With 202 pages and a lot of good photographs, the book is divided into 22 chapters. Some of the chapters are quite detailed such as "Simple Aerodynamics of the V-tail and the Maneuver-Gust Envelope." Others are more hands-on such as "Handling Qualities" and the chapters that discuss the four phases of flight. The author devotes three chapters to weight and balance and five to emergency procedures.
Simply put, if there's something you want to know about a Bonanza's systems or how to fly it to its peak performance, you'll find it in Flying the Beech Bonanza. And that's what makes the book so valuable - it's a life-long reference, and chances are good that you'll learn something new every time you open its covers. For more information, contact SkyRoad Projects, 41 Crow Canyon Court., Chico, CA 95928; www.skyroadprojects.com. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
The Student Pilot's Flight Manual
Iowa State University Press has sold more copies (780,000) of The Student Pilot's Flight Manual to several generations of pilots, and the author, William K. Kershner, recently updated the entire work for its eighth edition.
Like its previous editions, the manual covers all the required private pilot ground and flight information step by step. The new edition's 496 pages include a totally rewritten chapter on weather and appendices that address wake turbulence and aeromedical factors, and a detailed description of the FAA practical test (checkride).
The manual also includes all the FAA private pilot test questions, answers, and explanations. But more important, it gives the latest facts about aviation and emphasizes individual decision making by students.
The Student Pilot's Flight Manual costs $36.95, and 140-page Student Pilot's Flight Manual Syllabus, which is a flight instructor syllabus and student study guide, is available for $14.95. For more information, contact Iowa State University Press, 2121 South State Ave., Ames, IA 50014; 800/862-6657; www.isupress.edu. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
Man Flies
Most people know that the Wright brothers were the first to make a powered flight. Until this fact reached the rest of the world outside of the United States, Alberto Santos-Dumont was internationally celebrated as the first man to fly.
Man Flies: The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, Master of the Balloon chronicles his tragic, glamorous career. The youngest son of a Brazilian millionaire who lived in Paris, Dumont was first a balloonist and airship pioneer. But he also was eccentric, and a colorful innovator. Today, most men wear a bit of his history on our wrist. Needing a time piece he wouldn't lose in flight, Dumont turner to friend, jeweler Louis Cartier, who then created the first wrist watch for men.
Not just a history of flight, Man Flies is a moving story of a person who was important to aviation's growth and success, a man who has almost slipped through the cracks of aviation history while his inventions and imagination continue to inspire it.
At 160 pages, Man Flies is a slim book, but it's a good read and its superb illustrations and photographs make it worth its $23 cover price. For more information, contact The Ecco Press, 100 West Broad St., Hopewell, NJ 08525; 609/466-4748. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
Slipping the Surly Bonds
From man's earliest expressions on the magic of flight to the chilling last words of some of aviation's giants, Slipping the Surly Bonds: Great Quotations on Flight, is a unique collection of the most memorable thoughts on flight. Capturing flying's special allure and excitement as well as its humor and tragedy, this anthology of quotations by da Vinci, Lindbergh, Armstrong, Yeager, and others amply illustrates why, as aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal rhapsodized, "To fly is everything."
With 231 pages, Slipping the Surly Bonds costs $14.95. For more information, contact McGraw-Hill, 11 West 19th St. New York, NY 10011; 800/722-4726. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
Mountain Flying Bible
Mountain flying is not a matter of just driving airborne machinery from point A to B. It's co-existing safely in a demanding, challenging, and sometimes hostile environment. It demands its own set of rules and requires an entirely different set of skills than flatland flying.
Fortunately, for pilots considering a flight to the high terrain, the Mountain Flying Bible and Flight Operations Handbook can help prepare pilots to meet the challenge. The author, Sparky Imeson, hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where mountain flying is a way of life, and he's also the author of Mountain Flying, which pilots have relied on for more than 30 years. His new book is just that - totally new. And it's filled with updated science, advice, illustrations, and photos.
Just as important as the information the book provides is the style in which it's presented. Imeson states it succinctly in the introduction - "Not every pilot is as sharp as he should be for every flight. Many of the hints in this book are directed to this end."
To this end, the book is filled with separate Rules of Thumb such as "Minimum Width for any Canyon Operation: Double the turn radius and add 200 feet. Do not enter a canyon that is narrower than this computed width." Naturally, the book offers guidance on computing turn radius, and emphasizes that the key to safe mountain flight is thorough preflight planning.
But before that, if you're thinking about making a flight into the mountains, you should read the section called "Mountology - The Psychology of Mountain Flying." It reinforces the crucial message spelled out in the "Warning - Disclaimer" - reading a book will not make you a mountain pilot. "Pilots with a desire to learn the advanced techniques ? should do so only with the help of a knowledgeable and qualified mountain instructor. If you do not agree with this, you may return this book to the publisher for a full refund."
The Mountain Flying Bible costs $22.95 (plus $3 S). For more information, contact Mountain Flying LLC, 4458 South Eagle Circle, Aurora, CO 80015-1313; 303/690-0362; http://home.att.net/~mtnflying/. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
Notes of a Seaplane Instructor
One of teachings more dynamic features is that instructors learn from tutoring their students and, in training others, refine their own skills and knowledge. Notes of a Seaplane Instructor: An Instruction Guide to Seaplane Flying brings the observations and experiences of the author, Burke Mees, to anyone who wants to learn to fly floatplanes.
In its purest form, the title describes the book perfectly - observations Mees made in the course of teaching dozens of pilots to fly floats. But the information isn't randomly presented, it's all tied together in a cohesive format that covers the course of training, from basic to advanced. In addition, the lessons are illustrated with clear, simple diagrams that make the words fuller and more meaningful.
With 160 pages between its soft covers, the book sells for $19.95. For more information, contact ASA, 7005 132nd Place SE, Newcastle, WA 98059-3153; 800/426-8338; 425/235/1500; www.asa2fly.com/asa. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
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