Barnstorming

by Martin Caidin

There were barnstormers as soon as there were planes --- pilots who "pushed the envelope" setting new records and doing stunts like loops and inverted flight for the very first time.

The First World War proved the military value of airplanes, and created the wellspring of barnstorming: an aftermath of hundreds of young pilots trained for combat, who loved planes and flying so much, they did not want to do anything else.

Using war surplus planes bought for a song, many ex-fighter pilots became vagabonds wings wings, flying all over the country performing aerobatics and giving rides to locals at country fairs and in small towns wherever they could pick up a dollar, a meal, or a bed for the night.

The planes were patched and tricky, the pilots usually just one jump ahead of the sheriff or bill collector --- but the sky belonged to them.

Genres: Aviation

261 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Martin Caidin was a prolific and controversial writer. Most of his work centered around the adventures of pilots and astronauts. A number of his books were notable for their reasonable, realistic predictions of then-futuristic technology.

Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.

Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.

In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.

Reviews

[Chris Tschirhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written. I have always liked Mr. Caidin's books on flying. It is an area of aviation history that there is very little of. Another reviewer outlined that he "remarks that there's not a lot of historical material about the barnstormers, mainly because so many of them died in plane crashes." The generation of barnstormers trained a lot of fighting men during World War II, and their feats are only known to aviation fans. Great anecdotes.

[Avis Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really, really, outstanding. Caidin remarks that there's not a lot of historical material about the barnstormers, mainly because so many of them died in plane crashes and didn't live to record their memoirs. The generation of barnstormers trained a lot of pilots during World War II, and many of their feats are only known to aviation fans. Some of Caidin's anecdotes are almost unbelievable.

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming book. It's full of rip-roaring barnstorming stories, spanned across the decades to present a nicely rounded view of the era. It's also glib, fun, and more than little informative. It strikes just the right tone for a collection of real-life tales about carefree, adrenaline-addicted sky gypsies.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. I enjoy Martin Caidin's style; he writes with a certain flair that enhances the story and enjoyment of the book. Great time in aviation.