Leighton Collinsï¾’ Takeoffs and
Landings - the Crucial Maneuvers and Everything in Between provides
expert, flight-tested techniques pilots need in these critical phases of flight,
in every contingency of arrival and departure, VFR and IFR, single and twin,
tricycle gear and taildragger. Now
back in print, this revived
aviation classic is about the realities of flying into and out of an airport,
the practical matters of taking off and landing safely and skillfully, every
time.
Collinsï¾’ classic text is full of analysis and insight into each and every
takeoff and landing - not only why things happen, but how to manipulate the
factors toward the desired results. Trim, control feel, flaring, correcting
imperfections, airplane design characteristics, atmospheric conditions, pilot
skill or lack thereof, airport design, flight trends - it's all in here, with
emphasis throughout on stall/spin avoidance and the inherent risks of flying low
and slow. Readers will find five different ways of touching down, three ways of
landing crosswind, an excellent description of a light twin on takeoff with one
engine out, and an account of a perfect flight and a good landing from takeoff
roll to full stop.
Along with his more than half a century of personal experience, Collins
shares tips and secrets from his observations of airline pilots during their
routine check flights, reading military manuals, attending manufacturerï¾’s flight
training programs, and interviewing aviation's think-tanks: Bob Buck, Fred
Weick, Howard Piper, William Lear, etc. The bookï¾’s Foreword is by Wolfgang
Langewiesche, author of Stick and
Rudder. Collinsï¾’ son, aviation author Richard L. Collins, writes an opening
note for the new printing, and the new photography throughout is by Tom Lippert.
Leighton Collins is reflected in this book: practical, personable, realistic,
and authoritative. Leighton first soloed in 1929 in an open-cockpit biplane. He
founded Air Facts magazine,
which he edited and produced almost single-handedly for 35 years, a magazine
widely recognized as the pioneering force for improvement of the aviation safety
record. While he contributed a chapter to Stick
and Rudder, Langewiescheï¾’s classic flight manual, Takeoffs
and Landings was the first book
in Mr. Collinsï¾’ long writing career.
Softcover, indexed, 300 pages.