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Thread: Old Book Gems

  1. #1
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Old Book Gems

    In a separate thread, Aaron Novak posted about finding an old book about EAA Oshkosh, dating back in the '80s.

    I love going through old book stores, and you can find some real gems. One book was written by current EAA author Budd Davisson, called "The World of Sport Aviation." It was published in 1982, and is a really neat snapshot of homebuilts, antiques, classics, and ultralights. You can often find this book in the used book stores...scarf it up!

    Janes published a Guide to Homebuilt Aircraft in the 60s or 70s, and have been keeping my eyes open for a copy.

    What other "book gems" have folks come across...or neat books to watch for?

    Ron Wanttaja

  2. #2

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    A Gift of Wings, by Richard Bach. It was (truly) a life-changing experience for me in high school. I even got to shake his hand and thank him a couple of years ago. If you ever run across a copy in a used book store, snap it up, even if you have ten copies of your own. Makes a great gift, and can change someone's life.
    EZ Flap is the high performance upgrade for Cessna, Piper, Stinson, Maule and Beech manual flaps.
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  3. #3

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    I second that recommendation. Richard Back's early stuff about being a fighter pilot and then discovering the joys of general aviation are wonderfully raw and genuine.

    Best of luck,

    Wes
    N78PS

  4. #4

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    In my personal collection are:

    Fluid-dynamic Drag by Hoerner $$$
    Aircraft Structures by Peery $$$
    Aircraft Structures by Bruhn $$$$
    Airframe Structural Design by Niu $$
    Aircraft Performance Stability & Control by Perkins & Hage $$
    Aircraft Design (vol. 1 - 8) by Roskam $$$$
    Theory of Wing Sections by Abbott & Von Doenhoff $

    ....which is more than enough info to design just about anything.

    But some of my non-technical favorites include "The Great Book of WWII Airplanes" and a bunch of stuff by Bill Gunston (who has written over 350 books!).

  5. #5
    dewi8095's Avatar
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    Don't forget Frank Kingston-Smith's Week-End Pilot first published in 1957 with subsequent editions. And for the x-country aficionados, I recommend Rinker Buck Flight of Passage and Mariana Gosnell Zero 3 Bravo all guaranteed to make us wish all we had to do was fly around the country coast-to-coast.

    Don

  6. #6

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    X2 on Flight of Passage !

    Where the hell are all those movie rights buyers when we need them?
    EZ Flap is the high performance upgrade for Cessna, Piper, Stinson, Maule and Beech manual flaps.
    More performance - more control - more visibility ! 100% Money Back Guarantee www.ezflaphandle.com

  7. #7

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    Hey Ron,

    I've got "Log Book" by Foster Lane of "Lane Aviation" 1977, and an all time favorite for EAA'ers "KitPlane Construction" by some unkown guy named Ron, 1991!

    Joe

  8. #8
    cub builder's Avatar
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    How about a new book, "Yardarm and Cockpit", now available on Amazon. Chronicles both the sailing adventures and aviation adventures of a guy that has flown just about everything with wings and a round engine. I thought it was a fascinating read.

    -CubBuilder

  9. #9
    EAA Staff Tom Charpentier's Avatar
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    Flight of Passage was one of my favorite books growing up and probably my biggest inspiration to stay interested in aviation through my adolescence. I just finished rereading it for probably the tenth time. The book does a great job of capturing the innocent romanticism of flying a vintage airplane across the country, and it's that kind of thing that really drew me, and I suspect a lot of other people, to flying.

    In an odd coincidence, a few years ago while I was working on my private I found out that Rinker and I both went to the same tiny college (this was after I had already graduated).

    I too am looking forward to the movie someday!
    Tom Charpentier
    Government Relations Director
    EAA Lifetime #1082006 | Vintage #722921

  10. #10
    Adam Smith's Avatar
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    Students of the history and culture of EAA will find "This is EAA" by Duane Cole to be an interesting read, covers the first 20 years. An eye-opener for me was learning how the hardcore homebuilders tried to throw Paul Poberezny out when he started broadening the scope of EAA to include other types of aircraft...

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