Aircraft
Culver Cadet
Fairchild 22
Spirit of St.Louis
Lincoln PT-K
Aeronca 7AC Champion
Helio Courier Mark II
Interstate S-1B2 Arctic Tern
Goodyear Blimp
McCulloch J-2 Gyrocopter
The Orbiter (Space Shuttle)
Transavia PL-12U Airtruk
Champion 402 Lancer
Antonov AN-2
Siai Marchetti SF.260
IAI Arava 201
Saab Safari
Lockheed U-2 “Dragon Lady”
Beech T-34 Mentor
Dehavilland Chipmunk
Douglas DC-3
Martin 404
Grumman G-44 Widgeon
Lake LA-4 Amphibian
Sikorsky S-38 Amphibion
Piper Comanche 600
Anderson Greenwood AG-14
Beriev Be-103
Curtiss Wright CW-1 Junior
Aeromot Super Ximango Motorglider
SIPA Minijet
Lockheed 12A Electra Junior
P-51 Mustang
Ryan PT-22 Recruit

Special Treats
Around the World in a Boeing 707
Sentimental Journey

As you might expect, few aviation books or articles provide much useful information to highly knowledgeable pilots who already have a great deal of flying experience. One exception is Barry Schiff’s series of articles which have appeared in the Australian AOPA magazine for several years. These articles provided so much information and entertainment I bought the series that spawned his column.

Barry’s very broad spectrum aviation piloting background and years of writing have made him exceptionally readable on a broad spectrum of aviation topics and I am sure there is no one out there who will not learn from his artful prose. In Volume 2 of his The Proficient Pilot Series he mentions the oft proffered saw that an aviation license is simply a license to learn. It’s so true. In fact, many pilots pass their tests and obtain their PPL only to have their knowledge and flying skills slowly erode through the years. To be honest, my “book-based” aviation knowledge may have peaked in my early twenties as an RCAF multi-engine flying instructor after two years of intensive training. Mind you, one learns a great deal from operational flying afterwards and since my entire life rotates around aviation there is a great deal of immersion and constant review. And yet there were significant new facts well presented in every chapter of the series. This makes me wonder about the busy businessman or private/pleasure aviator who is deeply involved in so many of life’s other aspects? Is he/she still safe, and will their current aviation knowledge be adequate to handle any emergency situations? There have been four fatal aircraft accidents in B.C. in the last week and I wonder how many of these might have been avoided with more knowledge and honed skills.

As an example of the books’ content, I’ll wager that many pilots no longer know their aircraft’s Vy or Vx speeds nor the difference between them and how to maximize performance with each – and these are basic knowledge. I’ll venture few aviators are aware of the effects of C of G movement on Vso or altitude on Vne! Mr. Schiff not only explains their meanings and relevance, but also expands readers’ knowledge with in-depth explanations to greatly expand one’s understanding of the important significance of these airspeeds – and many more. This not only increases a pilot’s knowledge but also the likelihood that the important information is retained. The series is also useful for aviators going beyond private flying as the author provides useful and fascinating information on military and airline jets, propjets and other diverse aircraft categories. Pilots who digest all this good stuff will truly be more knowledgeable than their peers. If the chapters in Barry’s books don’t increase your knowledge and improve your pilotage skills, you are beyond learning. Although the series is produced by an American author, there are very few references made that are not entirely applicable to Canadian aviation and the few minor differences are obvious.

His offerings include The Proficient Pilot, Volumes 1-3 and Test Pilot: 1,001 Things You Thought You Knew About Aviation. The three-volume set should be read first as the author covers a very broad spectrum of aviation topics (in-depth), and corrects many of our misconceptions while at the same time expanding our general knowledge on those topics. Test Pilot is a tome with 1,001 questions and answers that will challenge virtually all of us to obtain a correct score of 60%! Sections include: History, Piloting, Navigation, Weather, Airline and Military, Aircraft, Facts of Flight, as well as Procedures and Regulations. The fascinating facts within make this book a great Christmas or birthday gift that will provide hours of entertainment and education. Truth to tell, I had trouble putting it down once I got going as every wrong answer made me want to answer a few more to up my average. Mind you, once I went back and read The Proficient Pilot Series it became apparent that many of the answers were provided within those volumes and that Test Pilot is a natural follow up text.

My personal opinion is that these four books are the most beneficial that I have added to my very large aviation library in years. Individually, or in a series these books are an excellent gift!

Ken Armstrong
Director Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
Director Recreational Aircraft Association