Air Sports & Recreation Books

Learning to Fly Helicopters

R. Randall Padfield

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Learning to fly helicopters 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Learning to fly helicopters is an undertaking unlike no other. It is more of a calling, actually. And a huge commitment of time, money, and energy. Mr. Padfield understands this. He knows what it feels like to learn, get scared, become frustrated, and he helps the reader through it all with warm humor and inspiration. The text is clear and readable with many helpful illustrations. This is a great book to read as you study, to refer to as a beginning pilot, or to refresh your memory with. This book is unlike the majority of instructional volumes which are very dry and where the authors either talk down to the reader or lapse into technical jargon. Learning to fly helicopters is fun to read and very helpful
It also has lots of cool pictures.

Great Beginner Book 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book immediately draws you in and teaches you the basics. The first few chapters are really easy to read and understand. It does get harder at the end but by then you're hooked. I read this one before moving on the FAA manual. If I had started with the FAA manual I would have been completely lost.

Editorial Review:

An introduction to helicopter flying techniques, many of which are difficult to master, as well as a discussion of emergency procedure, human factors, advanced operations and even a section on careers.

Disc Golf: All You Need to Know About the Game You Want to Play

Michael Steven Gregory

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Trellis Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $4.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

solid "in the bag" guide 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

just picking up the sport? dont trust yer friend, no matter how long he's been playing. You need to learn a good grip, a good stance, and shot selection that is right for you. This book helped me get started after my good friend, who is a serious player (and money winner) tried to just show me. His discs and windup were killing me. after ONE read i tried out some standard practices and was throwing consistantly. This is a great book to have if you want to keep rules handy and see guides on foot placement and grip etc. there are some fluffy parts that you can ignore, but they are to flesh out what could be a solid 10 pages. its worth the money.

AWESOME!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I got this for my dad for Christmas. He said he has looked everywhere for a book on Disc Golf and was unable to find one. He LOVES this one. He said it is filled with quick, easy tips and info.
Thanks!!!

Editorial Review:

This handy reference provides techniques for mastering disc golf. Equipment and throwing techniques are detailed. Cleverly done illustrations, tips, and photographs depict various grips and stances of the game.

Weather Flying

Robert N. Buck

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

weather is confusing... 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 16 people found this review helpful.

... and will remain so after you read this book. Everything in Buck's book is useful but it is tough to remember all of his rules without a solid grounding in meteorology. The cover's subtitle "a practical book on flying in all kinds of weather" is accurate. This book is about practice, not theory. However, after finishing the book, I was disappointed to find myself as ignorant as ever about weather and completely at the mercy of the FAA briefers.

"The sky is my office" 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

It is hard to imagine a pilot with more weather flying experience than Captain Robert Buck. And much of this flying was in the old days: in the early years of the Army Air Corp and a young company called TWA. Much of this flying was accomplished without the assistance of modern instrumentation. Captain Buck travelled the world seeking the most ornery weather he could find, and then flew into it time and time again, compiling the experience and collecting the data that no one else had at the time. Captain Buck shares that experience here. This book is interesting and engaging to the flying enthusiast, essential to the VFR pilot, and absolutely priceless to the aspiring instrument pilot. Every discipline and every pastime has its classics, and WEATHER FLYING is, without a doubt, one of the classics of aviation.

The language of WEATHER FLYING is simple and straightforward. The lessons are practical more than theoretical, though Captain Buck keeps his readers briefed on essential weather theory as well. Virtually every weather situation that a pilot can encounter is covered in this book, from the ordinary to the exotic. Then Captain Buck instructs you how to fly it. The concept is simple and direct; the lessons are comprehensive and pragmatic.

In short, this is not a book to read once and then shelve. The lessons are too important to be forgotten. This is a manual to be taken down and read over and over again by any sort of pilot who flies any sort of aircraft.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

Editorial Review:

Weather Flying is regarded in the industry as the bible of weather flying. Robert Buck, a general aviation and commercial pilot with tens of thousands of hours of flight time, explains weather in a nontechnical way, giving pilots useful understanding of weather and practical knowledge of how to judge it and fly it. Covers weather flying psychology, en route weather changes, radar and how to use it, taking off in bad weather, and much more. Winner of the Flight Safety Foundation's Publication Award; recommended by the FAA.

Parachuting: The Skydiver's Handbook, 10th Edition

Dan Poynter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A free-falling parachuter, strapped onto a snowboard with a Cheshire grin and arms spread wide, graces the book's cover (as does his recently departed airplane, pitched at a rather precarious angle). Don't be misled: only a few pages of The Skydiver's Handbook are dedicated to skysurfing, one of the more radical aspects of parachuting. Instead, Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff's parachuting guide is exhaustive, addressing all levels and styles of skydiving, and providing a glut of like resources. The guide opens with a why-do-this analogy: "If riding in an airplane is flying, then riding in a boat is swimming. If you want to experience the element, get out of the vehicle." Novice skydivers will learn the basics, from tarmac preparation to the first static line jump. And yes, experienced jumpmasters will find enough advanced material to hold their interest: free fall and canopy progression, equipment updates, and emergency procedures. All readers will appreciate the glossary and the lists of skydiving centers, parachute equipment dealers, and literary material. --Rob McDonald

Mental Training for Skydiving and Life

John DeRosalia

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mental training for skydiving and life 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I have been a Parachute Instructor for 38 years and I recomend the book to all my students.

ESPECIALLY For Skydivers-and other athletes too 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

If you are serious about your skydiving, you must get a hold of this book. I'm sure you heard, or read Jack Jeffries' review of this book, he's right. Skydiving, as are other sports, is a mental game. MORE so than other sports because we only have about a minute of "pratice" time, each time we go up. That is important to remember. The author explains simply the techniques and exercises he uses and teaches to fly with proficiency. You'll breeze through it with his plucky attitude, and personal stories that relate to the ideas he teaches you. You won't be disappointed! And like the title says, it will help you in life as well. Mental training is where it's at. Get into the zone and WIN competitions!

Editorial Review:

This is a peak performance handbook--for individuals and teams--for skydivers and non-skydivers alike. It’s a "how to" book that teaches practical methods and techniques for designing realistic plans to achieve goals. Best of all it's filled with creative and innovative mental training tools that are simple to use and can be applied immediately. John DeRosalia is a master at motivation and performance enhancement. He’s been training the ‘best of the best’ both in and out of skydiving for over a quarter of a century. The 2 chapters on teamwork alone are invaluable. The chapter Video Games—the Creative use of Visualization and Imagery, is ingenious, extremely effective, and lots of fun. The chapter on Performance Anxiety can make a difference immediately. This book is an exhilarating experience. It can change your life.

Flight Discipline

Anthony T. Kern

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Required reading! 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This is certainly a must read book for pilots, from students like myself, to those on the top of the aviation food chain. Mr. Kern provides the WHY pilots MUST follow procedures like using checklists to making good decisions on when and when not to fly or the need to be in strict compliance with FAR/AIM's. His points are illustrated with numerous mishaps and close calls when pilots chose to break the rules. There is nothing more riveting than to "stand on the shoulder of giants" and learn from countless mistakes from both the military and civilian arenas of aviation. This most certainly will make me a better informed pilot. Thanks Lt. Col. Kern

Editorial Review:

Flight Discipline is the complete tool kit for any aviator, whether military, commercial, or recreational, to develop the crack discipline needed to be a safe and effective aviator. Major Tony Kern analyses the causes of poor flight discipline, gives chilling case studies of the consequences, and lays out a plan for individual improvement. Key words are italicized and review questions included for each chapter. An unequalled guide to this mainspring of good piloting.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sport Flying

Dan Ramsey, Earl Downs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

First book on sport pilot certificate! 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 20 people found this review helpful.

I'm the primary author of THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SPORT FLYING. Anticipating the dramatic changes to general aviation coming from the new FAA sport pilot and light-sport aircraft rules, I teamed up with one of the best flight instructors available to thoroughly research and present what the novice needs to know about getting into the new field of sport flying. It will get you off the ground and into the friendly skies in less time and for less money. The new rules took effect Sept. 1, 2004 and you can take advantage of them now! Additional information is available at SportFlyingGuide.com.

Editorial Review:

Sport flying is about to take off.

This summer, the Federal Aviation Administration will approve a new sport flying license that will let people earn their wings for a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional license. The Complete Idiot’s Guide‚ to Sport Flying introduces this new field of flying to consumers, and shows you how to fly smart—offering hundreds of tips on how to get more flying fun for less money.

• Includes an illustrated buyer’s guide, rules of the air, and tips for passing the test
• First book on the topic of sport flying

Basic Aerobatics

Geza Szurovy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good primer for the beginner 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is a good all-round primer for the novice aerobatic pilot. It covers many areas, including which aircraft to train in and which to use as an advanced aerobatic pilot. Unfortunately almost nothing on glider aerobatics.

Great Eentry-Level Aerobatics Text 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Good textbook-style intro to aerobatic flight. It's a little light on the physics involved, but gives thorough step-by-step descriptions (and matching pictures) for each maneuver. Great for aspiring aerobats, RC flyers, or pilots interested in unusual attitude recovery techniques. I will be buying the advanced aerobatics text by the same authors.

Good book for beginners 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I've only just started aerobatics and this book seems a good companion to the practical aspects of learning the moves. In particular, the sections on 'what can go wrong' with each manoeuvre helped to build my confidence. This seems a modern and up to date text.

Editorial Review:

Enjoy the aerobatics experience with this complete guide from national champions who tell you not only how to perform the maneuvers, but why the airplane behaves as it does.

Advanced Aerobatics

Geza Szurovy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Its a great book ! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The book is sensational! It is very well written, it describes the acrobatic maneuvers accurately and offers a lot of information, technical and historical datas about the planes. It is really indispensable for all those that love aerial acrobatics, pilots or not. To read this book is to be close to the reality of the championships of aerial acrobatics. A good clue, is to read the pilot's Diana Hakala deposition. For change of information on aerial acrobatics, please enter in contact with me Butiman@onda.com.br

A very good, well presented package of useful information 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

In line with the excellent quality that this entire series of books always maintains this is a very good, very informative, easy to understand text. It covers a whole range of subjects from describing the maneouvres to evaluation of different aircraft and a wealth of information on competition flying. I would recommend this book to all flyers, aerobatic or not.

Editorial Review:

In this lesson-by-lesson guide, accessible text from aerobatics champions, sequential cockpit-view photographs, and sophisticated computer graphics provide an effective primer on 20 advanced aerobatics maneuvers.

Slipping the Surly Bonds: Great Quotations on Flight

Dave English

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Required Reading for Pilots.... 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Flying is a PASSION and "Slipping the Surly Bonds" is a great book for anyone who shares that passion....

This is a must read for pilots or ANYONE interested in flying or connected with the aviation industry. It is NOT a " sparse, flowery book of aviation poetry," - it is a very thorough book of aviation history in the form of various quotes. I would estimate that there are approximately 1000 quotes contained in this easy to read format.

This book makes a WONDERFUL gift for pilots and those who have always been fascinated with flying. However, unlike most books that contain a few poetic lines on each page - this book centers more around historic and literary quotes. Although it is more than a "coffee table" book, it is certainly a book that would easily interest most guests.

"Slipping the Surly Bonds" is divided into 14 areas and has an index for easy referencing. Areas of interests include: First Flights, Magic and Wonder of Flight, Air Power, Combat, Predictions, Piloting, Safety, Space, and Women Fly and more.

As a female Vice President of two small Aviation Companies, I have often searched for gifts for pilots, etc. who have been difficult to buy for. I have never gone wrong when purchasing this book as a gift.

Editorial Review:

From man's earliest expressions on the magic of flying to the chilling last words of some of aviation's giants, here's an utterly unique collection of 1,000 of the most memorable thoughts on flight down through the ages. Concisely capturing flying's special allure and excitement as well as its humor and tragedy, this power-packed anthology of quotations by Leonardo da Vinci, Lindbergh, Armstrong, Yeager, and hundreds of others amply illustrates why, as aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal rhapsodized, "To fly is everything."