Rating: 
Summary: A non-stop read!
Review: A fantastic look into the world of aerobatic competition, and into the minds of the pilots who engage in the sport.
Rating:
Summary: Aviation and adventure types will enjoy this book
Review: I found this book browsing in the library-had not read or heard anything about it. I could not put it down once I started reading-but let me set some criteria first before one runs out and buys it. I agree with what the acro pilot from Colorado says, but I factored that in as I read it. I fly sailplanes in the Rockies, and this may be considered high-risk by some. The authors descriptions of why people participate in risk sports makes reading the book worth reading IMHO. If you enjoy reading of other's adventures, or try to figure out why you ski/windsurf/skydive/kayak/rock-climb/etc---READ THIS BOOK. And for aviation types, it offers that rare combination of excellent writing from someone who understands piloting. The description of pilots is priceless.
Rating:
Summary: Aviation and adventure types will enjoy this book
Review: I found this book browsing in the library-had not read or heard anything about it. I could not put it down once I started reading-but let me set some criteria first before one runs out and buys it. I agree with what the acro pilot from Colorado says, but I factored that in as I read it. I fly sailplanes in the Rockies, and this may be considered high-risk by some. The authors descriptions of why people participate in risk sports makes reading the book worth reading IMHO. If you enjoy reading of other's adventures, or try to figure out why you ski/windsurf/skydive/kayak/rock-climb/etc---READ THIS BOOK. And for aviation types, it offers that rare combination of excellent writing from someone who understands piloting. The description of pilots is priceless.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensationalism over substance
Review: I was disappointed with this book. The topic of aerobatic pilots and their unique planes sounded like it would be a fast, smooth read. Instead, though I found myself interested in the author's brief descriptions of aeobatic flying, the balance of the book left me cold. The reader is introduced to dozens of famous aerobatic pilots but one never gets to really know any of them on a personal level. Their flying technique is well-described but I finally started feeling a detached, who-cares attitude. The book should have included some diagrams of the various aerobatic stunts to help the reader picture the stunts. Without this, I couldn't picture what was being described. Some photos of the many famous planes mentioned in the book would have been welcome too. The author is a columnist for Time magazine and herein may be the problem with this book. No Visible Horizon reads more like a collection of columns than a cohesive, well-structured book.
Rating:
Summary: Aerobatic stories: bumpy trip through this book
Review: I was disappointed with this book. The topic of aerobatic pilots and their unique planes sounded like it would be a fast, smooth read. Instead, though I found myself interested in the author's brief descriptions of aeobatic flying, the balance of the book left me cold. The reader is introduced to dozens of famous aerobatic pilots but one never gets to really know any of them on a personal level. Their flying technique is well-described but I finally started feeling a detached, who-cares attitude. The book should have included some diagrams of the various aerobatic stunts to help the reader picture the stunts. Without this, I couldn't picture what was being described. Some photos of the many famous planes mentioned in the book would have been welcome too. The author is a columnist for Time magazine and herein may be the problem with this book. No Visible Horizon reads more like a collection of columns than a cohesive, well-structured book.
Rating:
Summary: Sensationalism over substance
Review: Many of us in the aerobatic community feel that this book plays to sensational stereotypes of daredevil flying, which is not an accurate portrait of most aerobatic pilots. Ramo also uses faulty statistics to quantify the dangers involved, vastly undercounting the number of participants in the sport. Ramo's attitudes are the sort that get people killed, as illustrated by his anecdote of starting a downward maneuver a mere 700 feet above the ocean. In point of fact pilots who observe routine safety precautions -- like maintaining a safe altitude -- are not subject to Ramo's "one mistake and you're dead" mantra. There are some good books about aerobatics, but this is not one of them. Try Patty Wagstaff's "Fire and Air", "Basic Aerobatics" and "Advanced Aerobatics" by Szurovy & Goulian, or Alan Cassidy's "Better Aerobatics" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Sensationalism over substance
Review: This book glorifies reckless risk-taking, which is not characteristic of most aerobatic flying. Ramo's attitudes are the sort that get people killed, as illustrated by his anecdote of starting a downward maneuver only 700 feet above the ocean. Many of us in the aerobatic community feel that the book plays to sensational stereotypes of daredevil flying; in point of fact pilots who observe routine safety precautions are not subject to Ramo's "one mistake and you're dead" mantra. There are some good books about aerobatics, but this is not one of them. Try Patty Wagstaff's "Fire and Air", "Basic Aerobatics" and "Advanced Aerobatics" by Szurovy & Goulian, or Alan Cassidy's "Better Aerobatics" instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant read - but for a limited audience!
Review: This is not anything close to what I experienced flying competitive aerobatics, nor does it represent outlook or experience of the vast majority of aerobatic pilots I know. The opening story about the split-S at or below 1000 feet above the ocean into a cloud deck pretty much set the tone for the rest book ... this is not something anyone I know would ever consider doing, much less repeating in a public forum! There is a huge difference (in visual appeal to the observer on the ground, in pilot risk, in flying technique, and in the motivations of the pilot flying) between flying airshows and aerobatic competitions and this book does not make that clear in any way. Not very many current competitive pilots fly airshows and vice versa (Kirby Chambliss is an extraordinary pilot and a very notable exception). Most airshow pilots are ex-competition pilots and very much in the minority. Any airshow pilot faces far higher risks in order to put the aircraft close to the ground and to impress a non-technical audience on the ground. Note that the best way to offend the responsible recreational or competitive aerobatic pilot (the vast majority) is to call him or her a "stunt pilot". Unless they're one of the very small minority stupid enough to casually maneuver very close to the ground ... in which case that's what they are, not aerobatic pilots nor airshow pilots, but "stunt" (as in dumb) pilots!
For a realistic view into the world of the "average" competitive aerobatic pilot (not airshow pilot), their motivations and their attitude towards risk, read "One Zero Charlie: Adventures in Grass Roots Aviation" by Laurance Gonzales (still available used).
Rating: 
Summary: There are better books on experiencing aerobatics
Review: This is not anything close to what I experienced flying competitive aerobatics, nor does it represent outlook or experience of the vast majority of aerobatic pilots I know. The opening story about the split-S at or below 1000 feet above the ocean into a cloud deck pretty much set the tone for the rest book ... this is not something anyone I know would ever consider doing, much less repeating in a public forum! There is a huge difference (in visual appeal to the observer on the ground, in pilot risk, in flying technique, and in the motivations of the pilot flying) between flying airshows and aerobatic competitions and this book does not make that clear in any way. Not very many current competitive pilots fly airshows and vice versa (Kirby Chambliss is an extraordinary pilot and a very notable exception). Most airshow pilots are ex-competition pilots and very much in the minority. Any airshow pilot faces far higher risks in order to put the aircraft close to the ground and to impress a non-technical audience on the ground. Note that the best way to offend the responsible recreational or competitive aerobatic pilot (the vast majority) is to call him or her a "stunt pilot". Unless they're one of the very small minority stupid enough to casually maneuver very close to the ground ... in which case that's what they are, not aerobatic pilots nor airshow pilots, but "stunt" (as in dumb) pilots!
For a realistic view into the world of the "average" competitive aerobatic pilot (not airshow pilot), their motivations and their attitude towards risk, read "One Zero Charlie: Adventures in Grass Roots Aviation" by Laurance Gonzales (still available used).
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant read - but for a limited audience!
Review: This is sure gonna be a contraverisal book. This is a book which is likely to irritate competition pilots who like to present aerobatics as a lower risk than it's generally perceived - in order to .. increase acceptance.. and maybe make their wives feel better? It's also the type of book that will bore most people who are new to aerobatics - and left my wife stone cold.. and anxious. Tough! I loved it. Yes, it's dramatic and over the top, and made my wife ill with worry the next time I flew - but it was aimed perfectly at me.. and for the first time in a long time I felt I had found some material which explained how I "feel" about the sport .. the passion behind it, which I have always found hard to describe. I believe few pilots will be left unmoved by the sheer gritty intensity of it - and those that say it's an inaccurate and irresponsible represetnation of the real life, should chill and let their heair down for once. Be honest, and accept that despite all the discipline and control they insist they have, and live by, an element of wild unrestrained joy of fear is definitely there .. in all our hearts.. if not, go fly your boring boeing! I thought it was great, and have bought several copies for people who know me - and I can finally articulate how I feel to others.. thanks Joshua!
| 
