Welcome aboard, ladies and gentleman, this is your librarian writing on behalf of National Aviation Day, celebrated on Aug. 19. My angle of attack for today’s column is to provide a cockpit view of American aviation history through books. This is a topic near and dear to me for several reasons. Growing up, I heard stories about my grandfather’s and great-uncles’ experiences flying planes during the early days of aviation in the late 1920s and early 1930s. When I was a teenager, I cheered on my dad and my brother while they took flying lessons. During my college years, I worked in the accounting department of an airline and as a receptionist at a Grand Canyon air tour company. Now, several decades later my husband is a retired pilot, having spent over 30 years in the skies.
The thought that I might get my own pilot’s license was brief: one flying lesson convinced me that books would be my future — not runways. Never mind because I’m still a great fan of all things aeronautic.
I hope you’ll find reading inspiration from one or more of today’s aviation-related book recommendations. Did you know that Vancouver, Washington has its own rich history in aviation? Be sure to check out the title about Pearson Field Airport, one of the oldest continuously operating airfields in the United States.
On that note …
Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure that your bookmarks are in their full upright position. Thank you for flying — er — reading this column.
