Weather Flying [Hardcover]

Robert Buck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007008761X | ISBN-13: 978-0070087613 | Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Edition: 4

Weather Flying is regarded in the industry as the bible of weather flying. Robert Buck, a general aviation and commercial pilot with tens of thousands of hours of flight time, explains weather in a nontechnical way, giving pilots useful understanding of weather and practical knowledge of how to judge it and fly it. Covers weather flying psychology, en route weather changes, radar and how to use it, taking off in bad weather, and much more. Winner of the Flight Safety Foundation's Publication Award; recommended by the FAA.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

``One of the most worthwhile pieces of reading matter a pilot could own.''--AOPA Pilot. One of the world's most respected veterans of the cockpit gives you the benefit of his decades of experience flying weather--as a world-record holder, as a commercial pilot with tens of thousands of hours in the air. Weather Flying is regarded throughout the industry as the bible on the topic of weather flying: How to judge it before you take off, how to handle it when you're in the air, and how to decide when it would be saner to take those suitcases back to the hotel. Explaining clearly, with a practical eye to putting the information to use in the air, Buck tells you how to: cope with en route weather changes; fly turbulence and thunderstorms; get the most from your radar; deal with dangerous ice. When the most aviation accidents are due to bad or unforseen weather conditions, what you know can save your life and the lives of your passengers. Having Buck's Weather Flying at hand is the next best thing to having him in the right-hand seat.

About the Author

Leading aviation author Robert N. Buck (Fayston, Vt.) set a New York to Los Angeles speed record at the age of 16. A retired senior TWA jet captain, Buck has flown the Atlantic more than 2,000 times. As a civilian, he headed a four-year bad-weather research project for the Air Force, which won him an Air Medal. Buck has been a consultant to four FAA administrators and airlines on many aspects of aviation safety, and is the author of The Art of Flying and Flying Know-How, among others. An avid general aviation pilot throughout his life, Buck currently owns a Schleicher ASW-20 high performance sailplane with his son.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 4 edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007008761X
• ISBN-13: 978-0070087613
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Aviation > Piloting & Flight Instruction
  • #57 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Aeronautics & Astronautics

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pilot's perspective of flying the weather., September 27, 1997

By 

Paladin "And that's the truth" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weather Flying (Hardcover)

Bob Buck is a retired airline captain who spent over 30 years flying for Trans World Airlines. He is also regarded as first person to make reading about weather interesting. This is the book he wrote to convey the pilot's perspective of flying through fronts, circumnavigating thunderstorms, and surviving icing conditions. If you are a pilot desirous of learning about how to predict weather, learning the tricks of the pros, and how to get there through the 'muck', this is the book to read. It is not an easy read, and Buck assumes you already know some weather basics, but it puts together all that you learned reading those boring FAA manuals, and Buck makes it interesting. (This is a review of the first edition, Weather Flying is now in its fourth edtion.)

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real-world truth about IMC, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Weather Flying (Hardcover)

Buck entertains and teaches. Alone, that is a talent, but add to that Buck's experience and his ability to observe and anticipate our weaknesses as pilots, and this book becomes a valuable down and dirty reality check. If you are a high-time pilot or just getting under the hood for real, read this book.

There is a particular joy to flying with the clouds. The style of Buck's writing captures this uniqueness. It also warns the pilot of the consequences of not preparing for the same event.

Weather Flying is a fast read, yet might just save you from being tangled up in a ball of scrap aluminum.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite instrument flying primer., April 28, 2001

By 

Tom Jensen (Auburn, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weather Flying (Hardcover)

I got my instrument rating 25 years ago, and Buck's Weather Flying recommendations are still fresh and pertinent. A friend just shared that she is going to tackle an instrument rating, and Weather Flying came to mind as the perfect gift to make a safe pilot. I still use his practical recommendations in my infrequent IFR flights, and feel that it has contributed to making me a safer pilot. Sorry if this sounds a bit corny, but few books have stuck with me like this. PS: If you're interested, try T.R. Fehrenbach's "The Reckoning" or "This Kind of War" if you want something that will also stick with you through life.

Tom