Fate Is the Hunter: A Pilot's Memoir

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by Ernest K. Gann | Biographies & Memoirs |
ISBN: 0671636030 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 10/20/2016
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1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, October 20, 2016
I got this fair-condition softcover at a local Savers thrift shop. It's about the author's experiences training as a commercial airplane pilot in the late '30s. [The 1964 film of that title was supposedly inspired by parts of the book, but if so, many liberties were taken.]

I really enjoyed this, from Gann's lyrical prose about the joys of flight to his gritty details about training, the ups and downs of being a commercial pilot in the early years of the aviation industry, and the many lost comrades who fell to mechanical failures, pilot error, or natural disasters over the years. There were some fascinating tidbits about the ways in which the US fumbled the ball regarding commercial airlines, too - among them, being late to the game in many markets, and causing local discontent when they moved in to some South American markets and put local people out of work. (Gann and his fellow air crew members had to cope with disgruntled ground crew at times, sometimes resulting in potentially lethal maintenance problems.)

The book covers many years, and many locations; Gann's assignments ranged from the ice of Greenland to the sweltering jungles of South America, and even to India - where Gann came perilously close to crashing into the Taj Mahal on one memorable day! Flights in peacetime and wartime, rescue missions and delivery runs, diagnosing tricky malfunctions and dealing with co-workers who ranged from amazingly talented to one outright fraud... A fascinating book!

Released 7 yrs ago (1/28/2017 UTC) at Little Free Library - Grappone Ford - 530 NH-3A in Bow, New Hampshire USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book in the Little Free Library in the lobby at around 1:30; hope the finder enjoys it! [I was tickled to find that all four of the Grappone dealerships have placed LFLs in their waiting rooms - very cool!]

[See other recent releases in New Hampshire here.]

*** Released as part of the 2017 Movie release challenge. ***

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