I have worked in the aeronautical industry, including with the first international mobile satellite communications company, Inmarsat, and am married to a rocket scientist who flies our own plane. Together, we have learned and taught about many aspects of flight and cutting-edge technology. When I started writing my book, I went for inspiration from some of my favorite books about flight that I want to share with other readers. From the stories told by great pilots like Beryl Markham and Chuck Yeager to vivid fiction about flight and space, I like to share these tales with readers who may be as fascinated by this field as I am.
I love this book because the scenes of ariel combat are so realistic. I learned a lot about fighter aircraft and how the Russians could have gotten the better of us with newer technology until one of our own old aircraft was retrofitted to make her superior. Once I got into the fight scenes, I could not put the book down until I found out “who won!”
I always wondered what happened to “Hal,” the intelligent computer, at the end of the story in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this sequel, I found the answer to nearly all the questions that lingered after I read the earlier novel.
The new personalities introduced in this book fascinated me, especially the love interests and how they are handled during deep space explorations. The whole story left me wanting to know even more about the spaceships and the people who flew on them.
“A daring romp through the solar system and a worthy successor to 2001.”—Carl Sagan
Nine years after the disastrous Discovery mission to Jupiter in 2001, a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition sets out to rendezvous with the derelict spacecraft—to search the memory banks of the mutinous computer HAL 9000 for clues to what went wrong…and what became of Commander Dave Bowman.
Without warning, a Chinese expedition targets the same objective, turning the recovery mission into a frenzied race for the precious information Discovery may hold about the enigmatic monolith that orbits Jupiter.
Meanwhile, the being that was once Dave Bowman—the only human…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I found this story absolutely gripping and gathering suspense as it went along. I became deeply involved with all the passengers on the Flying Clipper, especially as I learned there were surprises and mysteries surrounding them.
I liked the vivid descriptions of the “flying ship” and how she behaved in a storm. I have reread this book twice since owning it.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett takes to the skies in this classic novel of international suspense. Set in the early days of World War II, Night over Water captures the daring and desperation of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances-in prose as compelling as history itself. . . .
September 1939. England is at war with Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world's most luxurious airliner-the legendary Pan Am Clipper-takes off for its final flight to neutral America. Aboard are the cream of society and the dregs of humanity, all fleeing the war for reasons of their own…
I liked this book, especially because it is so beautifully written and tells the story of a very exceptional woman pilot. I did not know of her history-making flights or her other adventures until I read her story, and I found her to be a fascinating person. The descriptive language she uses taught me much about South Africa and her life there, but particularly about what flying meant to her.
WEST WITH THE NIGHT appeared on 13 bestseller lists on first publication in 1942. It tells the spellbinding story of Beryl Markham -- aviator, racehorse trainer, fascinating beauty -and her life in the Kenya of the 1920s and 30s.
Markham was taken to Kenya at the age of four. As an adult she was befriended by Denys Finch-Hatton, the big-game hunter of OUT OF AFRICA fame, who took her flying in his airplane. Thrilled by the experience, Markham went on to become the first woman in Kenya to receive a commercial pilot's license.
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I could not think of a more suspenseful tale involving flight than this story. I wanted the pilot to make it home to England and read with my heart in my mouth how everything began to go wrong for him until the mysterious World War II bomber appeared–as either friend or enemy.
His characterizations are vividly drawn, as are the descriptions of the aircraft. This is one of Forsyth’s best books, in my opinion, and I like them all.
*Now a major Disney+ short film starring John Travolta*
The chilling thriller from the international bestselling phenomenon.
'A cunningle wrought tale' Financial Times 'A stirring and beautiful story' The Times _____________
Christmas Eve, 1957.
For one Royal Air Force pilot, one last hurdle remains between himself and a cozy Christmas morning in England. A sixty-six-minute flight in his Vampire fighter plane from Germany to Lakenheath.
A routine flight plan and a full tank of fuel. What could go wrong?
But as the fog begins to close in, the compass goes haywire and the radio dies, leaving him in silence, lost…
The "bad guys" have found a way to invade the US with airborne poisons, using secret, high-tech balloons. An unlikely coalition of government officials and private citizens have to work fast to stop what could be a devastating attack on everything in North America, including the President of the United States.