Lessons from the Logbook

Book excerpt: Piloting techniques on diverse topics are in this collection of stories from an experienced flight instructor's logbook. Ron Fowler accurately states, "our skills of flight either improve or slowly erode, but they rarely remain unchanged." Speaking pilot to pilot, the author picks up where initial pilot training leaves off. Lessons from the Logbook is a collection of stories that began as articles written for Plane & Pilot magazine, and was previously published by Aviation Book Company. The book is organized to reflect all the phases of flight: preflight, departure, en route, and arrival, and concludes with a section on recurrent training. It provides piloting techniques on such diverse topics as night flying; what to do when you get stuck above or below a cloud deck; how to handle in-flight emergencies; evaluating real-life takeoff performance; pursuing a path to perfect flying; and much, much more. Ron Fowler is the ideal flight instructor--experienced, patient, and entertaining, with excellent communication skills. Although readers may never have an opportunity to fly with him, his gentle guidance will stick with them: first when they read the pages that share the author's expertise, to be recalled again when they have a similar experience. Lessons from the Logbook will inspire readers to improve their flying skills, and more importantly, motivate them to take to the sky.