Weather Flying

Book Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Still the best practical guide on the market.......2007-06-12

I first read this book early in my private pilot training, many years ago. Needless to say, I did not really understand what I was reading. Coming back to it now, with a number of additional ratings and many more hours of flight time to my name, was a revelation. Almost on every page, I found myself saying, "Yes, that's how it is." Buck really knows what he is talking about, whether it be ice, thunderstorms, turbulence, or transitioning from instruments to visual on the approach. Taking to heart what Buck has to say will first and foremost help you to survive as a pilot by making good weather decisions. Just as importantly, he imparts a great deal of wisdom on how to get maximum utility from the airplane while keeping risk to a low level. However, as indicated earlier, the book is definitely not for beginners. A solid understanding of basic meteorology and a considerable amount of piloting experience are needed to interpret it correctly--and safely.

Essential reading for the GA Instrument pilot.......2006-06-07

As a CFI I have numerous books in my aviation library. This book details flying in weather and the mindset required to be a safe and competent instrument pilot.

Recommeded to me by my instructor after I received my instrument rating I now recommend it to students and associates whenever the subject of flying in weather (or not flying in weather) comes up.

I read Northstar Over My Shoulder prior to buying this book so I had an understanding of Captain Buck's history and experience which added weight to the wisdom obvious in Weather Flying (buy that book too!)

Dealing with the weather.......2005-10-22

Not a lesson on meteorology; more of a lesson on judgment and decision-making. In other words, how does one deal with the weather? What does one do with the information one has?
Bob Buck is a man of authority, vast knowledge and experience when it comes to weather flying. His advice is, therefore, not to be taken lightly.
The book is readable, Buck writes "as he talks and flies, with an easy touch...he makes it simple and plain". The only thing that frustrated me at times was the fact that due to the sheer amount of information and knowledge he wants to impart, he occasionally jumps from one issue to the other, picking up new subjects while seemingly leaving others unfinished.

"The sky is my office".......2005-06-30

It is hard to imagine a pilot with more weather flying experience than Captain Robert Buck. And much of this flying was in the old days: in the early years of the Army Air Corp and a young company called TWA. Much of this flying was accomplished without the assistance of modern instrumentation. Captain Buck travelled the world seeking the most ornery weather he could find, and then flew into it time and time again, compiling the experience and collecting the data that no one else had at the time. Captain Buck shares that experience here. This book is interesting and engaging to the flying enthusiast, essential to the VFR pilot, and absolutely priceless to the aspiring instrument pilot. Every discipline and every pastime has its classics, and WEATHER FLYING is, without a doubt, one of the classics of aviation.

The language of WEATHER FLYING is simple and straightforward. The lessons are practical more than theoretical, though Captain Buck keeps his readers briefed on essential weather theory as well. Virtually every weather situation that a pilot can encounter is covered in this book, from the ordinary to the exotic. Then Captain Buck instructs you how to fly it. The concept is simple and direct; the lessons are comprehensive and pragmatic.

In short, this is not a book to read once and then shelve. The lessons are too important to be forgotten. This is a manual to be taken down and read over and over again by any sort of pilot who flies any sort of aircraft.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

weather is confusing..........2002-05-07

... and will remain so after you read this book. Everything in Buck's book is useful but it is tough to remember all of his rules without a solid grounding in meteorology. The cover's subtitle "a practical book on flying in all kinds of weather" is accurate. This book is about practice, not theory. However, after finishing the book, I was disappointed to find myself as ignorant as ever about weather and completely at the mercy of the FAA briefers.

Average customer rating:

Now THIS is a cool book!
What more could you want?
Useful Woods, Useful Guide
A tough choice but one I'm happy with

A Guide to Useful Woods of the World

Manufacturer: Forest Products Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1892529157

Book Description

An invaluable reference source for woodworkers, wood collectors, and others interested in wood.

This all new 640-page edition of the Guide introduces 78 additional species and contains a number of invaluable features not included in the original edition, including: 1) each of the 279 species is described in a two-page data sheet containing information on the scientific name, family name, other names, distribution, the tree, the timber, seasoning, durability, workability, uses, and supplies; 2) specific gravity is included for all species and average tangential, radial, and volumetric shrinkage values are included where available; 3) each data sheet includes a line drawing of a key botanical feature, a photomicrograph of the end grain of the wood, and a color photograph of a sample of the wood; 4) this new edition also contains a common name index of over 2,000 names, a family name index, a scientific name index, and three very useful appendices including a discussion of biology and taxonomy for woodworkers, insights on the toxicity of various wood species and possible health effects related to the handling and use of these species, and a list of selected references of use to readers.

Customer Reviews:

Now THIS is a cool book!.......2006-06-30

OK, I'm not into woodworking or wood collecting; I'm just interested in, fascinated by all those wonderful woods out there. Enter this book. Anything I want to know about a particular wood?? Well, here it is in this book--or at least a good start on it. The only thing I can compare it to is the Peattie books Natural history of Western Trees and Natural History of Eastern Trees. Those too I would just sit down and read--just because they were interesting. This is just a WAY cool book for anyone interested in wood.

What more could you want?.......2005-02-13

279 woods each on 2 pages with ample information, 2 x 3.25 inch photos of the wood, a 1.25 x 2 inch micrographs for identification, and line drawings of leaves and any fruit. I don't see what else a person could want with the exception of more woods covered. Is there ever enough wood? This book is also blessed by the International Wood Collectors Society, a meticulous bunch. This volume is a good size, not too big or too heavy (yet). Maybe there will be a second volume. Hope so.

Useful Woods, Useful Guide.......2004-07-12

After listening to me grumble that I couldn't always tell what exotic aw lumber looks like when finished, the shop manager told me to get a copy of this book. Actually, he ordered me to get the book, since, like most novices, I pestered him incessantly. As usual, he was right.

The meat of this book is a set of 279 two-page descriptions of each wood. The information inclides scientific name, family, distribution, a description of the tree, a description of the lumber, seasoning information, durability, workability, possible uses, supply availability, a photomicrograph, and a photo of the naturally finished wood. Quite a lot more than the average craftsperson might need, but enough to make this a useful volume to a wide audience.

Indexes are provided by common names, family name, and scientific name. I wish their were a few more permutations (I would have liked a listing by geographical sources, having once wanted to know what the native Japanese wodds were. But really, the book has proved most useful as a reference when I am wondering through an exotic wood stash, or evaluating a particular wood for one purpose or another.

It's a very plain spoken volume - just a presentation of the facts in an easily accessible format. An appendix I found particularly interesting discussed wood toxicity (walnut dust drives me crazy). Unfortunately it really only brushes the surface. If you stick to only a few known woods, this book isn't for you, but if you like to explore possibilities than you will indeed find this a useful volume.

A tough choice but one I'm happy with.......2002-05-06

As far as I could tell the only other book that competes with this book is "World Woods in Color". I had the chance to compare the two side by side and here is my take:

The two books are very similar in many ways. They both include about the same number of woods (around 280) and they both have roughly the same sort of information about the woods. Of course 280 is a tiny number compared to the number of woods in the world, but as far as I can tell these books seem to be about the best there is in print on the subject, and these books do probably cover most the woods one can get on the retail market here in the US.

In any case, the small distinctions I noticed between theset two books were:

"Useful Woods" is organized by scientific name, which means that for most of us to find a particular wood we have to start at the index. "World Woods" is alphabetical by common name, which is easier unless you know the wood by a name other than what the authors considered to be the most common name.

"Useful Woods" is published by the International Wood Collectors Society and this orientation is apparent in the text. There is information such as the origins of the scientific names, and the sources for small samples, which most woodworkers are not likely to care much about, although it is interesting on occasion to read this information.

The color pictures of the woods in "World Woods" are larger but the pictures in "Useful Woods" are plenty large enough for me (2" x 3"). "Useful Woods" includes black and white end-grain pictures, which are useful for identification of an unknown sample. Single pictures are always hard when one is trying to capture something as variable as wood and so it's not surprising that some pictures are better than others. For example, the pictures of Lacewood in both books completely fail to capture the amazing grain of that wood, however, I thought that most of the pictures where pretty good in both books overall.

On average "World Woods" probably includes just a little bit more information on the working qualities of most woods but both books are somewhat thin in this area, at least from a woodworker's perspective.

"Useful Woods" was written in the US where "World Woods" was written in England. This shows in a number of areas, the most important of which are the woods included and the availability information about the woods. This was the final deciding point for me. I figured that everything else being about equal, which I judged it to be, it made more sense for me to get a book that focused on the woods I can get here in the US and that gives me availability information that is focused on the US Market.

So, I went ahead and bought "A Guide to Useful Woods of the World" and so far I'm happy with my choice.

Average customer rating:

This book will not let you down.

Fails to Entertain

Look Below the Surface

A Luminous Gem Of A Novel

Virtual history: being there

Holder Of The World, The
Bharati Mukherjee
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Mukherjee, Bharati | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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TREE BRIDE, THE

Dogeaters (Contemporary American Fiction)

DESIRABLE DAUGHTERS: A NOVEL

Transpacific Displacement: Ethnography, Translation, and Intertextual Travel in Twentieth-Century American Literature

The Middleman and Other Stories

ASIN: 0394588460
Release Date: 1993-09-28

Book Description

"An amazing literary feat and a masterpiece of storytelling. Once again, Bharati Mukherjee prove
she is one of our foremost writers, with the literary muscles to weave both the future and the past into a tale that is singularly intelligent and provocative."
--AMY TAN
This is the remarkable story of Hannah Easton, a unique woman born in the American colonies in 1670, "a person undreamed of in Puritan society." Inquisitive, vital and awake to her own possibilities, Hannah travels to Mughal, India, with her husband, and English trader. There, she sets her own course, "translating" herself into the Salem Bibi, the white lover of a Hindu raja.
It is also the story of Beigh Masters, born in New England in the mid-twentieth century, an "asset hunter" who stumbles on the scattered record of her distant relative's life while tracking a legendary diamond. As Beigh pieces together details of Hannah's journeys, she finds herself drawn into the most intimate and spellbinding fabric of that remote life, confirming her belief that with "sufficient passion and intelligence, we can decontrsuct the barriers of time and geography...."

Customer Reviews:

This book will not let you down........2006-11-08

This is one of those books I recommend to people if they want a book that has EVERYthing. Romance, scientists, a historical mystery and detective chase, a prince and his mistress, culture clash, the search for freedom, and an amazing set of locales for contrast. You can't get any different from the palaces of India than 1700's Pilgrim America.

I can't describe how much I love this book. The ending is phenomenal, ingenious, genre bending stuff. Totally unexpected and deservedly earns to me the bestowed crown of reviews: one of the best endings of any book I have ever read. The prose is thick, it is not a quick read, but this is a detail oriented book. It is very smartly written, and I would recommend it to any professor looking for a great multicultural studies course novel. The romance of the book is sweeping but also restrained. Mukherjee is an expert at making us patiently wait for a deserved outcome. I can't say any more without giving too much away. Holder of the World is a huge accomplishment of a novel, it is something utterly unique in the number of directions it takes and the number of places we go in it makes us realize that love, however brief, is truly the greatest treasure.

Fails to Entertain.......2005-04-28

The Holder of the World failed to entertain me, much less keep my attention for more than a half hour or thirty pages at a time. I made it through it although it was rough and I had to, at times, force myself to keep reading.

The problem is in the style of the writing. Although the book is very well researched and informed, the narrative is stiff and dull. The dialogue seems trite and unrealistic, however little there was. The story had an interesting premise, time travel and fantasy projection, but it failed to deliver the goods in that area. One almost thinks that that author should have left that out completely or commit to it whole heartedly.

On a positive note, the novel does manage to produce a few truly interesting characters and works well as a feminist novel, mostly dealing with symbolism of female emancipation. The author also hinted at the possibility of a high adventure story but cut that off quickly with spare, stale action.

I gave this novel two stars because of the intelligence of language only. But there is a big difference between that and being able to produce a concise, tight novel that tells a story well and commits to it.

Look Below the Surface.......2005-04-21

At the beginning of the story Beigh, an assets hunter, is searching for a long lost diamond that she believes has deeply rooted ties to her family. She goes on a world-wide search for this gem, through which we come to know Hannah, a woman also destined for a world-wide journey. These two women, seemingly tied together only through genes, come to be mirrors of one another. This novel uses elements of history, science fiction, and romance to tell a story of beauty, strength, and bravery that transcend the limits of what "a novel should be". Readers are sure to find the making of a hero in the life of Hannah, beginning with her birth in Puritan America to her feats of strength in battle in India.

This book spoke to me not only as a woman, but also as a young adult, who is on her way into a life unkown, much like Hannah and Beigh. I highly recommend this book to any reader who is looking for a smart and exciting journey into another world.

A Luminous Gem Of A Novel.......2004-12-19

Bharati Mukherjee's "The Holder of the World: A Novel," deals with transitions in geographical and cultural space - from America to England to India, and the personal transformations a young woman experiences as a result. This is also a novel which moves unobtrusively through time and space, between the 20th century and the 17th, with barely a ripple, shifting beautifully between geographical locations, history and human relationships. Ms. Mukherjee interweaves here the story of a 20th century New England researcher with that of her ancestor, a Puritan woman, who roamed from the New World to India.

Beigh Masters is a woman who "lives in three time zones simultaneously." Not Eastern, Central and Pacific Time, but "the past, the present and the future." Her Yale thesis on the Puritans led her to graduate school, and to a figure from the distant past, an ancestor, actually. At grad school she met and began her life with her lover, Venn Iyer. She also began her career as an "asset-hunter," a detective of sorts, who seeks out antiques and other priceless items for wealthy clients. Venn, born and raised in India, and a graduate of MIT, "animates information." He and his team are somehow recreating the universe by the mass ingestion of the entire world's information: newspapers, records and documents, telephone directories, satellite passes, every TV and radio show aired, political debate, airline schedule - well, just about every piece of information ever recorded. When the grid, the base, is complete, they hope to insert a person into time and space through this careful reconstruction of the past by the meticulous build-up of data.

Beigh has a client who hired her to track down the most perfect diamond in the world - "The Emperor's Tear." She has also been searching for a woman, known as Salem Bibi, who lived over 300 years ago. Beigh knows more about Hannah Easton, called Salem Bibi, than perhaps anyone who ever lived, and through her knowledge of this woman, she comes closer to finding the Emperor's Tear." Hannah, born into Puritan society in Massachusetts in 1670, orphaned at an early age because of fierce Indian attacks on her settlement, married an English trader/adventurer/pirate. She traveled with him to England, and then to Mughal India, at the time of the establishment of the British East India Company. There Hannah became the lover of a Hindu raja and took-on the name Salem Bibi. She is the last known person to have seen and held the "Emperor's Tear." She is also an ancestor of Beigh Masters.'

"The Holder of the World" is both Hannah's and Beigh's story. And they are both remarkable women. Hannah lived centuries ahead of her time. She was born into the restricted Puritan world, in a new country with few amenities and much hardship. The New World was a dangerous and alien environment where women knew their place. Hannah, however, was an inquisitive, lively, vital woman, with a knowledge of self and a sense of purpose. She perhaps inherited her spirited nature from her mother, a woman whose terrible secret Hannah kept all her life.

This is a beautifully written, complex novel of history, ideas and adventure. Bharati Mukherjee vividly creates a tale of relocation, the collision of values, transformation and the courage it takes to adapt to new cultures. And here two worlds do meet...and collide - the Puritan American and the Mughal Indian. Hannah guides Beigh, who in turn steers the reader through the centuries to solve ancient mysteries. I would have liked to have felt closer to Hannah. However, the author always seems to keep her at a distance, as a historic figure. I do recommend this novel as it is unusual and makes for excellent reading.
JANA

Virtual history: being there.......2002-02-16

The more I ponder this book, the more intriguing I find the story. Beigh Masters is an "asset-hunter" in search of a legendary diamond from India, The Emperor's Tear. Her research leads to a connection with a distant relative, Hannah Easton, who lived in Salem, Mass., in the 1670's. Now fascinated by her own familial ties, Beigh traces Hannah's life from New England to the Coromandel Coast and the powerful East India Trading Company. Most extraordinary, Hannah becomes the "Salem Bibi", the white lover of a Hindu Raja, carving herself a place in history.

But there is more: the novel is so brilliantly themed, the premise so unique, that this reader was guided through a journey of staggering originality. Beigh's lover/companion, Venn, is developing a computer program that would allow an individual to experience a few moments in the past, set to a specific time frame, with pertinent information entered into the program. Beigh provides the structural facts, creating the opportunity to ......? Is it really even possible? This is not "time-travel" as usually written, but Virtual participation in real time. Mukerjee actually ties the threads of history together, from one side of the world to the other, suggesting infinite permutations. Not your traditional historical novel, Mukerjee fashions an ending worthy of any mystery-adventure devotee. Experiencing this story is an adventure in itself.

Average customer rating:

Dry as Jack-boot Leather!

Knights of the Wehrmacht: Knight's Cross Holders of the Fallschirmjager (Knights of the Wehrmacht)
Franz Kurowski
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | Germany | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0887407498

Book Description

Each recipient is presented in a capsule biography including dates of birth, awarding of the various Knight's Cross grades, and other particulars to rank and career. Each is also shown in a World War II era photograph., over 130 photographs, 6" x 9"

Customer Reviews:

Dry as Jack-boot Leather!.......2002-09-23

This book is as dry as the moldy archives it was derived from. As the title suggests, Franz Kurokski's book, another in Schiffer's Knights of the Wehrmacht Series, lists all _Knight's Cross Holders of the Fallschirmjager_. With the exception of a brief Foreword by the author (This work was translated by David Johnson: see my review of Johnson's _Righteous Deception: German Generals Against Hitler), the book contains only brief profiles of the Knight's Cross recipients. These encyclopedia style one-page entries (Kurt Student warrants three pages as it was Student who suggested to the author he take on this project, Foreward, p.5) focus on facts only concerning birth, death, posts held and military ranks achieved and of course, the date(s) that the individual received his coveted Knight's Cross, swords or diamonds. There is one accompanying photograph of the individual included on the facing page of each entry. Most photos are the studio-portrait type, however, some are taken in the field. Still others (just a few) are of the artist sketch variety that were made into postal cards, a common practice of German occupational forces. Most of the photographs are well reproduced. A couple, however, look as if they were run through an ancient Xerox machine with low toner. This book serves its purpose as a reference work for the serious student of the Fallschirmjager arm. Anyone thinking they will find compelling battle narrative or feats of daring exploits will be very disappointed.

Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder

Average customer rating:

Great reading from page 1!
A marvelous story about a Tuskegee Airman.

Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder
Charlene E. McGee Smith
Manufacturer: Branden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Life & Institutions | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0828320462

Customer Reviews:

Great reading from page 1!.......2000-02-14

History records major events that often changed or will change human events. History is packed with stories about famous people and places that every child knows about, from Washington to Lincoln to Kennedy. But what about those people in history that make a difference and never get noticed?

Written by his daughter, what we find in this book is more than history its living history. Smith captures the reader with insight only a person this close to the subject can bring to life. Just the lessons about the Tuskegee Airmen is reason enough to read this book.

Talk a walk through the 200-page life history of one of the greatest men in aviation history. Honored by a number of people, Charles McGee is a true national hero for all ages and all people. The sad part of the whole story is how the history books missed the group of men who changed aviation history.

In a day when it is a sad reality that most American history books fail to portray any African American as a hero in the history books, it is great to know that people like Charlene McGee Smith can help us to remember that history is colorblind. Excellent reading for everyone!

A marvelous story about a Tuskegee Airman........1999-05-27

This is a wonderful story that chronicles the life of Col. Charles McGee who holds the record for the highest three-war total of fighter combat missions in US Air Force history. It is told through the eyes of his daughter who captures both the military experience as well as the human side of this story. We learn of the perseverance of this Tuskegee Airman who was able to overcome racist experiences and become an American hero. Part of the delight of this book is the personal rememberances by family and friends. Col. McGee flew combat missions and navigated racist attitudes and biases throughout his life. This account is about more than a distinguished military career,it is about family and the significant influence he had on his eldest daughter. We learn about his bravery but more importantly lessons about the value of family, character, and education shape a powerful message for all of us.

God, The Multiverse, And Everything: Modern Cosmology And The Argument From Design

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God, The Multiverse, And Everything: Modern Cosmology And The Argument From Design
Rodney D. Holder
Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Cosmology | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0754651169

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Early Buddhist Discourses

Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0872207927

Book Description

Twenty discourses from the Pali Canon—including those most essential to the study and teaching of early Buddhism—are provided in fresh translations, accompanied by introductions that highlight the main themes and set the ideas presented in the context of wider philosophical and religious issues. Taken together, these fascinating works give an account of Buddhist teachings directly from the earliest primary sources.

Book Description

Each recipient is presented in a capsule biography including date of birth, awarding of the various Knight's Cross grades, and other particulars to rank and career. Each is also shown in a World War II era photograph. , over 150 b/w photographs, 6" x 9"

Catching Air: The Wild World of Snowboarding (Sports Illustrated for Kids Books)

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Catching Air: The Wild World of Snowboarding (Sports Illustrated for Kids Books)
Gary Hubbell
Manufacturer: Sports Illustrated Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Winter Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

Snowboarding | Winter Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1886749477

Bede: A Biblical Miscellany (Liverpool University Press - Translated Texts for Historians)

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Bede: A Biblical Miscellany (Liverpool University Press - Translated Texts for Historians)
W. Trent Foley
Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0853236836

Book Description

This volume contains six of Bede’s shorter biblical writings, most of which appear here in translation for the first time – On Tobias, On the Resting Places, Thirty Questions on the Book of Kings, On Eight Questions, On the Holy Places and the letter On What Isaiah Says. Taken together, they reveal his amazing versatility as a biblical exegete.

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