Sky Crawlers

Seventeen minutes after the co-pilot's distress call, the Geneva-bound jet crashed into the Atlantic off Peggy's Cove, killing all 299 on board. It remains one of the largest aviation accidents still.

Stephen Kimber's book is not a technical retracing of what went wrong. Instead he chooses to focus on the far-reaching consequences of what happened. By reaching out to families of the victims, rescue teams, pathologists, and reporters, he gives us an idea of what its like to desperately search for answers in a time of uncertainty.

Through the lives of a fictional family, McCann links three episodes from history: the first non-stop transatlantic flight, in 1919; the visit of a freed American slave to Ireland; and Senator George Mitchell’s peace-broking in Nineties Belfast. The re-creation of the Alcock and Brown flight in their Vickers Vimy is a feat of imagination in which the author inhabits the aviators’ minds.

How to snag a girlfriend: Learn how to fly a microlight. Maybe this is some not so sensible advice, but that's how one London advertising copywriter did it. He hated flying but when he saw his flatmate get instant appeal with a pilot's license..... Can lousy landings, loud engines and an incompetent pilot take a relationship off the ground? This rivetingly and self-deprecatingly memoir is a great look into aviation, and into the self-discovery of man as well. A must-read for any pilot enthusiasts.

The wars in the 90s were a terrible time for all, but perhaps one of the consolations of its effects were the valuable records of it that will teach us many lessons for a long time. And this is one of those important books.

Richard Hillary was a Spitfight pilot in the second world war, in the Royal Air Force. His autobiography is a painful yet valuable insight into the events that transpired - from his training in the RAF, to the crash that caused massive burns to his face.

From England to Australia. Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo with that historical journey in 1930. And she made so many other records with in her lifetime too. And consider this: her first solo flight was made only just 27 years after the Wright brothers created the first powered aeroplane. Amy Johnson might have died piloting an aircraft, but her words of wisdom still ring true -- especially for the many women who wish to excel in this male-dominated field.

The Third Reich is often portrayed as a place where women were confined to essentially producing and rearing children. But we forget that there were many women successful in their own fields. Hanna Reitsch was an aviatrix, test pilot, and the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class and Luftwaffe Pilot. She also eventually became Hitler's favourite.

Reitsch's autobiography reads less about her life, and more about her aviation enthusiasm. It doesn't explain her political stance, nor her rabid adoration for Hitler. Instead, you get a sense of what it's like to be in the cockpit, and the rapid developments of aviation technology over a very short time.

Every aviation enthusiast must know the roots of this magnificent work of engineering. So take yourself back to the 1900s. It's not written for mass public - instead the book is actually a manuscript and journal records of the Wright Brothers. It records the thought processes, the hiccups, and the possible solutions, so the book is rather technical heavy. But that's what makes it extremely interesting, because its intent is so pure and free from any self-aggrandisment. And what's surprising is that Orville was no engineer, so the attention to detail is really astounding.

The Rover Boys are a rowdy bunch of boys in school in the early 1900s. There aren't amazing descriptions of dogfights, or aviation technologies, but Edward Stratemeyer made it as accessible to the masses as he could with this delightful read. In this edition, the boys graduate from school and are about to embark on a journey in the skies - and it's one that stirs a bit of nostalgia and wonder.

There's a lot of conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of the famed Amelia Earhart. Did she truly die in a crash at sea? Or did she return to America under a alias? Regardless, it doesn't cloud the fact that Earhart was a skilled pilot, being the fist woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Nearly a century after her disappearance, the world is still fascinated. And Carol Linn Dow's novel is based on years of study, research and dedication. Along with the tale of what “actually” happened, Carol includes a comprehensive overview of the many books, films, theories, testimonies and letters that have helped “solve” the mysterious disappearance of the aviator. It's a definite must-read for anyone who's fascinated with Earhart, and also with the sequence of events that possibly transpired.

When you think about flying, you tend to think fast, fighter planes and cool pilots. But we forget there's a whole other group of people who make commercial air travel a lot more bearable. And they harbour a whole lot of secrets, tips and hilarious stories that normal passengers don't get to see.