What are you reading?

Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide

Supplemented by the FAR/AIM and some books written by some old fella in Tennesee... Bill somebody? :dunno:


:D
 
OzPilot said:
The Killing Zone: How are why Pilots die...
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I just finished that one. I thought it was pretty good, except for the title and the premise.

There may or not be a "Killing Zone" where your chances of an accident are higher. None of the stats that he quotes are of any use in determining whether there is such a zone because he fails to normalize his stats with how many hours are being flown by pilots of various experience levels. It's been my experience that there's a lot more pilots flying with less than 300 hours because people tend to stop flying after a few hundred hours. This may be the entire reason for the higher number of accidents, or it may not. He doesn't provide enough information to be able to tell.

That said, most of the book involves analyzing typical accidents and discussing how to avoid them. That part of the book is really helpful. Overall, I'm glad I read the book. I just wish that he hadn't invented this whole "killing zone" concept without anything to back it up.

Chris
 
Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", "Blue Latitudes" by Tony Horwitz, and (for the third time) "Toujours Provence" by Peter Mayle.
 
Besides this board and this thread specifically at the moment:

Serious reading: Honda CB650 shop manual - front suspension specifically.
Recreational reading: Chicken and goat entrails to help trace RV mystery wiring.

Not much in the entertainment department lately...
 
I have undiagnosed ADD, like lots of people I know, so there are three or four books on the nightstand at once, and I read them in spurts til bored:

John Adams, by David McCullough (authoritative, but dry)
Armageddon's Children, by Terry Brooks (sci fi)
Fate is the Hunter, by recommendation of this board! (great so far)
Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell (great if you're of a liberal bent, skip it if not)
 
2 little girls and I run the household. Thus, little time for reading. I squander what free time I have on this board (and, gasp, the red board) or reading flying periodicals. I did finish "Fate is the Hunter" a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. Prose is a bit stilted, but man, they really were aviators in those days! I was almost embarrassed to dial in a VOR, let alone fire up the GPS, after reading it!!!!!
 
Started and finished QBQ in about an hour. Outstanding short book about human business behaviour.
 
Currently reading an ole history book about the battle of Britan, pretty good reading if you like military history.
 
CapeCodJay said:
Right now I just started Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book "Team of Rivals" a new book about the Lincoln presidency. Good read thus far :yes:
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My daughter gave me that for Christmas last year. It's a good read to the end. Really great insight into how Lincoln used the strengths of each to accomplish his mission of saving the Union.
 
Lance F said:
Over halfway through "Flag of our Fathers." The bravery and sacrifice of those Marines was incredible. Had to stop reading many times 'cause the tears in my eyes made it impossible to see the words.
Simultaneously about 25% into the previously mentioned "A Team of Rivals." It's kind of a heavy read.
On deck is fellow Mooney owner's "The Fair Tax Book."
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Picked that one up and read it on a recent trip. Far less 'sanitized' than most books on Iwo. Outstanding read.
 
Well I found an interesting one while browsing the German section at one of Madison's fine used bookstores. "Silberkondor über Feuerland" by Gunther Plüschow. It is his autobiographical story of his trip to Tierra del Fuego. I don't think it ever was translated, but the author was a fascinating charakter. First to fly around Cape Horn, and quite the escape artist apparently.

http://www.pluschow.iofm.net/
http://www.earlyaviators.com/epluscho.htm

Pete
 
Gerhardt said:
Chickenhawk, by Robert Mason. An excellent book about a vietnam helicopter pilot. Can't put it down.
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I couldn't either. Friend sent it to me years ago because he knew I flew in RVN. Brought back too many bad memories. The epilog really sucks.

Best,

Dave
 
tonycondon said:
This whole post I was anticipating something like "really enjoying the next chapter of the Instrument Flying handbook"

sigh :)
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Tony:

That's what I refer to as a 'continuous read'. It's right here by the AIM and some other references in my bookcase. Guess more like a reference.

Best,

Dave
 
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Ghery said:
My daughter gave me that for Christmas last year. It's a good read to the end. Really great insight into how Lincoln used the strengths of each to accomplish his mission of saving the Union.
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I am about 1/2 way into it now --- what interesting people, I like the partucularly fishy named Salmon Chase myself.
 
terzap said:
Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", "Blue Latitudes" by Tony Horwitz, and (for the third time) "Toujours Provence" by Peter Mayle.
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I read Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence" several years ago...made me hungry! :D
 
fgcason said:
Recreational reading: Chicken and goat entrails to help trace RV mystery wiring.

Not much in the entertainment department lately...
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You should read Patrick McManus' descriptions of trailer wiring...

"Shortly after man invented the wheel, he invented the trailer. Ever since then, he has been trying to figure out how to hook up the lights."

Probably a piece of cake compared to what you've managed to get yourself into.
 
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p8cleared2land said:
You should read Patrick McManus' descriptions of trailer wiring...

"Shortly after man invented the wheel, he invented the trailer. Ever since then, he has been trying to figure out how to hook up the lights."

Probably a piece of cake compared to what you've managed to get yourself into.
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Whoohoo! Someone else who knows Patrick McManus' writings! Arrrright!

since starting this new job, I've been reading really intriguing stuff like "Oracle Streams" should be subtitled "Smoke, Mirrors and Other Replication Black Arts", and "Oracle Logminer", subtitled "Keep Lying to Yourself While Searching For Someone Else To Blame For The Data Loss"
 
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p8cleared2land said:
"Shortly after man invented the wheel, he invented the trailer. Ever since then, he has been trying to figure out how to hook up the lights."
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:rofl: That sums it up in a nutshell. I'm going to put that quote up on the inside of the power panel.

Thursday's fun mystery wire adventure story: The hot water heater wouldn't fire. Turns out there was no power going to the ignitor board. No power to the control panel switch inside to send to the ignitor board either. Ok, so far so good, makes sense, I can do this. So I follow the wire to the power panel but when I get the power panel pulled out, noooo the wire doesn't go there...at all. No wonder it doesn't work, nothing connects to anything. WTF does it go? Nevermind that, WTF is the brown wire to start with? It's not here. Out with a sharp pin to poke into wires with the voltmeter and start over from the control panel switch. Demystification #1: About a foot from the switch, behind the first wall panel down beside the fridge where you can't see squat, the brown wire turns to orange. (insert your favorite wordy durds here) So where does the orange wire go? Same place as the brown wire goes..it disappears into who knows where and doesn't connect to anything and promptly vanishes. It turns out that the orange wire goes down behind the fridge, meets up with 2 other orange wires for deception purposes, goes into the area behind the drawers (all this is through horizontal and vertical wood panels so you can't see stuff) back under the fridge near the power panel. THEN and only then at the last second, it sneakily dives down through the floor along with about 126,372 other wires (some the same color) then deceptively snakes itself forward in an innocent looking move-along-now-nothing-to-see-here-this-is-not-the-bundle-you're-looking-for wire bundle up to the battery fuse block in the front of the RV some 20-25 wire feet away where the blown fuse is located. Ah ha! New fuse, power to the switch! Click the switch, power goes to the ignitor board connector! Yay! Plug the power in...and NOTHING happens. Fuse check: Popped again. Turns out the ignitor board ate itself which popped the fuse in the first place. GLACK SAKLE!

This weeks adventure: Where does the power wire for the water pump go? (Anyone have an extra goat I can sacrifice?)

Next weeks adventure: Find the idget that wired this thing up, a floor jack handle, a dark alley..and no witnesses. We're gonna have ourselves a little talk...
 
gkainz said:
Whoohoo! Someone else who knows Patrick McManus' writings! Arrrright!

since starting this new job, I've been reading really intriguing stuff like "Oracle Streams" should be subtitled "Smoke, Mirrors and Other Replication Black Arts", and "Oracle Logminer", subtitled "Keep Lying to Yourself While Searching For Someone Else To Blame For The Data Loss"
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Patrick McManus graduated from Washington State University (my alma mater). My wife knows that if she gives me one of his books the bed will be shaking from my laughter well into the night. He is an absolute scream.
 
p8cleared2land said:
You should read Patrick McManus' descriptions of trailer wiring...

"Shortly after man invented the wheel, he invented the trailer. Ever since then, he has been trying to figure out how to hook up the lights."

Probably a piece of cake compared to what you've managed to get yourself into.
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I think I have everything McManus ever wrote, and he sure inspired me with my own 99.44% true tales..er...tails of my "sporting youth."
 
I am currently actively reading A Return to Modesty by Wendy Shalit and Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla.

What can I say, I'm a philosophy major.
 
bluesky74656 said:
I am currently actively reading A Return to Modesty by Wendy Shalit and Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla.

What can I say, I'm a philosophy major.
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Philosophy's great! I read Wendy Shalit's book when it first came out...10 yrs or so ago?
 
fgcason said:
This weeks adventure: Where does the power wire for the water pump go? (Anyone have an extra goat I can sacrifice?)
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Too funny! Don't you hate it when you turn on the faucet and smell smoke? :yes:
 
p8cleared2land said:
Too funny! Don't you hate it when you turn on the faucet and smell smoke? :yes:
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:yes: That was pretty close to the truth too. I got power to the pump but it wasn't turning and started smelling funny. The motor bearings and pump bearings were seized. $100+ for a new one or go the pennytech* route and break out the tools and disassemble that bugger. An hour later it works like new.

* pennytech: def. 1. Too cheap to spend money on something that can be built, modified or fixed yourself.


One more wire on the water pump circuit and after that I'm opening up the generator compartment to get this monster up to fully self contained. (Anyone have a fire hydrant hose? The goat entrails are getting kinda messy around here and it's starting to worry the new goats a bit before they get the knife which affects the outcome of the sacrifice and subsequent entrail readings)

Some fix-it bits are annoying but overall it's a lot of fun.
 
p8cleared2land said:
Philosophy's great! I read Wendy Shalit's book when it first came out...10 yrs or so ago?
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1999. So far I'm a huge fan of this book. It says in a clear and evident manner what Wojtyla says in a somewhat obfuscated manner, although I think Wojtyla's treatment is more complete.
 
fgcason said:
:yes: That was pretty close to the truth too. I got power to the pump but it wasn't turning and started smelling funny. The motor bearings and pump bearings were seized. $100+ for a new one or go the pennytech* route and break out the tools and disassemble that bugger. An hour later it works like new.

* pennytech: def. 1. Too cheap to spend money on something that can be built, modified or fixed yourself.


One more wire on the water pump circuit and after that I'm opening up the generator compartment to get this monster up to fully self contained. (Anyone have a fire hydrant hose? The goat entrails are getting kinda messy around here and it's starting to worry the new goats a bit before they get the knife which affects the outcome of the sacrifice and subsequent entrail readings)

Some fix-it bits are annoying but overall it's a lot of fun.
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Frank - I've found assistance (of varying quality and reliability, like everything and everywhere else) for RV repair on www.rv.net
Good luck!
Greg
 
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