Time’s almost up, but ASA has you covered! Here are three books for the pilot in your life! Be sure to check out our list from earlier this month and all of our editor’s picks as well.
The Basic Aerobatic Manual
by William K. Kershner
William K. Kershner started his solo aerobatic career in a Stearman N2S at the age of 17, so it’s never too early to start learning about aerobatics. The Basic Aerobatic Manual is a complete reference for the beginning aerobatic student, with invaluable unusual attitude and spin recovery information for the more straight-and-level flyer. This book emphasizes techniques for the Cessna Aerobat models, but the described maneuvers easily translate to other aerobatics-certified airplanes. Starting with stalls, chandelles and lazy-8’s, the student is guided through spins and the Three Fundamentals of basic aerobatics: the aileron roll, loop, and the snap roll. Once these basics are learned, the combination maneuvers (the cloverleaf, for example) are covered in-depth. Pilots will also find content on safety and recovery.
Finding Carla
by Ross Nixon
In March 1967, a Cessna 195 flew from Oregon towards San Francisco carrying a family of three: Alvin Oien, Sr. (the pilot), his wife Phyllis and step-daughter Carla Corbus. Due to weather, their plane went down in the Trinity Mountains of California only eight miles from a highway and beneath a busy commercial airway. This was before radio-beacon type emergency locators were required equipment for airplanes; the family survived the crash for almost two months but the ruggedness of the terrain and the fact that they were far off their intended course made finding them by sight impossible. Searchers determined the weather in the mountains also made living impossible after a period of time had passed. Half a year later, the eventual finding of the wreck by hunters shocked the nation. A diary and series of letters from the survivors explained their predicament. Ultimately, this tragedy spurred political action towards the mandatory Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) that are now carried aboard all U.S. civil aircraft. ELT radios have saved thousands of lives since they were mandated and their technology continues to improve and find more lost people. The family’s complete story is told for the first time in Finding Carla, including the never-before-published Carla Corbus Diary and family letters. Autographed copies are shipping now while supplies last!
Pilots In Command
by Kristofer Pierson
This book goes beyond the requirements of flight training curricula into what is both a rarity and a necessity: sage advice from real pilots, for student and professional aviators alike, about how to be true leaders. In an easy-to-use format, on a range of topics that all tie into the application of basic leadership skills, the author covers crew roles, crew briefings, flight attendants, crew resource management (CRM), threat and error management (TEM), ground services, dispatch, customer service, abnormal and emergency situations, layovers, crew dynamics, 14 CFR Part 117 rest rules, and a new model of transformational leadership and professionalism for pilots.
