Dream Aircraft: The Most Fascinating Airplanes I've Ever Flown [Paperback]

Barry Schiff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2007

From the North American P-51 Mustang, to the "Spirit of St. Louis," and even NASA’s Space Shuttle, this spectacular collection examines who’s who and how-to on some of the most incredible aircraft ever developed. Focusing on the unique aspects and performance characteristics of one of 32 aircraft—including the Culver Cadet, Transavia Airtruk, Saab Safari, and DeHavilland Chipmunk—each chapter brings the planes to life by describing exactly how it feels to be behind the controls. Historical and personal anecdotes further illustrate how diverse the field of aviation is and how far it’s come since the days of the Wright brothers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Schiff is a retired Trans World Airlines pilot who has earned every Federal Aviation Administration category, class, and instructor rating. He holds five world speed records and has received numerous honors for contributing to aviation safety, including a Congressional Commendation, the Louis Bleriot Air Medal, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's L. P. Sharples Perpetual Award. An award-winning journalist, he has published more than 1,300 articles on aviation and is a contributing editor to AOPA Pilot. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. (December 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560276800
• ISBN-13: 978-1560276807
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Best Thing to Flying it Yourself, May 22, 2008

By 

Non PC (Arizona) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dream Aircraft: The Most Fascinating Airplanes I've Ever Flown (Paperback)

Barry Schiff is a retired TWA Captain, and has flown over 300 different types of airplanes. This book covers the most interesting 33 of those. I am a light plane private pilot, and thought some of the most interesting airplanes he covered were: Spirit of St. Louis (a replica), Goodyear Blimp (fascinating details of how it flies), McCulloch Gyrocopter, Space Shuttle (NASA simulator), and the Lockheed U-2 (two seat version). I also thought that his explanation of the Helio Courier's wing was very in-depth and intriguing (sorry -- you'll have to read about it yourself). Barry covers amphibians too -- the Grumman Widgeon, the Lake LA-4 and Sikorsky S-38. For you DC-3 and P-51 Mustang fans out there, well, he covers that too. Amazon had a great price on this book, and I'm glad that I'm adding it to my collection. If you like this book, you might also want to look at "Flying the Old Planes" by Frank Tallman -- which tends to cover the WWI era more.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great aviation writer shares with you, August 1, 2008

By 

Bruce C. Douglas "bruced7082" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dream Aircraft: The Most Fascinating Airplanes I've Ever Flown (Paperback)

Barry Schiff is a fine writer who has been a professional aviator for more than 50 years. Schiff is a legend among pilots whose prose will also appeal to non-aviators. He has flown everything from airplanes made in WWI, to Boeing 747s. He conveys his experiences flying a diverse and fascinating selection of airplanes from the 1930's to the present in a manner that is compact and at the same time highly informative and enteraining. I highly recommend this book for anyone with even a small interest in, or curiosity about, airplanes; pilots will love it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dream Aircraft by Barry Schiff, May 29, 2008

By 

Katydid "Kathy" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Aircraft: The Most Fascinating Airplanes I've Ever Flown (Paperback)

I purchased this for my husbands birthday. He is so enthralled with the book and keeps telling me how much he likes it. He has recently started taking flying lessons and loves learning about different aircraft.