SHOT DOWN: The True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the Crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth by Steve Snyder
We did a separate story about Steve Snyder and his award-winning book Shot Down: The True Story of Pilot Howard Snyder and the B-17 Susan Ruth. It’s a great book and a good yarn about a true story- like many of the best are. Published by Sea Breeze Publishing LLC in 2014. ISBN-13: 9780986076008
Top Gun: An American Story by Dan Pederson
By now, unless you’ve been living in a van down by the river, you’re probably familiar with Top Gun. But you might not know just what it took to get the celebrated United State Navy Fighter Weapons School off the ground and turned into a paying proposition. It was up to the writer, Dan Pedersen, to make that happen. Make it happen he did. The book is full of the kind of detail only someone in Pederson’s brown shoes can relate. Published by Hachette Books 2019. ISBN-13: 9780316416269
David “Bio” Baranek is a former F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), an accomplished aviation photographer, and all-around knowledgeable guy. He was the Navy’s liaison officer for the production of the 1986 blockbuster film Top Gun. Since Top Gun Days was published, Baranek has added Before Top Gun Days (2016) and Tomcat RIO (2020) to his list of must-reads. Bio’s stories about the hijinks around the movie alone make this a must-have. Published by Skyhorse Publishing in 2010. ISBN-13: 9781616080051
Vanished: The Sixty-Year Search for the Missing Men of World War II by Wil S. Hylton
As one might expect, this story takes a while to tell, but it’s a story well worth telling and reading. The incredible challenges confronting remains recovery efforts are daunting enough, but when false reports of parachuting crew members and inaccurate aircraft wreck locations play into the mix, the fortitude of the recovery team is revealed to be immense. If you’re looking for a good aviation mystery you’ve found it. Published by Riverhead Books in 2013. ISBN-13: 9781594487279
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
Odds are you know who the Wright Brothers were and what they accomplished. But, like all good stories, there much more to Orville and Wilbur. Their family and lives in Ohio, just how difficult it was to get the Flyer off the ground, the valuable assistance of their mechanic Charles Taylor, and how the Wrights exploited their accomplishments (especially in Europe before World War I) are just some of the details covered in this well-written and quite fascinating account. Published by Simon & Schuster in 2015. ISBN-13: 9781476728742
Let Us Hear From YOU!
That’s it for this list. The links embedded in the titles take the reader to Amazon but these pubs can also be found most places books are sold. Hard-to-find (older) titles can be found at eBay, Alibris, Abe Books, Half-Price Books, and other used book outlets. Fair warning: We’ll probably make some more lists- especially if we get feedback from YOU! Another list of aviation-related fiction books you so need to read is already in the offing. Thanks for taking a look and as always- fly safe!
