Skywritings

Unknown Rider
By Scott Anderson

Not many authors call AOPA to publicize their book while on alert, ready to fling themselves and their General Dynamics F-16 fighter against America's enemies. "Scott is an unusual guy," said his book marketing agent. "He has called me from the cockpit of an F-16 while in the air."

Anderson is a pilot for the Minnesota Air National Guard and has based his novel on what he knows best — Air Force pilot training and flying an F-16. From that standpoint, it is a fascinating look at the world of an Air Force pilot. The book is aimed at youngsters, particularly those interested in becoming military pilots, but it is of interest to any aviator.

Being somewhat familiar with the Air Force flight screening program in Hondo, Texas, I turned immediately to that chapter. The program has changed since 1992, when it was called Flight Screening Program Officer Training (FSPOT or "Fishpot"), the name Anderson uses in the book. Had he visited the program recently, he could have included some of the tall tales heard around the flight screening program today and described the interesting Hondo airport, the site of navigator training in World War II. An editor's touch would have cured that if the book were not self-published, but the final result is still a very professional effort. He knows something about professionalism; his book Distant Fires was selected Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association in 1991. Available for $15.50 (includes shipping) from Fortner Wordworks, 5302 Ramsey Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55807, telephone 800/336- 6624; or from Barnes & Noble bookstores. — Alton K. Marsh

The Shoulders of Giants
By Phil Scott

As anyone who's ever cracked open a text on aviation history can tell you, reading one of those musty old tomes can be tough sledding. Once past the first few pages, any enthusiasm you might have had about the early days is too easily replaced by a mind-numbing mass of detail, concocted more for the academic than the pilot.

Phil Scott's The Shoulders of Giants isn't anything like that, thank God. It's a very readable yet thorough review of aviation history. It covers an ambitious time frame running from 1400 B.C. to 1919 and does it in a way that's both entertaining and educational. Here you'll find every dreamer, crackpot, charlatan, fool, and victim in flying's long lexicon — along with those who made the more stellar contributions, of course.

You may think you understand the progression from tower- jumpers to Orville and Wilbur, but this book is bound to provide some surprises. Sure, you might know about Sir George Cayley's gliders and Henson and Stringfellow's aerial steam carriage, but what about Jean-Marie Le Bris, whose Albatross glider allegedly flew for 600 feet in 1857? Or Clement Ader's Eole, an awkward contraption powered by a 20-horsepower steam engine that reportedly flew "several hundred yards" in 1890?

It's only natural that much of the book is bound up in a detailed discussion of the Wrights' efforts. This includes the dramas surrounding the Wrights' legal battles with Glenn Curtiss over the aileron patent, as well as the "assistance" rendered the Wrights by Octave Chanute and Augustus Herring.

For those with the urge to know more about the early days but without the patience to slog through those fat, poorly-written volumes, this book is tailor-made for you. Available in bookstores from Addison-Wesley Publishing Company for $24. — Thomas A. Horne

Airline Odyssey
By James Ott, Raymond E. Neidl

For years I urged Jim Ott, my former coworker at Aviation Week magazine, to cash in on his expertise on airlines; go to Wall Street, I told him. At the time, he was in demand as a speaker in the United States and Canada.

Ott has chosen to stay in his role as an aviation journalist, joining with Wall Street guru Raymond Neidl to produce this highly readable analysis of the airline industry.

Ott uses his polished skills to sprinkle what could be a very dry work with anecdotes that bring a complicated subject alive. Ott and Neidl wisely include considerable material about Southwest Airlines, an example of what is right about the industry, rather than concentrating only on what is wrong. Included is an important chapter on where the industry is going. And it is still possible that a major airline could fail, the book suggests.

Airline Odyssey is an essential primer for those in the airline industry and those who hope to become part of it. Published by McGraw-Hill. Available for $24.95 plus shipping by calling 800/ 262-4729. — AKM

Job Hunting for Pilots
By Gregory N. Brown

Job hunting? Every page of this 150-page paperback from Iowa State University Press offers common-sense tips for networking your way to that dream flying job. Best of all, it is a quick read. Read it for a few minutes or glance through it for a few seconds and you'll come away with valuable tips: how to prepare a resume, how to network, how to make a good impression, and how to follow up.

Gregory Brown has been there, done that. He has an ATP certificate with a Boeing 737 type rating and has worked as a flight instructor, collecting single, multiengine, instrument, and glider instructor ratings. You'll get a summary of the tips he provides to graduating students at Purdue University and at seminars for pilots. Better yet, it's only $12.95 plus shipping. Call Iowa State University Press in Ames, Iowa, at 800/862-6657. — AKM

Fly Past, Fly Present
By Walter Boyne

Interested in aircraft preservation and restoraton? A group of top aviation authors describe the restoration, history, and flight characteristics of some of history's most famous aircraft. Only one minor complaint. While most of the photographs are nicely done, others seem like mere snapshots, suffering from harsh noontime lighting, poor focus, and cluttered backgrounds. Many of the black-and-white photos could easily have been shot in color. Aviation in general — and restored warbirds in particular — cry out for color photos. Available for $29.95 plus shipping. Published by Sterling Publishing Company, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10016-8810; telephone 212/532-7160. — AKM