Reading takes me into the cockpit

Over the last few months I have taken to reading books by or about pilots with related books about aviators and/or their airplanes. I love reading these books for often I am taken into the cockpit. At other times I may an observer, watching the action. Most, but not all, of the pilots have not flown tankers. That doesn't matter for they are pilots. I may not be able to obtain a pilot's certificate, but when I am reading these books, that doesn't matter. My prior studies at ground school, along with scenic flights serve me well for those times when basic terminology about flying airplanes is not included in a glossary or explained in the text. And when basic terminology is explained, I can draw on that which I have learned and acquire a greater and deeper knowledge about flying.

As I write this, I have some of the books that I have read piled next to me. There are eight books, not including one that was borrowed and since returned to my local library. One, the recent autobiography written by Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, the captain of US Air flight # 1549 that "landed" in the Hudson River in NYC, is on loan to a friend. Another, Fate is the Hunter, by Ernest Gann, is in my to read pile. From time to time I'll write about some of these books.

I will be writing about Fire Bomber into Hell by Linc Alexander in a few days, stay tuned.

So for me, reading about flying is not only something I do to pass the time or for those subtle ways that I hope it helps to make me a better writer. Reading about flying is about who I am.