The most recommended books about pilots

As a pilot and an American, I found the content of this extremely well-written book mesmerizing. As a writer and editor, I was blown away by the clean copy. More impressively, both authors replied to my emails. Rick Newman is the wordsmith, and I daresay perfectionist. Upon learning I found only two typos in over five hundred pages, he begged to know where. Major General Don Shepperd, USAF Retired, was a Misty pilot in Vietnam who graciously agreed to be a technical consultant on my novel. His inside knowledge of the continuing struggle to return remains of US service members was invaluable. 

I was amazed to read about the adventures of Mrs ‘Chubbie’ Miller, whom I had never heard about previously. She was an Australian woman aviator who competed in the US National Women’s Air Race (the so-called ‘Powder Puff Derby’) and other Women’s Air Derbys with Amelia Earhart and others. Why had I not heard of her before? Because she was embroiled in a scandalous love triangle that saw the end of one life?

Flight attendant, Ava, finds herself in the most amazing destination ever because of a layover. She embarks on more than most people accomplish on a layover. This is such a fun book and a little on the Rom-com cliche side, but some perspectives are original because the author is a real flight attendant. 

Neil Armstrong was an American hero not just because of his skills as a pilot during the Korean War or because of his prowess as an astronaut or by becoming the first man in history to touch the lunar surface. He is a hero because he did all of those things without ever bragging or seeking to make a profit from his success. His commitment to duty, as well as his sacrifice and humility, are lessons for every generation. 

Robinson’s tale of Goshawk Squadron battling the odds in the last year of the Great War cuts through the Biggles-style myths and legends that had dominated the public perception for many years. He shines a light on the bleak and terrifying business of aerial warfare and unflinchingly portrays the horror and helplessness of becoming the loser in a dogfight to the death. Yet from this foreboding vista he prises shining nuggets of laugh-out-loud humour, albeit of the gallows variety. Robinson’s spot-on characterisations and skilfully written battle narratives will place you in the rattling cockpit of a biplane in the hostile hunting grounds over France. This 50th-anniversary reissue is a well-deserved accolade.  

Dan McKinnon was a navy helicopter pilot who was airborne near an aircraft carrier during flight operations so pilots who had mishaps could be quickly and safely recovered. This is a story about an unusual type of flying, one that provides another layer of safety for naval operations at sea.

Young Mary had a dream so big that nobody, for the longest time, believed she could achieve it.

She wanted to become an airline pilot. I so admired her courage and determination, against all odds and society’s refusal to accept that women could fly commercial airplanes. This, too, is based on a true story; author, Mary Shipko is the actual little girl who dreamed big, big, big.

After reading this captivating story, I was overwhelmed with the desire to embark on a grand adventure, flying in an open-air cockpit.

Coming from Ohio, not far from where the Wright Brothers took to the skies, flight has always fascinated me, from observing birds to marveling at airplanes. The vivid pictures within the pages of this book ignited a fire within me, giving me wings to soar through the air.

With its delightful portrayal of Louis Blériot's historic flight across the English channel in 1909, this picture book beautifully brings the world of first flights and eccentric contraptions to life. Its clever illustrations, filled with wit and whimsy, truly captured the essence of the extraordinary journey.

Great Circle revolves around two women I found fascinatingly complex—twentieth-century aviator Marian Graves, bent on circling the globe via the poles, and twenty-first-century actor Hadley Baxter, who struggles to capture the ineffable Marian in a Hollywood biopic.

I was blown away by the geographical and historical scope of Shipstead’s book, darting from Glasgow to Missoula, London to Alaska, from the opening of the American West through the days of Prohibition and the Second World War to contemporary Hollywood.

The cast of characters is equally huge, deftly developed, often eccentric, always interesting. For sheer societal scope, I was reminded of James Michener, but the intensity and focus of the drama are more like Melville’s in Moby Dick.

Better to say that Great Circle deserves to sit on the same shelf as another book of female adventurers I hold in awe, Sena Jeter Naslund’s remarkable Ahab’s Wife.

Although published in 2000, I only discovered Cheshire this past year when I wanted to find out more about Leonard Cheshire VC.

As the author of a biography myself, I was struck by how well-constructed and sensitively—but not uncritically—Morris handled his subject. Cheshire was a towering figure in his lifetime, the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF, who went on to work with Mother Theresa, to inspire a complete change of culture and legislation with respect to the disabled in the UK, and the founder of a charity that is still highly respected today.

Yet what makes this book stand out is that Morris captures Cheshire’s agony and confusion as he made that transition from successful and venerated war hero to humble humanitarian. An inspiring read.