If you’re looking for ways to stay engaged and entertained during a stint of self-isolation, here are 10 of my favorite aviation-related books and movies/television shows to consider. These are in no particular order, and we’d love to see your suggestions in the comments!
Books:
A Gift of Wings, by Richard Bach — A wonderful collection of short stories that remind all of us why we fly in the first place.
Fate is the Hunter, by Ernest K. Gann — Gann’s best-known work, a riveting memoir of the early days of commercial aviation. (If you’ve read this one, check out the lesser-known Gentlemen of Adventure.)
Piece of Cake, by Derek Robinson — A brash and unflinching novel that tells the story of a fictional British Royal Air Force squadron in the early days of World War II.
Flight of Passage, by Rinker Buck — A well-crafted memoir built around the story of Rinker and his brother Kern flying a J-3 Cub across the country in the mid-1960s.
The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough — The definitive biography of two of the most important people in aviation history.
Wings of Madness, by Paul Hoffman — This book delves into the life of one of the most colorful, fascinating, and innovative characters from the early days of aviation, Alberto Santos Dumont. When you get away from the “he was first/no he wasn’t” arguments, Dumont’s story is absolutely captivating.
One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson — This one isn’t exclusively an aviation book, per se, but it spends a lot of time on Lindbergh’s famous flight, and, by describing other events of the day, puts his heroic achievement into an extraordinarily rich context that will make you appreciate it all the more.
The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s Finest Hour, by Andrei Cherny — A deep dive into the events surrounding Lt. Gail “Hal” Halvorson’s legendary exploits, dropping candy to German schoolchildren while flying relief missions into the city as it was blockaded by the Soviet Union.
Going Solo, by Roald Dahl — Years before Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the beloved author was a fighter pilot in the RAF, and this memoir puts you in the cockpit right next to him.
Grey Eagles, by Duane Unkeefer — This one is 100 percent in the “guilty pleasure” category. Check your skepticism (and a little of your good taste) at the door and escape into a world where a squadron of fully armed Messerschmitt Bf 109s terrorizes the American Southwest — in 1976.
Movies and Television:
Let’s assume that everyone has seen the famous ones a million times and focus on some you might not have come across. Once again, these are presented in no particular order.
X-15 (1961) — Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore tell the story of the hypersonic X-plane, thanks to full cooperation and support from NASA.
Blue Thunder (1984) — Not the movie, the (short-lived) television series. And, no, we don’t mean Airwolf (though you should watch that, too.) Silly early-1980s escapism, with some incredibly fun flying in every episode.
Les Chevaliers du Ciel (2005) — You can think of this one as a sort of French Top Gun (the title translates to The Knights of Heaven), and it features some of the best aerial cinematography in movie history.
Steve Canyon (1958) — Many remember the comic strip about the square-jawed USAF pilot, but not as many remember the television series, recently and beautifully remastered and loaded with Cold War era aviation footage.
Barnstorming (2009) — This warm and affectionate documentary tells the true story of an unexpected friendship that developed between a farm family and two pilots who literally dropped out of the sky.
Spencer’s Pilots (1976) — Another “one-season-wonder,” this 1976 adventure series about a couple of guys who work for a California FBO holds up better than it should, thanks to flying by real-world aviation greats like Joe Hughes, Art Scholl, and the legendary Frank Tallman.
A Guy Named Joe (1943) — If you’ve seen the nouveau classic Always, then you know the characters and the story, but this time it’s Spencer Tracy instead of Richard Dreyfuss, and P-38s in World War II instead of B-26s fighting fires.
For the Moment (1993) — Russell Crowe stars in this charming sleeper of a film, set in Manitoba during World War II and focusing on the lives of the students and flight instructors of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).
Ladies Crave Excitement (1935) — Don’t let the title embarrass you from seeing the highlight of this golden age classic, when the legendary Johnny Miller loops a Pitcairn Autogiro.
Carnauba: A Son’s Memoir (2001) — This documentary about the flight of a replica Sikorsky S-38 flying boat by Sam Johnson is a little tough to track down, but the breathtaking flying makes the hunt worthwhile.
Now it’s your turn — let us know what you’re reading and watching to keep your head in the aviation world!