Just for fun: Reader’s corner

David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers is a fascinating and in-depth look into the lives of these two Ohio brothers who were about the least likely people you would expect to change history. You’ll learn about the weird family dynamics between the brothers, their sister, and parents. McCullough digs into the darker side of the brothers, including their vindictive and libelous tendency and the mistrust they had for so many, including the U.S. government. Sometimes the storyline is slow, but when you’ve finished this book you will find it hard to believe it wasn’t a novel. —Thomas B. Haines

Stephen Coonts is known for his high-flying fiction, but it was his travel memoir The Cannibal Queen that completely mesmerized me as a teenager. Flying around the entirety of the continental United States with his son, Coonts effectively captured the romance of flying and the wonderful experiences it brings us. There’s no reason to venture to the ends of the Earth when you have a Stearman, a trusty navigator, and a vast nation to explore. —Ian J. Twombly

For me, it has to be Rinker Buck’s Flight of Passage. The story of these two wide-eyed teens—Rinker and his brother Kern—flying their Piper PA-11 Cub Special across the country in the late 1960s, epitomizes the boundless freedom of general aviation in America. These brothers prove that if you can visualize your dream flight, with the proper preparation, you can make it happen—at any age. —Kollin Stagnito

There’s West with the Night and Out of Africa, but for a lighter version of Kenyan bush pilot and aviation record-setter Beryl Markham’s story, I enjoyed Circling the Sun by Paula McLain. Famous for The Paris Wife, McLain’s ground-breaking fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, the author uses the historical fiction genre to put a more human and romantic face to Markham’s story. She’s not the most sympathetic character—many would say narcissistic—but she’s definitely interesting. The flying scenes are well done, too. —Julie Summers Walker

In his 1961 memoir, Fate Is the Hunter, Ernest K. Gann does an absolutely masterful job at sharing the cockpit with his readers. Gann was an early commercial pilot, flying DC–2s and DC–3s for American Airlines beginning in the 1930s, and some of his stories will take your breath away. It should be required reading for all instrument-rated pilots, and his descriptions of ATC services in that era—when the “big sky theory” played a key role—will guarantee your appreciation for today’s safe, sophisticated air traffic control system. —Mike Collins

Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg is the definitive account of one of the most written about but poorly understood personalities of the twentieth century. Berg had access to the Lindbergh family’s archives, and previously unknown personal letters and reminiscences give a far deeper look into the complexities and contradictions of this pioneering aviator’s thoughts and actions than even Lindbergh’s own writing allows. I didn’t necessarily like Charles Lindbergh after reading Berg’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, but I felt like I understood and appreciated the aviation giant’s extraordinary trials, contributions, triumphs, and shortcomings. Couldn’t put it down. —Dave Hirschman 

Harald Penrose’s Airymouse is a lovely contemplation of stories about flying a single-seat airplane with not much horsepower. It’s a reminder that sometimes we don’t need the biggest, fastest, coolest airplane to make us happy. Lush descriptions of the English countryside he overflies are a bonus. —Jill W. Tallman

Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars are more overtly “aviation books,” but Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is a classic by any standard. Like Saint-Exupéry himself, the narrator is stranded in the Sahara after his airplane crashes, and the charming fable that unfolds is a poignant reflection on life and love.  —Sarah Deener