Reading assignment

[Guest RiddlePilot]

Hello all, I write to ask you for your help in choosing a book that is less than 200 pages that deals with any American and development of anything in/for aviation. It can be anyone. We simply have to read it and present a 3 page summary.Thanks for your help,

[Guest]

If it doesn't have to be a biography, there should be material on the engineer who worked with Lindburgh on the Spirit of St Louis. I recall at least some material recently turned up on this man via his grandson. Perhaps something new has turned up in historical or aviation books. Of course you're not looking to publish in an academic journal.On biographies, it's a stretch but there's Pancho Barnes (I think that's the right last name). Tom Wolf gave short shrift to her in The Right Stuff. She was an old movie pilot during the 20's and 30's. After retiring, she started a bar when Edwards AFB, I forget the old name, was brand new. It was called "Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club." Folks like Crossfield and Yeager were often there. You probably remember her from the movie, btw. I'll bet 4/5 of pilots don't realize that woman was a fairly good pilot herself.She was also a foul-mouthed sailor type too. Started up a gentlemen's club in the bar (which Tom Wolf did talk about in the book). It was ambiguous whether it was also a brothel or not.You could take up a theme that her career spanned changes in aviation from ye olde barnstorming and the beginnings of the Hollywood movie and stuntflying industry to owning the gathering place for pilots breaking speed records in the X-1 and X-15 at Edwards to the tenuous connection with the Mercury 7 astronauts that Wolf latched onto. If you're interested try Sportys, Amazon, or my old workplace www.aviationbook.com. Nancy Griffith is the owner and a real nice lady, very popular shop at Boeing field (subtle hint for the Seattle area simmers and pilots).edit- just looked the site and there's at least two biographies on her in 'Novels and Bios'. Peruse that area if you want more ideas.Bedwyr