SoarAmerica
Paperback, 206 pages, dozens of illustrations and black and white photos
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.25 x 0.5 inches (133 x 210 x 13 mm)
Edited by John Joss
First published in 1976
John Joss collected 23 short soaring stories into this great book. Contributing authors include Gren Seibels, Karl Striedieck, Doug Lamont, Wally Scott, Ben Greene, and many more.
This is a timeless book that captures the fun of soaring.
From the introduction by John Joss:
"Here, between the covers of a book - flattened ironically by the paper and ink of the printing process - are the stories of a third dimension, the ascent skyward in sailplanes, taken from all over the U.S. By no means was every attempt successful. Few recount records or the arrival of the new epoch in gliding. Not all describe the perfect site, the ideal weather, the challenge met and overcome. All, however, were assembled lovingly by soaring pilots. These pilots took time after their sometimes hedonistic joy to tell us how it was, how it can be. Whether beginner or veteran, they have come forward to share with us the very interior of soaring flight.
As we read their words, we can start to see the magical thrill of the sport. We can begin to understand why pilots of so many other 'serious' persuasions - corporate, military, airline, cargo, even helicopter - come from their heavily instrumented and regulated aircraft to spend their private hours in the cockpit of a sailplane. For them, as it can be for use, guiding a sailplane is flying in its purest form. It is the chance, in real life, to become a bird and look down at the earth from the eagle's vantage point, exulting the glorious world of soaring."