Over
the many years I have been flying in Alaska the unforgiving
nature of the weather and terrain has impressed on me one
very important lesson: that flying is a thinking man's (or
woman's) game. Those who do not, or cannot, think, but
instead rely only on the quick reflexes of youth or basic
physical skills, have a tendency not to survive for long.
As a
result, books by an experienced pro that explain the reasons
why it is best to perform a maneuver one way rather than
another, or describe in detail the thought processes behind
various flight decisions, are, for me, the only ones of real
value.
It was
therefore with considerable interest that I began to read
Sparky Imeson's new book, the “Mountain Flying Bible” –
Sparky has a reputation of being a thoughtful and careful
pilot, as well as a highly skilled one, and I was curious to
see what he had come up with.
What he
came up with is a book so good, so complete and detailed, so
‘useful’ at all experience levels, that I found myself
wishing I had it when I started my bush flying career in
Alaska back in the early 1960s. While it may not have
shortened my learning curve all that much (for true learning
is something that needs seasoning over the years to achieve
real depth on the subconscious level), here certainly would
have been far fewer of those ‘interesting’ moments.
Because of
the size constraints placed on book reviews I only have room
to touch on a few of the many subjects found in this
marvelous book, so the ones I selected are those that follow
my particular interests.
Other pilots would, of course, select other items,
and happily the menu Sparky provides is large.
I very
much liked where, in the “Warning-Disclaimer”, Sparky notes
that the book “represents the current view of the author on
the issues discussed as of the date of publication.” This is
an important point, for it reminds the reader that a pilot's
learning process should be continuous over their career, and
that as a result their view of the subject will (and should)
change with time.
Another
lesson provided by Sparky's approach to flying is found on
page 3-80, where he tells how he built, out of 2x4s, a
device which he placed in a stream so he could, by changing
its orientation, better learn to understand how terrain
modifies wind flow. This type of thinking, along with
experimentation, is typical of the best pilots, for the best
pilots seek understanding, and through understanding, learn
what is needed to survive.
Certainly
the depth of information Sparky provides on the subjects of
wind (which needs to be thought of as weather, just like
something you can see such as fog), turbulence, mountain
wave, the infinite varieties of ice, high-altitude
physiology, and basic flight maneuvers, are unsurpassed by
any other book I have ever read.
One area
of aviation that is often neglected is engine management,
the science of controlling power and temperature changes.
Nowhere is this more important then in environments where
one is dealing with changing altitudes (climbing and
descending), or serious cold. These subjects Sparky covers
in great detail, and if his suggestions are carefully
followed they will, in all probability, markedly increase
the TBO of one's engine.
Another
important subject Sparky covers in depth is emergency
landings. Here he not only covers the usual techniques, but
as well the psychological hazards. This section alone is
well worth the price of the book, and should be reviewed
carefully by all pilots. I personally ‘knew’ many pilots in
Alaska who, had they followed Sparky's advice in this
section (especially the psychological factors discussed on
page 3-155), would be alive today.
Another
nice thing about this book is that Sparky provides many
photographs of various mountain landing areas, and these
photographs give a good introduction to the subject for they
each have a lesson to teach, and the examples are good.
Perhaps my favorite is the picture on page 5-62, but then,
mountain and bush pilots live in a special world, and are
special people.
There are
a few minor typos in the book, both in the “Table of
Contents” and the text, which will probably be taken care of
in the second printing. These are mostly not very important,
but of course they irritate authors enormously. We work long
and hard on our books striving to get every single detail
correct, then, once the manuscript leaves our hands for the
publisher, we find ourselves helpless. All we can do is hope
they fly their desktop publishing equipment as
conscientiously and carefully as we fly our airplanes, but
all too often that proves not to be the case.
To sum up,
Sparky not only deals in depth on the technical aspects of
flying in this book, but, even more importantly from my
perspective, he deals with the psychological aspects. And,
of course, the sections that specifically deal with his
specialty, mountain flying, are unsurpassed. This is not to
say that this book has value only to mountain pilots, for
that is not the case. This book is one of those that all
pilots can learn from (just as it deepened my understanding
in many areas), and should be part of every serious pilot's
reference library. It is, in all likelihood, the best
aviation book written in recent years that focuses on light
aircraft. Certainly it is the most useful. I recommend it
without reservation.
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