Great aviaion books
What you should read, according to our AOPA pilots
We asked our AOPA pilots for their favorite books, and many cited the same works. Ernest K. Gann’s Fate Is the Hunter was a top pick. I had one of my most cherished AOPA story assignments in Friday Harbor on Washington’s San Juan Islands and actually met the late author’s wife, saw his home, and ate at the airport restaurant there called Ernie’s Café. But I humbly beseech you not to fault me—I have never read the book. I asked former AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines why this book is so good: “Gann is just a very good writer. Great storyteller who lived some amazing adventures, which he shares well.” That can be said for another top pick (one I have read), West with the Night by Beryl Markham (see “Bookshelf,” April 2025 AOPA Pilot), by another writer who lived some amazing adventures. Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche was also recommended, as was Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts and Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck. Here’s a list of other recommended books to enhance your flying life.
Non-Fiction
- “Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the development of stealth or just aeronautical engineering in general. It reads like a true story Tom Clancy novel.”
—Cade Halle, senior manager, Flying Clubs Initiative
- “Cannibal Queen by Stephen Coonts. This one of his many books wasn’t that popular, but the idea of a kid and his dad flying around the country in a biplane really spoke to me.”
—Ian J. Twombly, senior content producer
Children
- “The Littlest Airplane is a sweet picture book that’s perfect for introducing the next generation of aviators to the importance of the little airplanes in our lives. It makes me tear up pretty much every time I read it (to be fair though I cry at commercials), and I highly recommend it to all those who love GA and want to share a book with kids!”
—Alicia Herron, features editor
Technical
- “The Compleat Taildragger Pilot by Harvey S. Plourde was really helpful when I was learning to fly in a J–3 Cub!”
—Michelle Walker, video content producer
- “And in the brown-nosing category: Test Pilot by Barry Schiff, foreword by the illustrious Tom Haines; America’s Weather by Tom Horne; Hijacked by Dave Hirschman.”
—Tom Haines, former AOPA editor in chief
Airman’s Odyssey
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War
by A.J. Baime
Aviation History
by Anne Millbrooke
Baa Baa Black Sheep: The True Story of the ‘Bad Boy’ Hero of the Pacific Theatre and His Famous Black Sheep Squadron
by Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
The Bishop’s Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright
by Tom Crouch
Biplane
by Richard Bach
Born to Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America
by Steve Sheinkin
Chickenhawk
by Robert Mason
Circling the Sun
by Paula McLain
Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice
by Adam Makos
Disarm Your Limits: The Flight Formula to Lift You to Success and Propel You to the Next Horizon
by Jessica Cox
The Flight Girls
by Noelle Salazar
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O’Brien
Fly the Biggest Piece Back
by Steve Smith
The High and the Mighty
by Ernest K. Gann
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
by Adam Makos
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
by James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle
The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot
by Robert K. Morgan and Ron Powers
Night Over Water
by Ken Follett
North Star Over My Shoulder: A Flying Life
by Robert N. “Bob” Buck
Nothing by Chance
by Richard Bach
Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying
by Roald Dahl
The Shepherd
by Frederick Forsyth
The Spirit of St. Louis
by Charles A. Lindbergh
Stranger to the Ground
by Richard Bach
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough
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