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Anecdotes and memoirs

In many publications you can find, sometimes the same, aviation anecdotes. Some stories just circulate around the world and finally nobody knows who had a certain humorous or terrifying experience. Also many pilots have written their "life story" and often some of the well-known anecdotes appear somewhere again.

The list will become as long as the number of books with anecdotes I own, and is slowly getting longer

I learnt about flying from that
Air Clues magazine
1995
Great flying stories
Anderson, Frank
1958
Short pieces of famous books by well-known aviators.

Laughter on the wing
Australian Aviation
1997
A very funny selection from the columns that have appeared in Australian Aviation.

Coffee, tea or me
Baker, Trudy + Jones, Rachel
1967
Uninhibited memoirs of 2 airline stewardesses, reprinted more than 20 times, so it must be in every bookcase of each stew. Nice stories, but a bit 1960s

Great aviation stories
Barry, Michael
1995
About 20, long, anecdotes about aviators that are part of aviation history.

Great aviation stories 2
Barry, Michael
1997
About 20 long and famous stories.

Weh' dem der fliegt
Bartl, Gustl
2000
In German language. Book with short history and anecdotes by glider pilot beteen 1939 and 1996.

More bax seat
Baxter, Gordon
1988
Short stories by Baxter, from Flying magazine

Bax seat
Baxter, Gordon
1988
Blue confesions
Bedard, David J
1992
From the column in Private Pilot 50 entertaining stories.

Bluff your way on the flight deck
Beere, Ken
1992
Thin book, 64 pages, that explains in a humourous way what is happening inside an arliner.

Tales from the crewroom
Berry, David
1990
The funny side of RAF flying, Transport Command in particular. Flying the Bristol Brittania in the 60s and 70s

Pick up
Blattman, Walter + Zimmermann, Issy
1990
Gesammeltes aus 30jariger Fliegerei. Collection of anecdotes, in german, about all aspects of airline life. Nice

This is your captain speaking
Bohrer, Walt + Ann
1975
A lot of old anecdotes about flying. Some Bob Stevens cartoons. Nice

Tales up
Bohrer, Walt + Ann
1971
Collection of aviation anecdotes, with names and photos

The funny side of flying
Bramson, Alan
1988
Short, and sometimes true, stories about all kinds of flying. Nice book

From white knuckles, to cockpit cool
Carmichael, Ava+ David
1977
Collection of anecdotes and explanations about flying. Sometimes humerous and some cartoons

A likely story
Clapshaw, Guy
1995
He volunteered for Spitfire pilot at the age of six, and was rejected. History and anecdotes since the 50s, very well written, nice book

And that's another story
Clapshaw, Guy
1997
Follow up to a likely story, continues his flying career from Dakota's to jets. Nice book

Boeing trivia
Cleveland, Carl
1989
Almost 50 years in public relations dept of Boeing gives a lot of anecdotes about things that happened in and around Seattle.

Jet geschichten
Ditze, A
1994
German language. A practical handbook for passengers with anecdotes about airline flying.

Thunder in the tummy
Elman, Joel
2000
The hilarious flying adventures of a private pilot. Private publication with many award winning short stories. Excellent read

I learned about flying from that 3
Flying magazine
1993
Large collection of short stories as published in Flying. True stories are sometimes even funny, and you can learn a bit.

More I learned about flying from that
Flying magazine
1989
Sometimes humorous, always candid, flying stories.

Around the world in a bad mood
Foss, Rene
2002
Life of a cabin attendant

A funny thing happened on the way to the airport
Garrison, Paul
1980
Many short stories with some cartoons. Good book.

The fly girls
Glemser, Bernard
1967
Five swinging stews tell their intimate stories. Sometimes amusing

Hangar tales & war stories
Griffin, Jeff W
1988
Lots of anecdotes about humor and adventure in flying

Fear of flying
Grizzard, Lewis
1989
His lifestory, with some cartoons, that explains his fear of flying and mechanics named Bubba.

Laughter-silvered wings, air force 2
Harvey, J Douglas
1985
Hundred of tales from the RCAF. Good stories

Cabin pressure
Harwell, Elisabeth + Spiro, Corylee
1989
Loaded with anecdotes from flight attendants about humor on board an airliner. This book is a must for every stewardess, although stories become a bit dated now.

Down the runway
Hawkins, Samuel
1989
The making of a pilot. A Texas farm boy who learned to fly in the 30s tells the stories he has encountered. Nice

Und fluggepack in RIO
Herdi, Fritz
1987
Large collection, in German, of anecdotes about aviation. Concentrating sometimes on Switzerland.

In flight entertainment
Hester, Elliot
2002
Very good book with cabin crew anecdotes.

Plane crazy
Jones. Graham
1986
Large collection of aviation anecdotes with some cartoons.Good humor

Papa X-ray
Lang, Jim
1998
The story of an airplane, flown by family that lives in a remote part of Canada.

Jet sets
Lee, Lincoln
1999
Aviation acronyms and anecdotes from around the world. Nice stories.

Even longer odds
Long, Denis G
1999
Third book in series of books filled with aviation anecdotes. Many are about author during his 50 years in UK and African aviation. Nice book.

Long odds
Long, Denis G
1996
First book in series of books filled with avaition anecdotes. Many are about author during his 50 years in UK and African aviation. Nice book

Longer odds
Long, Denis G
1997
Second book in series of books filled with avaition anecdotes. Many are about author during his 50 years in UK and African aviation. Nice book

The real aviation enthusiast 2
March, Peter M
1995
Flying high
Marsh, Franklin W
1957
Lots of old, and good, anecdotes about flying

This ain't hell
McWilliams, Barry
1992
A Gulf war scratchbook

Classic aviation humor 3
Morgan, Sherm
1992
Aviation related anecdotes during life at ANG Sqn with C130. Good humor from everyday Air Force life.

The aviation humor of 1987
Morgan, Sherm
1987
Book with 27 short stories that represent the tales told by aviators around the world. Good book

Classic aviation humor 2
Morgan, Sherman F
1989
Short stories with aviation background.

Old planes, young men and red wooden shoes
Morgan, Sherman F
1993
Continuous story of ANG unit on posting in Europe, and humor around that. Nice

If it moves kiss it
Moura, Joni + Sutherland, Jackie
1973
The uninhibited memoirs of 2 Air Force nurses. Sometimes almost a bit funny

Generalities, thruths and assorted fables
Murphy, Daryl
1995
Compilation of columns Gadding with GAN from magazine with large amount of short anecdotes.

A wing and a prayer
Nown, Graham
1989
A dazzling variety of airborne eccentrics and often true anecdotes.

Check six, gibbons lachende Luftwaffe
Overhoff, Gert
1992
The anecdotes and humor in Lufwaffe. German language. Excellent stories with cartoons from ThunderJet to Tornado.

I learned about flying from that
Pilot magazine
1993
Sometimes unbelievable, but true. The pilots can learn from this.

Life on the airliners
Price, Bob
1991
An irresistable blend of true-life tales and entertaining stories. Good humor.

Alaska's sky follies
Rychetnik, Joe
1995
The funny side of flying in the far North. Bush pilots were invented there

Visie op vliegen
Schipholland
1979
Verzameling cartoons en columns die in Schipholland verschenen.

Into the wild blue humor
Shelton, Skip
1968
Humorous life history of Skip. Flying between 1943 and 1968.

There I was at 20000 feet
Spence, Jack
1990
Collection of short stories and cartoons from RAF, very nice

Plane tips
Stevens, Bob
1987
Small book to help you fly safer, more comfortable and at lower cost. With many cartoons. Nice way to learn

A suitcase full of dreams
Taylor, David
1998
A Yorkshire lad joins the RAF as engineer and travels the world in aviation and oil industry. Well written with nostalgic insight.

To air is human
Thiele, Ray
1996
Aviation adventures and anecdotes by now retired pilot who flew for USAF and Hawaiiian Airlines. Some good stories.

Long legs and short nights
Tritt, Marilyn
1995
Life's turbulent ups and downs by airline stewardess. Hilarious stories and 2 ageing stews who relive their adventures. Funny parts

Cockpit follies
Wallace, Garth
2001
Fun-filled misadventures from the best seat in the house: the pilot's seat.

The flying circus
Wallace, Garth
2000
The funny tale of 2 flight instructors who start a flying school with loads of enthusiasm, little business sense and no money. It's a recipe for sidesplitting aviation misadventure.

Fly yellow side up
Wallace, Garth
1990
Funny novel about pilot who wants to become a bush-pilot in Northern Ontario. Excellent story telling.

Derry air
Wallace, Garth
2000
Another book filled with flying school anecdotes from Canadian Wallace. Excellent stories.

Don't call me a legend
Wallace, Garth
1996
The adventurous life of Charlie Vaugn, pilot for 45 years.

Upside down, nothing on the clock
Walters, GpCapt JK
1990
Collection of after dinner stories contributed by members of RAF. Book is used as fundraiser for Benevolent Fund.

Beyond the cockpit door
Whitlock, Arthur
1991
Excellent book with aviation career.

Fasten your lapstraps
Willans, Geoffry
1956
High fun at high altitude, they say. Some old stories with a few cartoons.

The wit of the air
Wolstenholme, Kenneth
1972
Large amount of short anecdotes and humour