Ever heard the term - pushing the envelope? Well that is exactly what test pilots do - they push the envelope by taking an airplane to its safety limits. In the early years (1940's and 1950's) test pilots would fly under bridges, and do loops and rolls in the sky, wherever the mood struck them. They would fly without even knowing what their airplanes could do. Airplane engines blew up, and sometimes, the wings fell off. Back then, the US Air Force had an average of 1 accident a month. Those days are long gone. Today, every move a pilot does is planned out beforehand by other pilots, engineers, and management. Before a pilot actually gets in the plane, they spend hours in a simulator that reproduces the feeling of flying that particular aircraft. And when the actual flight is scheduled, the pilot is given his flying 'card,' which tells him exactly what he should do during the flight. Part of the Risky Business series, this book has great information, which is presented to the reader by following an actual pilot (Major Rex Bailey) from a childhood wish (to be an astronaut) to his current career as a test pilot for the US Air Force.
Date read: 4/14/2009
ISBN-10: 1567111580
ISBN-13: 9781567111583
Check the library catalog