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Zero Three Bravo: Solo Across America in a Small Plane
Enticed by the small ribbon of sky she could see from her New York office window, a reporter for Newsweek, flies her small plane across the country on a summer trip of adventure and discovery
371 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 29, 2012
The strange title is the registration number of a light airplane, a 1950 all-metal Luscombe "tail dragger" which took the author from Spring Valley, New York, to California and back again. It was a leisurely trip with many stops, because small airplanes lack both speed and range, and often wait for improved weather. In no hurry, Gosnell wended her way west through the deep South and returned by way of Idaho and Montana.
This exuberant story, sunny and upbeat, is best savored in small portions. The author shunned large towns and busy airports, in favor of small airstrips, even grass strips. Short of fuel she lands at Oljato, on the Navajo reservation in Arizona: the strip is attached to an Indian trading post and the fuel pump (with a sign "beware of rattlesnakes") is locked. The Indian woman who runs the store tells Mariana that "Mr. Smith got the key" and would be back by nightfall. Nothing doing but wait, and meanwhile one learns a bit about Indian life and, after Mr. Smith shows up, about the history of the airstrip.
Such stories are scattered here by the dozen. A meeting with the lads who tow advertising banners above the beach of Ocean City, Maryland makes clear how hazardous their occupation is. A bit further south she meets a retiree named Orville Wright who runs an airstrip (not the Orville, for sure); visits Jimmy Carter's home airport at Plains, encountering some remarkable lady pilots; talks to the proud owner of a fleet of restored WW II warplanes, also of a jet fighter; crawls into Carlsbad Caverns, the part not open to the public; and outside Phoenix, visits a housing development centered on an airstrip, each home with its own taxiway.
And so forth, the list could go on and on. Among Gosnell's last stops is the tiny coal-mine company town in Kentucky where her grandfather used to live. No longer even on a map, its houses are mostly empty and decaying, and only a few old-timers can dimly recall the times she is trying to recapture.
This story is mostly about people, in particular about the fraternity (and sorority!) whose members have soloed in small airplanes and kept up their love of flying. Gosnell, like Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen) had learned to fly in Africa, and she conveys well the thrill of solo flight, in particular in a small airplane flying low enough to observe the myriad details of the land below. If you have a friend who is a pilot or an adventurous young woman (or both), this book (now out in paperback) makes a perfect gift.
The book appeared in 1993 and reads like a fresh adventure, but some hints indicate that journey actually happened long ago. In particular, while in California, Gosnell witnesses (quite by chance) the first man-powered flight of the "Gossamer Condor", which records say took place on August 23, 1977. Which means that much of what she lovingly describes is no more, that many of these grass airstrips might have gone back to pasture, with their owners moved, retired or gone forever. Perhaps, as with Gosnell's grandfather's hometown, the scenery she describes is just a memory. All that remains is this book, and it is one hell of a story.
This exuberant story, sunny and upbeat, is best savored in small portions. The author shunned large towns and busy airports, in favor of small airstrips, even grass strips. Short of fuel she lands at Oljato, on the Navajo reservation in Arizona: the strip is attached to an Indian trading post and the fuel pump (with a sign "beware of rattlesnakes") is locked. The Indian woman who runs the store tells Mariana that "Mr. Smith got the key" and would be back by nightfall. Nothing doing but wait, and meanwhile one learns a bit about Indian life and, after Mr. Smith shows up, about the history of the airstrip.
Such stories are scattered here by the dozen. A meeting with the lads who tow advertising banners above the beach of Ocean City, Maryland makes clear how hazardous their occupation is. A bit further south she meets a retiree named Orville Wright who runs an airstrip (not the Orville, for sure); visits Jimmy Carter's home airport at Plains, encountering some remarkable lady pilots; talks to the proud owner of a fleet of restored WW II warplanes, also of a jet fighter; crawls into Carlsbad Caverns, the part not open to the public; and outside Phoenix, visits a housing development centered on an airstrip, each home with its own taxiway.
And so forth, the list could go on and on. Among Gosnell's last stops is the tiny coal-mine company town in Kentucky where her grandfather used to live. No longer even on a map, its houses are mostly empty and decaying, and only a few old-timers can dimly recall the times she is trying to recapture.
This story is mostly about people, in particular about the fraternity (and sorority!) whose members have soloed in small airplanes and kept up their love of flying. Gosnell, like Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen) had learned to fly in Africa, and she conveys well the thrill of solo flight, in particular in a small airplane flying low enough to observe the myriad details of the land below. If you have a friend who is a pilot or an adventurous young woman (or both), this book (now out in paperback) makes a perfect gift.
The book appeared in 1993 and reads like a fresh adventure, but some hints indicate that journey actually happened long ago. In particular, while in California, Gosnell witnesses (quite by chance) the first man-powered flight of the "Gossamer Condor", which records say took place on August 23, 1977. Which means that much of what she lovingly describes is no more, that many of these grass airstrips might have gone back to pasture, with their owners moved, retired or gone forever. Perhaps, as with Gosnell's grandfather's hometown, the scenery she describes is just a memory. All that remains is this book, and it is one hell of a story.
December 18, 2013
Sort of a Blue Highways of the Sky. Gosnell has a passion for flying, especially in small, single engine planes into uncontrolled airports. She describes the myriad of interesting characters she meets along the way, each with a unique story to tell, and she retells them well.
She learned to fly in Africa where she and a friend had gone for several months. Since the only way to get around is by small plane, she was once flown from hither to yon in a small Cessna and a young woman pilot. Together they swooped down low over herds of elephants and other wildlife and scenery. Gosnell was enthralled and vowed to learn how to fly.
Back in the states, she continued her lessons and purchased an old Luscombe, a very serviceable, if antique tail-dragger. (She discusses at length the advantages and disadvantages of the "conventional" v tricycle type landing gear.)
Her stories reminded me of flights with my uncle when I was barely 10 (This was in the late fifties). He was in the Civil Air Patrol (which I also later joined as a radio officer -- but that's another story) and took me up in his Super Cub, many of which are still around.) Fun.
She beautifully captures the pathos, loneliness, and eccentricities of the people who man the small, often deserted, little airstrips around the country and the yearning many of them feel for the outside world. Particularly poignant was Laura, a thirty-five-year-old mother of Dawson, Georgia, who had learned to fly on a whim and now wanted nothing more to escape the parochialism of the small town where the goals and aspirations for women were pre-determined a century before. Ridiculed and shunned by the community for daring to do something women just don't do (fly a plane), she latched on to Gosnell as a symbol of freedom she didn't have the courage enough to embrace, but which Gosnell (perhaps because she was a cosmopolitan New Yorker) had adopted.
Loved this book.
She learned to fly in Africa where she and a friend had gone for several months. Since the only way to get around is by small plane, she was once flown from hither to yon in a small Cessna and a young woman pilot. Together they swooped down low over herds of elephants and other wildlife and scenery. Gosnell was enthralled and vowed to learn how to fly.
Back in the states, she continued her lessons and purchased an old Luscombe, a very serviceable, if antique tail-dragger. (She discusses at length the advantages and disadvantages of the "conventional" v tricycle type landing gear.)
Her stories reminded me of flights with my uncle when I was barely 10 (This was in the late fifties). He was in the Civil Air Patrol (which I also later joined as a radio officer -- but that's another story) and took me up in his Super Cub, many of which are still around.) Fun.
She beautifully captures the pathos, loneliness, and eccentricities of the people who man the small, often deserted, little airstrips around the country and the yearning many of them feel for the outside world. Particularly poignant was Laura, a thirty-five-year-old mother of Dawson, Georgia, who had learned to fly on a whim and now wanted nothing more to escape the parochialism of the small town where the goals and aspirations for women were pre-determined a century before. Ridiculed and shunned by the community for daring to do something women just don't do (fly a plane), she latched on to Gosnell as a symbol of freedom she didn't have the courage enough to embrace, but which Gosnell (perhaps because she was a cosmopolitan New Yorker) had adopted.
Loved this book.
June 16, 2012
There is something so magical about this book. I read it when I was really flying a lot. I loved the romantic idea of taking my small airplane and flying low and slow over the country, stopping in small airports and connecting with people in all these places.
I'm not sure if this book would appeal to non-pilots, but I think it would. The story is really about the desire to take a break from one's own life and seek out the extraordinary in the small things, and in everyday people. For this, and for the love of flying, I adore this book.
I'm not sure if this book would appeal to non-pilots, but I think it would. The story is really about the desire to take a break from one's own life and seek out the extraordinary in the small things, and in everyday people. For this, and for the love of flying, I adore this book.
May 28, 2017
This is the only book with which I'm in love & hate relationship.
This book is an aviation encyclopaedia, endless source of aviation and non aviation stories, it's a travel book, a family history book, a personal diary and much much more.
I've never read a book that had contained so much information on so few pages. Even though the book is only around 370 pages long, the author was able to compress so many stories and descriptions on so few pages that ZIP compression looks like a joke. Moreover, the writing style is very pleasant to read and the whole narrative is very authentic and adventurous.
The author has insane ability not only to make a recollections of scenes she witnessed, but to put it on paper in very vivid and detailed way so that reader can experience it the same way. You will know every type of aircraft she met while doing cross-country flight through USA, including the color and sound of the engine. I must admit the number of aircraft types listed in the book is above knowledge of most aviation fans. You will read stories of random ordinary and yet special people she met on the way. You will read about historic events (first human powered flight) like you were standing right there when it happened. In some ways, this level of detail is very exhaustive as the reader is almost forced to imagine these scenes with these many aircrafts (with frequent use of google to find out what this and that type look like). It certainly took me long time to churn trough the book (almost 4 months!). I had to literally take breaks for a few days to ingest the influx of information my way.
I would recommend this book to people who would like to experience a re-live the atmosphere of flying cross-country to small airports around the States some 30-40 years ago.
This book is an aviation encyclopaedia, endless source of aviation and non aviation stories, it's a travel book, a family history book, a personal diary and much much more.
I've never read a book that had contained so much information on so few pages. Even though the book is only around 370 pages long, the author was able to compress so many stories and descriptions on so few pages that ZIP compression looks like a joke. Moreover, the writing style is very pleasant to read and the whole narrative is very authentic and adventurous.
The author has insane ability not only to make a recollections of scenes she witnessed, but to put it on paper in very vivid and detailed way so that reader can experience it the same way. You will know every type of aircraft she met while doing cross-country flight through USA, including the color and sound of the engine. I must admit the number of aircraft types listed in the book is above knowledge of most aviation fans. You will read stories of random ordinary and yet special people she met on the way. You will read about historic events (first human powered flight) like you were standing right there when it happened. In some ways, this level of detail is very exhaustive as the reader is almost forced to imagine these scenes with these many aircrafts (with frequent use of google to find out what this and that type look like). It certainly took me long time to churn trough the book (almost 4 months!). I had to literally take breaks for a few days to ingest the influx of information my way.
I would recommend this book to people who would like to experience a re-live the atmosphere of flying cross-country to small airports around the States some 30-40 years ago.
March 26, 2012
A delightful tale of a woman's flight around the US. Filled with the romance, joy, apprehension and adventure of lightplane flying. I often found myself sharing the author's feelings and remarking at how well she captured the emotions of flying. And it brought me back to my carefree days of loafing at my home airport. Reading these pages reminded me of the indescribable feeling of peace that can only be experienced at a country airport. This book, for me, was a gratifying read and an introspective journey. Well done Mariana Gosnell!
September 29, 2008
Anyone interested in flight, anyone interested in an exploration of self, will find Mariana Gosnell's chronicle of her trip worthwhile.
January 13, 2011
I loved Mariana's descriptions of all the things she saw flying across the country in her small plane. I learned a lot!
October 9, 2016
Beautifully written book about a solo cross-country trip taken by Mariana Gosnell in an adorable Luscombe. Poetic and enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews