.The rest is history. He is the only man alive to have flown every major and most minor combat aircraft of the Second World War (as well as all the early jets), and has been interviewed by the top Nazis.While testing the Nazi jets in war-stricken Germany, he interviewed (among others) Hermann Goering and Hanna Reitsch. A living legend among aviation enthusiasts, his amazing life story deserves to be told in full—from crashing in front of Winston Churchill to unmasking a Neo-Nazi ring in the 1950s to his terrifying flights in primitive jets and rockets. ================================= He's 94 now and June this year he was appointed honorary Patron of our local aviation group http://www.bwavg.co.uk/ whatta guy! More http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rw940 Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 One I have yet to read is 'A Higher Call' by Adam Makos about a ME109 pilot who took pity on a crippled Fortress and its' crew and escorted it to the Channel. Google this story, it's very moving. Link to post Share on other sites
Kasper 14 Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 A short list from the top of my head: Aviation related: Fate is the hunter, Black Cats and Dumbo's, Bury us upsite down, Flying the hump History: Panzer Leader - Heinz Guderian, My early life - Winston S Churchil, The great white south - H.G. Ponting, The Silent Continent - W.H. Kearns & B. Britton Philiosophy: Dialogues - Plato, The art of War - Sun Tzu Computer related (my hobby and my work) Hackers - Levy, The art of deception - K. Mtnick Science And God created the integer - S. Hawking Lots more - but I am trying to keep the size of the list down. Otherwise you'll think that I'm just some nerd who reads all the time ;-) (guilty as charged) Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 chickenhawk has been in my library for years, as has beeb wings on my sleeve, but here are a few of my favorites in my library which will remain there till they put the last nail in the box. the feather men , ranulph fiennes (simply superb) the nemesis file paul bruce baa baa black sheep , "pappy" Boyington the tunnel, eric williams bomber pilot ,, leonard cheshire vc voyager, jean yeager and rick rutan the hardest day ,, alfred price the forgotten soldier , guy sajer most secret war , r v jones pq17 convoy to hell , lund abandon ship , paul newcombe the dambusters, paul brickhill Jet , sir frank whittle who dares wins, tony geraghty the thousand plan , ralph barker bring back my stringbag , lord kilbracken we rendezvous at ten, wing com ronald adam obe ginger lacey ighter pilot ,, townhend bickers combat crew, john comer the tunnels of cu chi, tom mangold Link to post Share on other sites
britfrog 180 Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 a few more from the library the sky my kingdom , hanna reitsch my part of the sky, roland beamont test pilot, neville duke fighter pilot,, paul richey reach for the sky, paul brickhill Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 An interesting read is 'Bomber Offensive' by Arthur Harris. Interesting as it does show what he really thought, not what modern historians think he thought. Also shows how forward looking he could be Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Wow! You lot are like buses, you wait for hours and three come along at once. I thought this thread was dead! The Right Stuff. Tom Wolfe. Chuck Yeager and the Mercury astronauts. Brilliant film too. I must add three WW-2 books by Antony Beevor. 1. Stalingrad: It makes you feel you were there. 2. D-Day: It makes you feel you were there. 3 Berlin: It makes you glad you weren't there. I highly recommend these. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Nice beevors! Seriously, I will take a look, Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted September 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 That's if you ever get the time to read them. Along with Stephen E.Ambrose they, IMHO are the best books on WW-2. Link to post Share on other sites
rob16584 42 Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Empire of the Clouds is a fantastic book. It took me a while to get used to the guy's writing style but his enthusiasm and knowledge are fantastic Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 I have read the following: Chickenhawk, Empire of the clouds Malta Spitfire by Beurling and Roberts, Heaven next stop by Gunther Bloemertz, Shot down in flames by Geoffrey Page, Stapme by David Ross (Biography of Squadron Leader B. J. Stapleton) Nine Lives of a Fighter Pilot by Terrance Kelly. I am currently reading Lightning from the cockpit and have a kindle version of Wings on my sleeve to read next. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,283 Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 A is for Airplane by Theresa Howell Link to post Share on other sites
J G 927 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 A is for Airplane by Theresa Howell This is a bilingual book! Way above my head! Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 I've been picking up anything I can find for my Kindle that covers the ATA. Wonderful story. I've been trying to track down a copy of the ATA "Pilot's Notes". Seems to be out of print. Any suggestions? Link to post Share on other sites
DaveLeafNiles 0 Posted October 4, 2013 Report Share Posted October 4, 2013 If you don't mind a little historical fiction, Len Deighton's "Bomber" is still rather riveting. Brickhills "The Dam Busters" is a good one. Now to go find a Lanc model ^.^ Link to post Share on other sites
hifly 925 Posted October 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Suprised no one has mentioned Ernest K. Gann, Fate is the Hunter and many more. His accounts of the early days of commercial aviation in the US are just brilliant. You are in the cockpit with him. Link to post Share on other sites
Kasper 14 Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Suprised no one has mentioned Ernest K. Gann, Fate is the Hunter and many more. His accounts of the early days of commercial aviation in the US are just brilliant. You are in the cockpit with him. Hmm, I did? Link to post Share on other sites
Kasper 14 Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 If you don't mind a little historical fiction, Len Deighton's "Bomber" is still rather riveting. Brickhills "The Dam Busters" is a good one. Now to go find a Lanc model ^.^ A pretty good one - for free: http://www.rikoooo.com/en/downloads/viewcategory/52 You will have to become a member, but that is also free. Link to post Share on other sites
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