Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying Hardcover – September 1, 1990

I'm pursuing a PPL under part 61 so I'm basically building my own ground school curriculum from books here at Amazon. The various FAA books are good, and cover the basics, but in terms of describing how an airplane is flown, how it's maneuvered, and how to avoid digging a big hole in the ground, this is the book. Just buy it already... I don't care how long you've been flying I'm convinced you'll find this a good read. I read through it the first time right after reading the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, and even though it was written in the 40's (and has a few dated ideas... like how rudders will be gone from airplanes in "a few years") it still does a much better job of describing the basics. The book is well-written, well-illustrated, and comprehensive.The single most important thing I learned from reading this, and what is missing from every other book I've read, is how to avoid killing yourself in an airplane. The author talks about how accidents actually happen, and most importantly how to avoid them. It's simple, to-the-point, and not necessarily what you'd think (although it is completely logical). Those chapters alone should make it mandatory reading for any pilot, and that's only about 20% of the book. Consider the rest a bonus.

At VAF (Van’s Air Force), this book kept getting mentioned as one of their favorites. I couldn’t imagine what would be so great about it, especially when the content in it was so old. But, like many others, it’s probably one of my favorite aviation books now, and is loaded with good information that I’m convinced will make you a safer pilot. I know it has made me more self aware, and flying experimental planes, we need to do more to improve our safety record. Understanding the concepts more clearly in this book, is as good a start as any. I can’t really add anything that others haven’t already done, but do want to stress one point.Wolfgang says that pilots are quite apt at recovering from stalls, when they expect them. But the real problem, is, pilots when not practicing it, most don’t realize they have got themselves in a stall when in the pattern, so instead of pushing down on the stick (or yoke) to regain airspeed back, they are pulling back, not ever knowing they were in a stall before it is too late. That still seems like the major problem today too; particularly when turning left base and left downwind. Steeper turns while turning don’t help the situation since it increases the stall speed as well, and worst case scenario you’ve fooled around and got yourself into a spin.I can't imagine no one benefiting from this book.

I received it sooner than I would have expected and it is of fine quality.

A comprehensive guide to the nuts and bolts of flying. Dispels a lot of myths and provides a ton of information about flying. I've read it three times and will read it again.

Hermosa calidad de las hojas

Funny, the title is Stick and Rudder and yet the author spends half the book complaining that the stick should be restricted to prevent dangerous excessive elevator and rudders shouldn't exist because they are the major cause of crashes.The book was written in the 30's and focuses on tail draggers. It is interesting to hear the author's predictions on how "future" aircraft will be designed. For example, he predicts safety improvements in aircraft design will eliminate fatalities due to stalls. He praises safety aircraft that do not allow the angle of attack to approach a stall - protecting pilots from themselves (but unsafely limiting aircraft maneuverability, in my opinion). He also suggests rudders will be unnecessary in the future, e.g., with the "new" tricycle landing gear allowing cross-wind landings while "crabing" (without the aircraft aligned to the runway). Somewhat amusing.Mr. Langewiesche rants too loud and often on the angle of attack and the big engineering mistake of rudders. Still, in reading through the book, I did get some new insights on glide control, landing technique and emergency aircraft maneuvers.Overall, I (250 hour private pilot) found useful conceptual models in the book actually helped me solve some control problems I was having. With the publication date in mind, it is definitely worth reading for a flight student or for an experienced pilot.

Best understanding of flight and yet written in 1944. Should be required reading for every student pilot and pilot for that matter. A must read.

When I was taking my primary training I was pinching every penny to buy flight time and this book seemed out dated and expensive. I finally bought it and read it. If I had spent the few bucks back then I would have saved the price of its purchase many times over in wasted flight instruction hours.Often what Langewiesch describes is preambled with ( I'm paraphrasing here ) "A well behaved airplane should not do this but..."Present day trainers are much better behaved than when he wrote this book so the characteristics he goes on to explain are minimized, and as a result often misunderstood or simply ignored. They shouldn't be. Sooner or later all airplanes exhibit some or all of those traits and knowing what they are, why they occur, and how to react to them will greatly improve your skills.Often the "theory" as inadequately explained in a noisy cockpit by your CFI as you strive to perfect your skills is only part of the puzzle. At some point theory is overcome in the real world by practical application and the limitations of aircraft design. For a simple example: you have probably been taught that you do not need to hold any rudder once you have established in a steady turn, but no doubt you have also discovered that it is sometimes necessary to hold some rudder in some turns. What gives? This book will help you identify why and when these sorts of things should or should not happen, what to do about them, and especially important, what NOT to do about them.