Ken Stewart (3)

The Soaring Pilot's Manual advances the reader from elementary flying to confident soaring by clearly and precisely explaining the basic soaring mechanisms and techniques. Explanatory diagrams illustrate the text throughout, making a complicated subject simple to understand. Having covered the first steps, the book progresses to cross-country flying and the final section contains exercises that will be found useful for any glider pilot wishing to improve his ability and qualifications. The latest technology, such as GPS navigation and instrument systems is covered.… (mais)

This exhaustive and occasionally exhausting book gives the reader an introduction to basic soaring techniques and navigation. The writing style is somewhat heavy and passive, and the diagrams could use some editing work (stop mixing title case and sentence case, and add some colour to make the glider stand out more in the image). But for an audience who is familiar with flight and wants to extend their flying experience to soaring (or gliding), this might be a good book. I was reading this more because a friend of mine flies a glider and I wanted to know more about it. It gave me an appreciation of just how much WORK goes into gliding. It’s a lot to think about.… (mais)