tinerj
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I describe them as “weird”, and I do think you will find them unusual, but also interesting, and maybe educational. As winter comes on, you may be looking for something interesting to read, and I can recommend these books. Most are out of print, but are readily available from Internet used bookstores. I use www.abe.com.
Solo to the Top of the World by Gustavus A. McLeod. All right, lets think of some record that hasn’t been broken yet. Here we go. Let’s fly solo in a Stearman Biplane from Gaithersburg, Maryland to the Geographic North Pole. Gus McLeod, an African American flyer, did it in 12 days in the year 2000. The exhilaration he expected to feel did not materialize as he circled the pole. All he felt was cold and that he wanted to get home. Coming back most of his instruments froze and the engine gave up. He landed on the ice and was rescued. Later the Stearman was retrieved (most of the instruments had been stolen) and placed in the Smithsonian. Take away: It’s not the goal but the journey that brings satisfaction.
Colonel Cody and the Flying Cathedral – the Adventures of the Cowboy who Conquered the Sky by Garry Jenkins. Non-Fiction. This is not the well-known Buffalo Bill but a different Samuel Cody. He was a cowboy, however, and he did work the same cattle drives as Buffalo Bill, played roulette at the same table as Wyatt Earp, and competed with Annie Oakley as a sharpshooter. After taking his Wild West act to Europe, Cody became a passionate kite-builder. That led him to build a “powered kite.” He eventually designed airplanes, built them, and became a flyer. He made gigantic aircraft of bamboo and fabric. One was so large it gained the title “the Flying Cathedral” With it, Cody became the first person to fly in Britain. He adopted England as his home country, and the country adopted him. He took part in the dangerous and difficult flight around the British Isles, which is still an annual event today. But unknown to Cody, the bamboo of his plane was becoming brittle. In 1913, after flying for only six years, his plane came apart in flight and he was killed. More than 100,000 people lined the route of his funeral procession. Four years later, his son. Leslie, was shot down during World War I. Cody and Leslie became the first instance of two generations of the same family killed in the air. Colonel Cody is considered one of the founders of flying. Take away: Some lives are straight as an arrow to their destination; others are long and winding paths before their true greatness is found.
Free Flight by Douglas Terman (fiction). Gregory Mallen was relaxing in a cabin deep in the Vermont woods when the final global conflict destroyed Europe and enslaved American. He survives famine and plague, but is being hunted by the new regime. He learns of freedom fighters in Canada, so that is his goal. How to get there? He has a powered glider. So this is a flying story. The author served as a pilot for jet interceptors and bombers, so overall the story is believable and exciting. Take away: A powered glider can be a weapon of war.
This is the second group of weird aviation books. The first posting is here:
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64912
Solo to the Top of the World by Gustavus A. McLeod. All right, lets think of some record that hasn’t been broken yet. Here we go. Let’s fly solo in a Stearman Biplane from Gaithersburg, Maryland to the Geographic North Pole. Gus McLeod, an African American flyer, did it in 12 days in the year 2000. The exhilaration he expected to feel did not materialize as he circled the pole. All he felt was cold and that he wanted to get home. Coming back most of his instruments froze and the engine gave up. He landed on the ice and was rescued. Later the Stearman was retrieved (most of the instruments had been stolen) and placed in the Smithsonian. Take away: It’s not the goal but the journey that brings satisfaction.
Colonel Cody and the Flying Cathedral – the Adventures of the Cowboy who Conquered the Sky by Garry Jenkins. Non-Fiction. This is not the well-known Buffalo Bill but a different Samuel Cody. He was a cowboy, however, and he did work the same cattle drives as Buffalo Bill, played roulette at the same table as Wyatt Earp, and competed with Annie Oakley as a sharpshooter. After taking his Wild West act to Europe, Cody became a passionate kite-builder. That led him to build a “powered kite.” He eventually designed airplanes, built them, and became a flyer. He made gigantic aircraft of bamboo and fabric. One was so large it gained the title “the Flying Cathedral” With it, Cody became the first person to fly in Britain. He adopted England as his home country, and the country adopted him. He took part in the dangerous and difficult flight around the British Isles, which is still an annual event today. But unknown to Cody, the bamboo of his plane was becoming brittle. In 1913, after flying for only six years, his plane came apart in flight and he was killed. More than 100,000 people lined the route of his funeral procession. Four years later, his son. Leslie, was shot down during World War I. Cody and Leslie became the first instance of two generations of the same family killed in the air. Colonel Cody is considered one of the founders of flying. Take away: Some lives are straight as an arrow to their destination; others are long and winding paths before their true greatness is found.
Free Flight by Douglas Terman (fiction). Gregory Mallen was relaxing in a cabin deep in the Vermont woods when the final global conflict destroyed Europe and enslaved American. He survives famine and plague, but is being hunted by the new regime. He learns of freedom fighters in Canada, so that is his goal. How to get there? He has a powered glider. So this is a flying story. The author served as a pilot for jet interceptors and bombers, so overall the story is believable and exciting. Take away: A powered glider can be a weapon of war.
This is the second group of weird aviation books. The first posting is here:
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64912
