Flipping an airplane upside down might just save your life someday. Or so I learned when I read Mike Goulian and Geza Szurovy’s 1994 book Basic Aerobatics. There’s a chance I’ll be taking an aerobatics lesson in the near future, so to prepare, I’ve been watching videos on basic maneuvers, reading the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) advisory circular on g-forces, and wondering how much one of those required parachutes weighs. Goulian is a flying legend and can be found racing, teaching, and performing at airshows. His book is, I’m told, required reading for aspiring aerobatic pilots, so to the library I went.
Textbooks, especially ones trying to describe the mechanics of flying maneuvers, can seem daunting to read, but the authors of this particular one were blessed with a ready wit and a fabulous editor. The book thoroughly approaches the topic from the ground up, defining aerobatic flying, covering rules and regulations, detailing maneuvers, and much more. The authors use words, diagrams, and cockpit stills of real airplanes in action to illustrate each maneuver, walking readers through perfect executions, common errors, and tactics for emergency recoveries in an engaging manner.
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