Customer Reviews

Fighting the Flying Circus: The Greatest True Air Adventure to Come out of World War I

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a WWI enthusiast or simply interested in aviation, this book is a must read. Captain Rickenbacker takes you inside the mind of a fighter pilot and in doing so makes you feel as if you are right there with him in battle. This book will keep your attention from beginning to end and is simply hard to put down. From the beginnings of the Hat in the Ring squadron to the final days of the war, Capt. Rickenbacker allows you to fly along with him in a hair raising game of death high over German lines. Not only does he do a wonderful job of explaining the true pressures of flying combat aircraft, but he also allows the reader to peer inside the head of a pilot concerned not only for his own safety, but burdened with the safety of the men under his command. You will not be disappointed.

The only problem I see, and this is a minor one, is with the title. Although the title makes it sound as if Rickenbacker spent most of his time fighting against the famous Flying Circus of the Red Baron this simply isn't the case. He does talk about several deadly battles with the Flying Circus but these are few and far between. Rickenbacker makes no claim of ever personally fighting the Baron himself.

What a great read for anyone who longs to learn about what life was like for the pioneers of military aviation! A must for any book collection about combat aviation. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the aerodrome, the aircraft, the hardware, and was enthralled by his descriptions of air combat. I was stunned to learn how high they operated without oxygen and without heat. They had no idea of the cause and effects of hypoxia back then. This book is rated G and is appropriate for early teens thru adults.

this is the book that started me to think of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker as one of my heros and WWI as one of my favorite time periods in history to study.

I ordered several books through Amazon at the same time. A couple of books came from Amazon while several others came through other vendors offered by Amazon. The Amazon order arrived first by several days compared to the other two vendors.