Customer Reviews

Flying Upside Down: True Tales of an Antarctic Pilot

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Very few pilots are great writers. Here's one of the exceptions. Hinebaugh (then an Air Force pilot, now flying commercially) salts his narrative with deceptively beautiful lines, along with gutsy tales of flying under almost impossible conditions. Great nuggets also: did you know that planes at the South Pole can spew out contrails while still on the ground, thereby creating such a fog that they can't take off? Don't be put off by the silly title. It's a splendid book.

Love this very well written book. Took me awhile to read but this was due to my 13 year old son grabbing it to read before I was finished. He was very into this and his remarks "Cool book!" sums it up rather well. The Shaman of the weather guessers really makes me wonder how these guys kept their tempers in check at times. Description of the lands and the changing conditions along with the flying difficulties of all the unique situations that come up makes this a very enjoyable and easily read book. Thanks Mark for giving me and my son something to talk about for quite awhile!

Mark Hinebaugh's book about the experiences of an Antarctic pilot serving with the Navy's VXE-6 squadron is right on base. I know because I was there also. His recollections of the condtions that these men and women serve in should make the hair stand up on the neck of even the most seasoned pilot. Some of the writing may not be understood by a non flyer but Mark goes to great length to explain what exactly is going on down on the frozen continent to all readers. Although this is a very speacialized book that deals with one navy squadron only,it should do well with anyone who has ever flown as well as anyone who has ever wanted to.

place on the planet as only an incredibly brave Naval Pilot could. Thanks Mark for getting us there and bringing us back home again safely!

I was also an Antarctic piolt in the same squadron (VXE-6) a few years before the author. His descriptions of the continent of Antarctica, and the operations that the squadron performed, brought back many memories of my 3 years in VXE-6. He also expanded on my understanding of the history of Antarctic exploration. Anyone who is interested in a good description of a unique area of the world (that very few people ever get to see) would enjoy this book. Antarctica is a beautiful, but very unforgiving place, and the author describes it well. I would also recommend this book to anyone who has flight experience because the flying in Antarctica is unique and the Antarctic pilot's instrument flying skill is tested on a daily basis. The squadron's mission was to support science and exploration and "to boldly go where no man has gone before". How many places on earth can you think of that fit that description?

Mr. Hinebaugh displays a refreshing blend of literary brilliance and technical understanding. His crystal clear descriptions of his experiences deliver what an aviator is looking for . . . a complex read of operating aircraft in extreme conditions. I would rank this work along with Antoine De Saint Exupery's, `Wind, Sand and Stars' as one of the best aviation books available.

This book is a great read as a story of adventure. But as a scientist - and one with colleagues who have worked in Antarctica, including on one of the experiments touched on in this book - I found mis-statments in the narrative and footnotes suggesting that the author was not well-informed about the science he was "supporting". He certainly supported the science logistically, but he comes across as very unsupportive of the scientific enterprise in general. A pity then that an otherwise enjoyable book should be marred by a poor attitude towards the scientific research that provided the reason for the author to be in Antarctica in the first place.