Love story
101 Chuck Yeagerisms
General Charles “Chuck” Yeager met his second wife Victoria D’Angelo in 2000 and the pair were married in 2003. For many years the couple enjoyed the success of the legendary pilot’s career, traveling, flying, and experiencing life together. After his death in 2020, his wife, missing the wisdom of her “real man,” said she decided to gather his thoughts, advice, and witticisms into a book she calls 101 Chuck Yeagerisms: Wit and Wisdom from America’s Hero. From stories about flying, flight testing, combat, and NASA, Victoria Yeager has gathered her late husband’s exploits with comments on life such as “You don’t have to be good to be a legend, all you gotta do is live,” “An arrogant pilot will get ya killed; confident ones make history,” “When the paperwork weighs more than the airplane, you’re ready to fly,” and, of course, “Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. Any landing where you can use the airplane the next day is an excellent landing.” With photos and artwork, this is a fun—and inspirational—look at a fascinating man and his life. —Julie Summers Walker
From a Thunderbird
Upside Down Dreams
Inspired by the many encounters U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilot Michelle “Mace” Curran (see “Briefing: Meet ‘Mace’” p. 31) had with young girls attending airshows during her 13-year flying career, this children’s book was written to inspire people—especially girls—of all ages. In Upside Down Dreams, Curran tells the story of adventurous Lilly Padilly who dreams of becoming a pilot after seeing six fighter jets fly over her school. Although friends doubt her, and she questions the idea herself, she becomes determined to pursue her dream of flying “after a pivotal, heart-warming moment” with her grandfather. This book is recommended for seven to 12-year-olds and is available June 2023. —JSW
Flying Delmarva
The ABCs of Flying Over Delmarva
Don’t know what “Delmarva” is? If you’re from the East Coast, you know Delmarva stands for Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, three coastal areas that could fit inside the state of Colorado with room to spare. The coastal areas of these three states are defined by beaches, inlet waterways, rural agricultural areas, soybean and corn fields, and tourism. They are the home of Perdue and Tyson Farms chickens, Atlantic fish such as Menhaden, blue crabs, cotton candy, French fries, and fudge. Joanne K. Guilford wrote two books about flying here, one for children that introduces aviation in the area through the ABCs (“A is for AirTractor,” “B is for Beach”) and a thoroughly researched history of general aviation in the area in Flying Over Delmarva: Spray Planes, Banner Planes, and Biplanes. You’ll find stories about Panchito, the North American B–25 Mitchell based in Delaware; crop dusting history in rural Maryland and Virginia; and banner towing along the white sand beaches as well as the many characters Guilford met living and flying in the area, accompanied by rich historical photography. —JSW
