Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet!Yeager

That's a personaly favorite of mine as well, along with his sequel to that called "Press On!".I also enjoyed the original Tom Wolfe novel "The Right Stuff" which I enjoyed much more than the movie version, probably due to it going into further detail than what the movie depicted.

Copied/edited from a message I posted in another forum/site:The Sky BeyondGordon Taylorhttp://www.amazon.com/Sky-Beyond-Air-Space-No/dp/055323949XGot it for 1 $ +shipping via abebooks.Pioneer flights across the pacific from 1933 on. Using nothing but compass, driftmeter and sextant.That man has some stories to tell... (and loads of luck to be able to tell them...)Very well written, should be a delight to read for anybody. To me in the same league as "Fate is the hunter" and "North star over my shoulder". Required reading for anybody even remotely interested in pioneer navigation and pioneer flights. Each of the chapters of this book is like a case study of another pioneer navigation/flight problem. (Spoilers below.)1933 - His first flight across the Tasman sea from Australia to NZ with Kingford-Smith. First flight after self-learning navigation and celestial, that his navigation really counted. And he was quite shaken by unexpected strong crosswinds from N that forced him to apply a wind correction angle of 45°, i.e. pointing the nose of the plane well N of the N tip of NZ, apparently headed for a wet landing. Based on celestial navigation mainly, as night flight. Really have to trust the theory learned, and that this celestial navigation thing really works... But what an experience to find out that it does work indeed! 1934 - First flight across the pacific Brisbane - Fiji - Hawaii - Oakland: On the leg to Hawaii spinning down to the sea due to flaps inadvertently extended. No fuel gauges - so while they thought they were arriving with comfortable reserves in Hawaii, actually they had just a few gal left upon landing due to a fuel leak.1935 - Flight across the Tasman sea to New Zealand:One out of three engines failing, but no problem, managed to keep flying by dumping all cargo and weight overboard. Then second engine loosing oil. Finally they end up doing an oil change in flight, barely managing to keep out of the sea - climb out into the structure in flight on one side to drain oil from the dead engine into a thermos flask, and then onto the other side to fill up oil into the running engine. Repeat till returning to Australia. Incredible...Btw, here's a report of the 1935 incident:http://www.airborne.org/flying/smithy.htm1944 - "Flying for range... and Bora Bora". Flight across the pacific from Acapulco - Clipperton island (weathered a hurricane there) to Bora Bora in a Catalina.Very marginal range and really had to fight to make it. But what a triumph as Mt Otemanu came in sigh. Did I already mention it's a great book, and a great read? ;)Highly recommended.Gunter