The only characteristic all airliners share is that upon proper urging they are normally capable of leaving the earth’s surface.

In referance to flying through thunderstorms; “A pilot may earn his full pay for that year in less than two minutes. At the time of incident he would gladly return the entire amount for the privilege of being elsewhere.

It doesn’t look nearly as big as it did the first time I saw one. Mickey McGuire and I used to sit hour after hour in the cockpit of the one that American used for training, at the company school in Chicago, saying to each other, ‘My God, do you think we’ll ever learn to fly anything this big?’

The men in this book are fictitious characters but their counterparts can be found in cockpits all over the world. Now they are flying a war. Tomorrow they will be flying a peace, for, regardless of the world’s condition, flying is their life.

Electronics were rascals, and they lay awake nights trying to find some way to screw you during the day. You could not reason with them. They had a brain and intestines, but no heart.

The emergencies you train for almost never happen. It’s the one you can’t train for that kills you.

MaCleod, since you’ve flown the SeaBee a lot you’ll understand when I say it was the only airplane I ever owned that you could put in a dive, loose a cylinder and stall out!

Nobody who gets too damned relaxed builds up much flying time.

There is no more alluring airspace in the world than the slit up a China girl’s dress.

It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.