A poetic and nuanced exploration of the human experience of flight that reminds us of the full imaginative weight of our most ordinary journeys—and reawakens our capacity to be amazed. The twenty-first century has relegated airplane flight—a once remarkable feat of human ingenuity—to the realm of the mundane. Mark Vanhoenacker, a 747 pilot who left academia and a career in the business world to pursue his childhood dream of flight, asks us to reimagine what we—both as pilots and as passengers—are actually doing when we enter the world between departure and discovery. In a seamless fusion of history, politics, geography, meteorology, ecology, family, and physics, Vanhoenacker vaults across geographical and cultural boundaries; above mountains, oceans, and deserts; through snow, wind, and rain, renewing a simultaneously humbling and almost superhuman activity that affords us unparalleled perspectives on the planet we inhabit and the communities we form.

After a lifetime of flying, with experience ranging from novice airman to Director of Training and Standards and pilot examiner for a top name in aviation training organization, there's little Gene Fish hasn't seen. Ol' Shakey: Memories of a Flight Engineer shares some of the most memorable stories of Gene's career as a Flight Engineer flying in the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Ol' Shakey" - an aircraft that had a habit of keeping the flight crews on their toes dealing with quirky malfunctions. From a colorful layover at Midway Island to kite-flying at Pope Air Force Base, to overspeeding propellers, Gene's stories will entertain military personnel, aviators and anyone who is enthusiastic about the romance of flying - and gives a glimpse of the reality behind that romance.

A treasury of thirty-seven years of flying and teaching experience in the world's most popular executive aircraft. Tom Clements' articles, stories, and operating tips all compiled into one reference book. This information will be invaluable for current or future pilots of King Air airplanes.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, thousands of airline and airport professionals headed off for what they assumed would be just another day on the job. It was anything but. Approaching the fifth anniversary of that tragic day, the stories of the heroes and casualties among these dedicated air travel workers remain largely untold--until now. A compassionate and ultimately uplifting reflection on the nature of loss and the seeds of recovery, Reclaiming the Sky honors not only those workers who died doing their jobs, but also the ones that soldiered through on that day and in the aftermath, tirelessly piecing back together the fragments of a shattered industry--and indeed a critical social and economic force--while putting aside their own fears and grief.In conjunction with a website, reclaimingthesky.com--where readers can share their stories and thoughts--the book not only honors the heroes and casualties of 9/11, it also offers common ground to those seeking meaning, purpose and the strength to move forward.

Discover the mysterious, controversial, and sometimes downright eerie history of flights that didn't end as planned. The history of aviation is full of accounts of history's most spectacular flights. But what about the ones from which someone failed to return? - A celebrated millionaire--who also happened to be the world's foremost aviator--lifted off in a small plane one clear morning in 2007 and disappeared. - The glamorous son of a beloved fallen president took off on a hazy summer night in 1999 and plunged himself and two others into the Atlantic Ocean. - A US Navy blimp landed one Sunday morning in 1942 in the middle of a city street in California with no one aboard. Some of these "non-returns" occurred because of errors in judgment; others were intentional, and some resulted from causes still unknown. Get the full, meticulous account of the fascinating people involved in these flights, the mistakes they made, and the ways in which their "flight of no return" affected the world. Pilot and aviation writer Steven A. Ruffin covers the entire 230-year span of manned flight in all types of aircraft through war and peace. Balloons, blimps, biplanes, jets, and spaceships have all suffered mishaps over the years. Don't miss the mystery, adventure, intrigue, and a sprinkling of the supernatural and extraterrestrial in Flights of No Return.

QF32 is the award winning bestseller from Richard de Crespigny, author of the forthcoming Fly!: Life Lessons from the Cockpit of QF32 On 4 November 2010, a flight from Singapore to Sydney came within a knife edge of being one of the world's worst air disasters. Shortly after leaving Changi Airport, an explosion shattered Engine 2 of Qantas flight QF32 - an Airbus A380, the largest and most advanced passenger plane ever built. Hundreds of pieces of shrapnel ripped through the wing and fuselage, creating chaos as vital flight systems and back-ups were destroyed or degraded. In other hands, the plane might have been lost with all 469 people on board, but a supremely experienced flight crew, led by Captain Richard de Crespigny, managed to land the crippled aircraft and safely disembark the passengers after hours of nerve-racking effort. Tracing Richard's life and career up until that fateful flight, QF32 shows exactly what goes into the making of a top-level airline pilot, and the extraordinary skills and training needed to keep us safe in the air. Fascinating in its detail and vividly compelling in its narrative, QF32 is the riveting, blow-by-blow story of just what happens when things go badly wrong in the air, told by the captain himself. Winner of ABIA Awards for Best General Non-fiction Book of the Year 2013 and Indie Awards' Best Non-fiction 2012 Shortlisted ABIA Awards' Book of the Year 2013