Whether or not you have a pilot’s license, if you love flying, then you will love these 10 must-read aviation books.

1. The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh

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“The classic, bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning account of Charles A. Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight.”

2. Old Soggy No. 1 by Slats Rodgers

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“This is the true story of Slats Rodgers, told in his words. He was the first Texan to receive a pilot’s license and the first Texan to have his license revoked.”

3. In the Weeds by Mark Ozeroff

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“An absurdist tale of gas, grass, ass, and Vietnam. War has made Air Force pilot Slats Kisov an adrenaline  junkie. Using his exceptional low-and-slow flying skills, he smuggles marijuana into Florida from the Bahamas. Will Slats’ former battles with the Viet Cong, hijackers,  PTSD, and Mother Nature prepare him for his most  perilous battle of all―the one he must wage against  Chief Bobby Ray Pistle? Strap yourself in and get ready for a bumpy ride. And one spectacular landing!”

4. Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis

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“This is a book everyone should read. It is the autobiography of an ace, and no common ace either. The boy had all the noble tastes and qualities, love of beauty, soaring imagination, a brilliant endowment of good looks . . . this prince of pilots . . . had a charmed life in every sense of the word”—George Bernard Shaw

5. Wager with the Wind by James Greiner

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“Don Sheldon has been called ‘Alaska’s bush pilot among bush pilots’, but he was also just one man in a fragile airplane who, in the end, was solely responsible for each mission he flew, be it a high-risk landing to the rescue of others from certain death in the mountains of Alaska or the routine delivery of supplies to a lonely homesteader. Read James Greiner’s Wager with the Wind to learn how a hero was born, and also how he made his courageous journey to the unknown skies of dealing with cancer.”

6. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

“Millions of words have poured forth about man’s trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure; namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves – in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers, that made The Right Stuff a classic.”

7. Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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“Recipient of the Grand Prix of the Académie Française, Wind, Sand and Stars captures the grandeur, danger, and isolation of flight. Its exciting account of air adventure, combined with lyrical prose and the spirit of a philosopher, makes it one of the most popular works ever written about flying.”

8. West with the Night by Beryl Markham

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“The classic memoir of Africa, aviation, and adventure—the inspiration for Paula McLain’s Circling the Sun and “a bloody wonderful book.”—Ernest Hemingway

9. Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann

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“FATE IS THE HUNTER is a fascinating and thrilling account of some of the more memorable experiences Ernest K Gann had in the air. He’s flown in both peace and war and come close to death many times. Here he reveals the characters he’s known and the dramas he’s experienced, portraying fate (or death) as a hunter constantly in pursuit of pilots. This is a fabulous account of both the history of aviation and one man’s life in the air.”

10. Days of Smoke by Mark Ozeroff

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“DAYS OF SMOKE looks at war and Holocaust through the eyes of Hans Udet, a flyer involved from the earliest days with Hitler’s air force. Across battlefields raging over much of Europe, Hans progresses from naïve young fighter pilot to ace of increasing rank and responsibility. But unfolding events pit Hans’ love of the Fatherland against his natural compassion for humanity, after he saves a young Jewish woman from brutal assault. As growing feelings for Rachel sensitize him to the so-called ‘Jewish problem,’ Hans is torn between mounting disdain for the Nazis and his sense of duty to Germany.”

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