The Proficient Pilot, Volume 2

In the second volume of The Proficient Pilot, veteran airline captain Barry Schiff provides new material as rich and varied as that in his prizewinning first volume. His valuable advice for general aviation pilots is based on more than 26,000 hours of first-hand experience.

The Proficient Pilot Volume 2 contains a wealth of information published nowhere else; how to execute and survive a crash landing, how to hot-start an engine without fail, how to use ground effect to advantage, how to make a gear-up landing, how to combat and cope with an engine fire, how and when to ditch, and much more. Schiff disposes of popular misconceptions about cruise control, flying in turbulence, coping with wind shear, and obtaining meaningful performance data. He shares his tricks of the trade for handling a variety of system failures and emergencies.

The clear, easy-to-read text is illustrated throughout with helpful drawings and diagrams. Also includes a section on special flights the author has made, and features a foreword by Space Shuttle Crewmember Jay Apt (STS-37, STS-47, STS-59, and STS-79). Apt summarizes Barry Schiff’s contribution to aviation in this book with these words:

“He writes with a practical eye for details that matter. Throughout the book, he makes aviation theory understandable and always translates it into sensible advice that a pilot can readily use...I’ll read this one every year as part of my personal attempt to remain proficient...this book will not only increase your proficiency, it will greatly increase your love of flying.”

In the words of Ernest K. Gann, “I recommend you heed Schiff’s messages because they are written by a true aviator. He knows, he has done it, and is doing it.”