Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying

Rating:
Summary: The most "user friendly" book on Piloting ever written.
Review: One would think that any book on piloting written so long ago, just couldn't be useful. This is far from the case. What Mr. Langewiesche has done is amazing. He has brought what could have been a complex explaination on the art of flight to the level of the typical non-pilot.

He has made it a great read, rather than a dry and somewhat boreing dissertation on the dynamics of flight. I personally have left the ranks of active pilots some years ago, yet, I occasionally crack the pages and in so doing, I find some of my many memorys of flight, brought back to vivid life. I highly recommend this book for entry as well as veteran pilots.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Pilots will be enjoying this book, and learning from it, long after everyone else has forgotten what a "stick" is. While writing with a simple, unaffected style, the author manages to get inside your head to anticipate your next question. What a great flight instructor he must have been.

Rating:
Summary: The all time classic about the fundamentals of flying.
Review: Stick & Rudder is an all time favorite about how an airplane flies. Written over 50 years ago, it explains in a very easy-to-understand manner the basic four forces of flight, the three axis of motion, how an airfoil works, how basic aerodynamics affects flight, and how to perform the fundamental maneuvers. The information is as valid now as the day it was written. As a ground and flight instructor, I have used this as a basic text for all my students for the past 12 years. Discusses in detail straight & level flight, climbs and descents, turns, stalls, takeoffs, landings, torque, various aircraft configurations, and piloting techniques. An absolute "must have" for every pilot from Recreational to Airline Transport certificate, this is the FIRST book every aspiring pilot should read.

Rating:
Summary: The all time classic about the fundamentals of flying.
Review: Stick & Rudder is an all time favorite about how an airplane flies. Written over 50 years ago, it explains in a very easy-to-understand manner the basic four forces of flight, the three axis of motion, how an airfoil works, how basic aerodynamics affects flight, and how to perform the fundamental maneuvers. The information is as valid now as the day it was written. As a ground and flight instructor, I have used this as a basic text for all my students for the past 12 years. Discusses in detail straight & level flight, climbs and descents, turns, stalls, takeoffs, landings, torque, various aircraft configurations, and piloting techniques. An absolute "must have" for every pilot from Recreational to Airline Transport certificate, this is the FIRST book every aspiring pilot should read.

Rating:
Summary: There is only one "Stick and Rudder".
Review: Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying
389 to 400 pages (depending on which of the 70 editions you happen to locate.)

Over the years many books have been published to help pilots understand what makes an airplane fly, but there is only one "Stick and Rudder". This classic captures and records the very best in the tradition of seat-of-the-pants flying. There are no equations for lift or drag, and, in fact, very few big words. The chapters have quaint-sounding titles like "The Flippers and the Throttle", or "The Airplane's Gaits". Wolfgang Langewiesche is an extraordinarily gifted comunicator. His explanations are so lucid that you never notice that he is accomplishing his tutelage without ever once talking with his hands. The book's illustrations are effective pen and ink sketches drawn by the late Jo Kotula, best remembered as the prolific aviation cover artist for Model Airplane News magazine. "Stick and Rudder" is full of what the author calls "those small odd facts concerning an airplane that a good pilot should know..." This is the essence of the book's enduring popularity, extending through 70 editions. First published in 1944, the most recent edition was published in 1990. You have your choice of a crisp, new volume, or one that has the nostalgic smell and feel of a friendly old book.

Rating:
Summary: good, but not great
Review: This is a good book, but I would not call it great. The content is relevant to any pilot - let's face it the dynamics and characteristics of flight for winged craft haven't changed since the original book was authored, nor are they likely too.

The author made many very correct observations on flight and how it works at a time when so little was understood. It is clearly a classic text. Reading the book will give you a very thorough understanding of many of the nuances and characteristics of flight that any pilot should want to know. It's very difficult not to recommend this book for that reason.

However, this is where I'd have to advise people to look elsewhere. This book is old, it's not the content which is out of date but the style of writing is archaic and difficult to follow. It may also lose some clarity, or be drawn out in some examples due to what may be translation problems too.

The author takes an awful long time, many many pages to describe the same principles over and over again. It does reinforce, it does give a thorough understanding...yet it is hard to follow because it drones on long after you got the point and can be boring. I had a great amount of trouble finishing the book for this reason.

A more modern book can get to the point much quicker, with more straightforward text, formatting and diagrams. To me, this is more educational as points are less easily lost.

This book is cheap. If you have the cash around then buy it and judge for yourself. Combined with some of the other pilot study courses you will find this helps to reinforce many points and details, in some cases offering a much deeper understanding. This book is not a bad purchase by any means.

However, you don't _need_ this book. I saw all the reviews and really felt that I did need it, that I should own it. If you personally need to be more selective about your purchasing then choose a great flying instructor who can speak to the additional details and questions you need answered and have a browse through other titles in the bookshop to find which is best for you. Select the right study guide, such as Jeppesen. Choose the books more specific to the topics that you feel weaker on, such as weather flying or aviation safety books.

There are indeed many good aviation books, but unfortunately I have not been able to find a more modern text which is a direct equivalent to this book. There is definately a gap which a modernized version of this text could fill. The closest I know, are actually gliding/soaring books by the author Pigott - great texts on aerodynamics and the art of flying.

Rating:
Summary: good, but not great
Review: This is a good book, but I would not call it great. The content is relevant to any pilot - let's face it the dynamics and characteristics of flight for winged craft haven't changed since the original book was authored, nor are they likely too.

The author made many very correct observations on flight and how it works at a time when so little was understood. It is clearly a classic text. Reading the book will give you a very thorough understanding of many of the nuances and characteristics of flight that any pilot should want to know. It's very difficult not to recommend this book for that reason.

However, this is where I'd have to advise people to look elsewhere. This book is old, it's not the content which is out of date but the style of writing is archaic and difficult to follow. It may also lose some clarity, or be drawn out in some examples due to what may be translation problems too.

The author takes an awful long time, many many pages to describe the same principles over and over again. It does reinforce, it does give a thorough understanding...yet it is hard to follow because it drones on long after you got the point and can be boring. I had a great amount of trouble finishing the book for this reason.

A more modern book can get to the point much quicker, with more straightforward text, formatting and diagrams. To me, this is more educational as points are less easily lost.

This book is cheap. If you have the cash around then buy it and judge for yourself. Combined with some of the other pilot study courses you will find this helps to reinforce many points and details, in some cases offering a much deeper understanding. This book is not a bad purchase by any means.

However, you don't _need_ this book. I saw all the reviews and really felt that I did need it, that I should own it. If you personally need to be more selective about your purchasing then choose a great flying instructor who can speak to the additional details and questions you need answered and have a browse through other titles in the bookshop to find which is best for you. Select the right study guide, such as Jeppesen. Choose the books more specific to the topics that you feel weaker on, such as weather flying or aviation safety books.

There are indeed many good aviation books, but unfortunately I have not been able to find a more modern text which is a direct equivalent to this book. There is definately a gap which a modernized version of this text could fill. The closest I know, are actually gliding/soaring books by the author Pigott - great texts on aerodynamics and the art of flying.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Book
Review: This is by far the best book written on what is actually going on when piloting an aircraft. A few sections are somewhat out of date, such as the lengthy yet compelling section in favor of tricycle gear aircraft. Reading this book will greatly improve your understanding of why we take the actions we do every time we climb into the cockpit, and make you a better pilot.

Rating:
Summary: Every pilot must read this book!
Review: This is one of the most time-tested, authoritative texts in coupling the theory of flight to your actions in the cockpit. And it has not equations or complex concepts - written for you and me, this book will keep the engineers and the non-engineers hooked! The explanation for angle of attack is simply beautiful- the importance of the angle of attack can not be understanted. And the understanding you will gain from this book will help you fly every day.

I highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: best aviation book
Review: this is the best aviation book, hands down, I've ever read. While it goes into great detail on subjects such as angle of attack, it's also a quick read.