Test Pilot: 1,001 Things You Thought You Knew about Aviation

Barry Schiff’s latest work compiles fascinating material from his AOPA Pilot magazine monthly quiz column into one book for a riveting volume that will keep you reading.

Organized into eight chapters, the book presents fun facts on the following subjects: History, Piloting, Navigation, Weather, Aircraft, Airlines and Military, Facts of Flight, Procedures and Regulations. Through multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, mix-and-match, and essay questions, the reader is challenged to derive the answer before finding it at the end of the chapter.

Pilots are accustomed to test-taking--it’s part of earning and maintaining all pilot certificates. But this collection of infrequently-asked questions puts the fun back into self-quizzing, encouraging you to stretch your knowledge base and go beyond the subjects learned during student pilot days. Some of Schiff’s questions are for pure entertainment. Some take you right to the airport:

＂Q: A pilot is taxiing along a narrow taxiway at an uncontrolled airport on a cloudless day when he notices another 172 approaching from the opposite direction. Without stopping, how can both pilots be certain that their wingtips will not touch as they pass one another?＂

Some questions share tips from a pro; other material will spark lively discussions for hangar flying.

Barry Schiff: Barry Schiff, with more than 26,000 hours in almost 300 types of aircraft, has received worldwide recognition for his wide-ranging accomplishments. A rated Airline Transport Pilot at 21, he has earned every FAA category and class rating (except airship) and every possible instructor’s rating. During his 34-year career with Trans World Airlines he flew everything from the Lockheed Constellation to the Boeing 747 and was a check captain on the Boeing 767. Captain Schiff holds five world speed records (one wrested from the Soviet Union) and has received numerous honors for his many contributions to aviation safety. These include a Congressional Commendation, the Louis Bleriot Air Medal (France), Switzerland’s Gold Proficiency Medal, an honorary doctorate in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and AOPA’s L.P. Sharples Perpetual Award.
An award-winning journalist and author, he is well known to flying audiences for his numerous books and almost 900 articles published in some 90 aviation periodicals, notably AOPA Pilot, of which he is a contributing editor. Many of his articles discuss personally developed concepts, procedures and techniques that have received international acclaim. Schiff also developed and worked to have adopted the concept of providing general aviation pilots with safe VFR routes through high-density airspace.
These credentials have not diminished his passion for flying light planes, which he has used to span oceans and continents. He continues to investigate and report to the aviation community various aspects of proficiency and safety, and remains a vigorous and outspoken advocate for general aviation.
Listen to Barry’s episode in the ＂Finer Points＂ Podcast (http: //castroller.com/podcasts/TheFinerPoints/340073), and visit Barry’s website at barryschiff.com.
Thomas B. Haines: Thomas B. Haines was the Editor-in-Chief for AOPA Pilot magazine.