THE PICTORIAL FLYING COURSE

Written by FLT. LT. HARRY M. SCHOFIELD and F/O W. E. JOHNS

Published in May 1932 - 100 pages

 

This is a reproduction of the original dust jacket.  That is why it is so perfect.  The original price was 5 shillings.

 

This is an original dust jacket.  The yellow colouring has faded considerably over the years.

 

It is rather hard to summarise a "pictorial" flying course but I will try. This book is larger than usual, (being 20 cm by 24 cm) and has a short half page forward. Then from pages 9 to 95 each page generally has four black and white line illustrations (drawn by W.E. Johns I understand), (each being 8 cm by 5.5 cm) with five or six lines of text below each illustration, explaining how to fly. I have to say it does seem unexpectedly easy. The illustrations all feature a small biplane, which I believe to be a De Havilland Gypsy Moth as that is the plane on the books cover, so I am told. The text is written as if an instructor is talking to a pupil. Pages 97 to 100 are headed 'Types of Aircraft' and contain 16 photographs of real aeroplanes with brief notes underneath.

 

The pages all have short headings. These headings are

WHAT IS FLIGHT? - LIFT - DRAG - FLYING SPEED - THE FIRST LESSON - AEROPLANE CONTROLS - THE AILERONS - AEROPLANE CONTROLS - THE RUDDER - MORE ABOUT THE CONTROLS - THE INSTRUMENTS - MORE ABOUT THE INSTRUMENTS - FIRST PRECAUTIONS - FURTHER PRECAUTIONS - THE FIRST FLIGHT - IN THE AIR - STILL IN THE AIR - COMING DOWN - THE HORIZON - THE PARTS OF AN AEROPLANE - INHERENT STABILITY - THE EFFECT OF WIND - AIR SPEED AND GROUND SPEED - THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND - TAXYING - STILL TAXYING - THE TAKE-OFF - TAKING OFF - GETTING OFF - FIRST LESSON IN THE AIR - IN THE AIR - STILL IN THE AIR - IN THE AIR - ON THE GROUND AGAIN - THE FEEL OF THE CONTROLS - FLYING IS EASY - SLOWLY DOES IT - MORE ABOUT CONTROLS - MORE ABOUT AILERONS - MORE ABOUT THE ELEVATORS - FLYING BY INSTINCT - CONTROL IN FLIGHT - SECOND LESSON IN THE AIR PRECAUTIONS - PRECAUTIONS - PRECAUTIONS DON'T GET LOST - WEATHER PRECAUTIONS - TURNS - TURNING - ON THE GROUND - TURNING - STARTING UP - PRECAUTIONS IN STARTING - GETTING OFF - LANDING - LANDINGS - GLIDING IN - LANDINGS - GLIDING - LANDING - ON THE GROUND - ADVANCED DUAL - STALLING - SPINNING - FORCED LANDINGS - FIRST SOLO - ADVANCED DUAL - SIDE-SLIPPING - ZOOMING - LOOPING - CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING - PILOT'S LICENCE - RULES OF THE AIR - AERODROME RULES

- TYPES OF AIRCRAFT

 

The Pictorial Flying Course

Subtitle - none

Publication Details - originally published by John Hamilton

 

The Boards below the dust jacket of the First Edition

 

Well here is some astonishing information! – There was a German edition of this book – Published in Nazi Germany in November 1934

 

This German version of the book used all of W. E. Johns original illustrations.  It could be said that W. E. Johns helped pilots who were, no doubt, later in the Luftwaffe, learn to fly!   I’m sure he would have been mortified!

 

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