pscraig
Well-Known Member
Since becoming an airline pilot I've become a history buff, and this industry has a rich and sordid past. I'd recommend anyone considering a career in the airlines read these books to get some perspective. Those of us who already fly for an airline will also find these interesting, I know I have a different perspective on current events in the industry since learning its history.
1. Hard Landing, by Thomas Petzinger. It's a history of the airlines from the 50's to the 90's and really puts things into perspective. It explains how the majors built their route networks, computer systems, and accumulated so much debt. Personalities like Lorenzo, Borman, and Crandall are well covered. I couldn't put this book down.
2. The Airline Pilots: A study of Elite Unionization, by George Hopkins. Despite the term-paper title, it's a history of the early days of the airlines, the NLRB and National Railway Act, and the need for and birth of ALPA. This explains how and why we are unionized professionals, and what had to be done to get the protections and work rules we have today.
1. Hard Landing, by Thomas Petzinger. It's a history of the airlines from the 50's to the 90's and really puts things into perspective. It explains how the majors built their route networks, computer systems, and accumulated so much debt. Personalities like Lorenzo, Borman, and Crandall are well covered. I couldn't put this book down.
2. The Airline Pilots: A study of Elite Unionization, by George Hopkins. Despite the term-paper title, it's a history of the early days of the airlines, the NLRB and National Railway Act, and the need for and birth of ALPA. This explains how and why we are unionized professionals, and what had to be done to get the protections and work rules we have today.
