Helicopter Bookstore

Another time I woke up, and saw Jeff Bezos of amazon.com giving a lecture about his online bookstore. He happened to mention that they have an associates program where people on the web can list books related to their web site topic. I checked out amazon.com to see whether they would have any of the books I normally recommend to students, and I was totally blown away that they list a bunch of books that I usually recommend, but are sometimes hard to find...

I've only listed the books that I've read and can recommend. There are many other books out there on helicopters, you can just go to amazon.com and do a web search to find them all, but here is a list of the books I've read and think are the best:

• Chickenhawk A must have for anyone interested in helicopters. The book was written by Robert Mason about his experiences as a Vietnam helicopter pilot. I first read this while I was working on my private pilot license, and probably learned as much about subtle helicopter techniques from this book as from any of the FAA books. It also provides a lot of insight into what it was like to fight and fly in that war, but I would strongly recommend this book even to people who have no interest in learning about the Vietnam war.

  I've probably re-read this book a dozen times now, and when I'm trying to get a heavilly loaded helicopter in or out of a confined area, or other such challenges, I'll think of one of the many lessons Mason learned from Leese, and then I'll fly the maneuver the same way Mason did...

  I can't say it enough: get this book!

• Basic Helicopter Handbook When a person first starts helicopter training, this is the first book we usually start them with. It's written for a high school level reader, so if you're just trying to find out some basic information about how helicopters are flown, this is a good starting book.

• Helicopter Aerodynamics This is the first in the 3 part series by Ray Prouty. He writes a monthly column for Rotor & Wing magazine. It's a collection of past articles. It's required reading for my students who are going on to get their Flight Instructor rating. This is the best book for learning about detailed helicopter aerodynamics without having to read a lot of mathmatical equations. Ray Prouty wrote these articles for pilots to be able to read. However, if you don't know anything about aerodynamics, these books might be a little tough to start with, but someone who has read the "Rotory Wing Flight" ASA reprint, or the aerodynamics section of my web site, will probably enjoy these books. The other two books in the series are More Helicopter Aerodynamics and Even More Helicopter Aerodynamics

• Helicopter Pilot Manual This is a book that Jeppesen Sanderson ("Jepp") had written for airplane pilots who want to transition to helicopters. In many ways it's a better book than the Basic Helicopter Handbook. It has a lot more information, is better written, and has better photographs. But, it's hard cover, so it's more expensive than the BHH. If you have read the Basic Helicopter Handbook, and want to get more of the same level of information, this would be a good book.

• Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators This is the book on aerodynamics. If some math doesn't scare you, and you want the book that everybody goes to when you need the final answer, this is it. It has chapters like Development of Aerodynamic Pitching Moments, Planform Effects and Airplane Drag, Turbojet Operating Characteristics, High Speed Aerodynamics - Concepts and Supersonic Flow Patterns, Stability and Control.

  Keep in mind that it is an extremly technical book, and is not for the casual reader... It's a college level text, and facinating if you want to understand the real details of aerodynamics.

Amazon.com associates list selected books in an editorial context that helps you choose the right books. We encourage you to visit Helicopter Aviation often to see what new books they've selected for you.

Thank you for shopping with an Amazon.com associate.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bezos
President
Amazon.com

P.S. We guarantee you the same high level of customer service you would receive at Amazon.com. If you have a question about an order you've placed, please don't hesitate to contact us.

[Top] [Up] [Prev] [Next]