Aviation Message Board

I started this group for pilots, pilots manque, instructors, and anyone else interested in flying, aviation history, and the literature of aviation. I'm an active pilot and flight instructor, and I've compiled lots of references I found useful over the years on my Web site. And I'm slowly adding information about the aviation-related titles in my library.

Hi, I'm interested in aviation history, especially from the begginnings to around 1950. Thanks for starting this group!

I'm also more an aviation history person, as opposed to somebody who can actually fly a plane! I'm doing a history PhD on the fear of bombing in Britain in the three decades before the Second World War. I have a blog on the topic, if anyone is interested: http://airminded.org/

Hi Airminded, that sounds like a fascinating research subject. I did not see the following books listed on your website's bibliography which you might want to take a look at: Harald Penrose's five volume set of "British Aviation" does the best job I've seen covering both British civil and military aviation from the beginning until 1939 (it's listed in my Librarything), also Raleigh and Jones "The War in the Air" is one of the most readable official histories and the map volumes are incredible on mapping the courses of various Zeppelin and Gotha raids. Ian Philpott has come out with one and possibly both volumes of his new "Royal Air Force 1918 To 1939: An Encyclopaedia Of The Inter-War Years". Christopher Cole's "Air Defence of Britain, 1914 -1918" (Putnam Aeronautical series) is excellent as well. Good luck with your research, it sounds like fun inspite of the hard work.

Airminded: You probably already know about the classic The World Set Free and The War in the Air, and Particularly How Mr. Bert Smallways Fared While It Lasted by H.G. Wells, but if not, they're worth including in your reading.

And you may also enjoy the following article about Wells, which is available online:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/19450818/wells

Of course, Tennyson had a famous vision of aerial bombing in "Locksley Hall":

For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be; 120

Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails,
Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales;

Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain’d a ghastly dew
From the nations’ airy navies grappling in the central blue;

Far along the world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing warm, 125
With the standards of the peoples plunging thro’ the thunder-storm;

Till the war-drum throbb’d no longer, and the battle-flags were furl’d
In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world.

Finally, here's a link to an academic paper that you may find interesting:

"History, Memory, and the Representation of Britain's Experience of Strategic Bombing in Survey Textbooks"
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:_kJgFkZj7SQJ:faculty.ed.uiuc.edu/westbury/Pa...

Aviation history buffs may enjoy the stories from WWII aviators that will be told at 0900 PDT Thursday on “Weekday,” a program on KUOW (an NPR affiliate) in Seattle. You can listen online at www.kuow.org.

Details about the program are at: http://www.kuow.org/programs/weekday.asp

If you miss the live broadcast, you can get the podcast from the same URL or catch the rebroadcast at 2100 PDT this evening at www.kxot.org.

Today's news about terrorist plots against airliners brings to mind Thirty Seconds Over New York by Robert Burchard. It's not a very good book, especially in translation from the French. Written c. 1970, its terrorists were Communist Chinese, but it's one of the earliest stories that I know of that includes airliners as weapons.

My new book, Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid: A Guide for Pilots, Instructors, and Virtual Aviators, will be available in mid-December from ASA (www.asa2fly.com).

I am a newbie wrt aviation, and got introduced to flight and aviation field through flight simulation. Currently I just own two classic texts (Stick and Rudder, Weather Flying), but I intend to get more knowledge and this seems to be a good place for that..............

-Taher

If you're looking for more aviation texts, check out the list that I maintain on my Web site at http://www.bruceair.com/AviationResources.htm. You'll find links to many training handbooks and related resources, most of which are available for free download as .pdf documents.

Greetings all. I'm an author and specialist in the history of Russian flight culture. I host of "The Avia-Corner" a blog devoted to issues relating to the history of Russia, science & technology, and, of course, aviation. (http://www.dictatorshipoftheair.com)

Great to find you guys. I'm interested biplanes, especially WWI aircraft and barnstorming. I blame it on my dad who taught Army pilots in a Stearman between 1942-1945.

Currently I'm reading War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator and my wife just picked up the Time-Life reprint of Rickenbacker's Fighting the Flying Circus for me, but I'm I'm hard pressed to find stuff on barnstorming. I suspect this is a place that can help.

If any WWI aviation experts are around, I'm desperately trying to find out which 2 aerosquadrons trained at Call Field, Texas, and were sent overseas, during WWI.

It looks like 73d Aero Squadron was one of them. Organized 26 Feb 1918, at Call Field from 1 Mar 1918, and stationed in France from 20 Sept 1918. I will keep looking for the other squadron.

rudel519,

Wow! I've been trying to get this question answered for almost 2 years!

I'm encouraged to throw myself upon your mercy (and that of any other experts here) and ask my question in more detail. I'm looking for info on a relative whose reference card (from the NYS Archives) contains the following:

Enlisted 9 Nov 1917. US Army School of Military Aeronautics in Ithaca, NY, at Cornell University, to 15 Mar 1918. 7th Cadet Sqdn, Camp Dick, Texas to disch. Disch 15 Jul 1918 to accept commission. 2 Lt A S, 16 Jul 1918 fr ERC. Training Camp: Call Field, Texas. Organizations and assignments: A S (Aeronautics.) Principal stations: Dallas, Tex; AEF. Served Overseas: 9 Sep 1918 to 4 Dec 1918. Hon Disch (date): 27 Jan 1919.

That, and the statement in his obit that he was a bomber pilot, is about all I know. I figured that if I could learn what aerosquadron, I might be able to find its history.

Would those dates fit with the 73rd? Could they have been in England for 10 days or so before getting to France?

Thank you!!!!

Here's one I enjoyed: Crazy in the Cockpit.

Hi myshelves, Sorry that I haven't seen your update until now. The 73rd Aero Squadron was a bomber squadron, so that fits as do the dates. And it is very possible that he could've gone through England on the way to France. Here's where it was officially stationed - Waco, TX, 26 Feb 1918; Call Field, TX, 1 Mar 1918; Garden City, NY, 16 Jul-13 Aug 1918; St Maixent, France, c. 5 Sep 1918; Delouze, France, c. 20 Sep 1918; Colombey-les-Belles, France, c. 5 Oct 1918; Ourches, France, c. 15 Nov 1918-1919; Hazelhurst Field, NY, 19 Jun-4 Jul 1919 (from http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0073sos.asp) Air Force Historical Research Agency web site. Do you happen to have his discharge papers? You might be able to find them on the web. I was able to find a scan of my grandfather's WWI enlistment papers (Canadian Artillery) on the web. And you might try to contact the AFHRA via their web site above and ask if they have any unit histories or action reports for that squadron as you were looking for information on your relative. I'm not seeing any of their unit histories for sale online. Good luck with your search!!

Hi, everyone.

I'm contemplating the pursuit of a private pilot license and am interested in the group's advice about the best way to proceed.

I'd like to become as informed as possible on my own before stepping into an airplane with an instructor.

I recently acquired "The Complete Guide to Flight Instruction" by Gregory M. Penglis. So far I've only made it through the first four chapters; I've perceived some good advice in there, although the author, a veteran flight instructor, seems to be a little bent out of shape over "the system."

Any thoughts on that book, or other recommendations for a prospective newbie pilot? I see that BruceAir has written a relevant book, but I wonder if there are any varying opinions on whether it's beneficial, or possibly even detrimental, to use MS Flight Simulator as a learning tool.

Thanks.

Where have all the aviators gone? Has this group been grounded?

I just don't get here as often as I'd like.

You can find links to many great learning resources on my Web site at http://www.bruceair.com/aviationresources.htm. Most of the resources are free.

For more details about the process of learning to fly, including answers to many common questions, check out http://www.aopa.org/learntofly/ and http://flighttraining.aopa.org/.

Another book that might help you get started is Flight Training: Taking the Short Approach by David Diamond.

As for Flight Simulator's role in aviation training, see the links to articles on the topic on my Web site at:

http://www.bruceair.com/microsoft_flight_simulator.htm#FS_Aviation_Training.

Could someone recommend a one stop book for the general and technological history of aviation? I want a book that will cover the basic principles of flight, the various technological advances over the years and include information and anecdotes about the people and efforts involved. Basically a first step book that takes a breadth view rather than depth view.

Try The Lore of Flight, here's a link from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Lore-Flight-John-W-Taylor/dp/0792454138/ref=sr_1_2/002-151...

It's a big coffee table book that should address what you are looking for. Although it's big, it's got a lot of detail. At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University it was used as the text book for the Intro To Flight class, or at least it was in 1971, when I went to school there.

Hi,
I'm hoping someone here can help me. I'm trying to find an aviation book (manual?) for a relative. He was an airforce pilot in Australia (RAAF) ca. 1967-68 - and he would love to find a text that he used during his training. It's called Principles of Flight possibly by Commode/Kommode? Does that ring a bell for anyone? Or can you direct me to a website that might be useful? Thank you! Jenny.

Hi MysteryWatcher, I think that the book you are looking for is "Flight Without Formulae : The Principles of Flight Without Mathematical Formulae" by Alfred C. Kermode. I found copies of it for sale on www.bookfinder.com . I hope that is it.

That's it! Thank you so much!

FWIW, here's a little reading some may find interesting:

"Let's strap on the ole air'chine and go bore holes in the sky".

Cheerio!

rudel519:

I just found this site group tonight and stumbled across your post. Send me an email to my work email and I'll look up what I can for you.
ronald.ortensie@randolph.af.mil. Send whatever information you can that way I can pull up what I can find and send it to you.

Ray

Oh, the 73d is still around today, its an operational squadron with Special Operations Command stationed down in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Here is their lineage and honors statement.
http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=12122

I can recommend the books by Col. Raymond F. Toliver regarding fighter aces:

Fighter Aces of the USA
Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe (also published as Horrido)
The Blond Knight of Germany (Holt Hartmann vom Himmel)
The Interrogator
Fighter General (Adolf Galland)

And a web site hosted by Jan Safarik lists aces of ALL countries from ALL wars.

Hi Photoray,
Actually my post was in response to myshelves who was looking for a squadron that was posted at Call Field. From what I could find, it seemed like it would be the 73rd. I will pass on your generous offer to myshelves. Thanks and welcome to the group!!

The daily radio show "As It Happens" on CBC continued its Christmas Eve tradition by broadcasting a reading of The Shepherd, a short story by Frederick Forsyth. It's a classic ghost story told by the pilot of a de Havilland jet lost over the North Sea on a foggy Christmas Eve in 1957.

The reading of this classic is available as a free mp3 download for a limited time at http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/podcast.html

CBC also offers a collection of Christmas stories read by Alan Maitland on CD. "The Shepherd and Other Christmas Stories - Read by Alan Maitland" is available on the CBC Web site for $17.95.

rudel519 (2)

I have a work called 'FIFTY YEARS OF FLIGHT, a Chronicle of Aviation Industry in America 1903-1953'. It lists all the early aircraft manufacturing companies that no longer exist. There were almost as many as automobile companies then. The information is not detailed, only broadly reviewed.

Thanks for the tip Bruce