From the age of three years old Bill Blake was amazed by airplanes. His first glimpse of these strange machines came while sitting on his grandfathers lap while he rocked on the back porch of the old house in Sioux City, Iowa. At that moment "e;the boy"e; became enthralled with anything that even resembled an airplane, as can be attested to by his first "e;homebuilt"e;, "e;The Chicken Coop Airplane"e;. "e;The boy"e; was a good kid, but his love for airplanes seemed to always lead him to make some, well, maybe unwise decisions. His first airplane brought his grandfather great concern, and his second left his mother with a horrible feeling in her stomach. His school years brought there own challenges when "e;the boy"e; continually daydreamed about what else? Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes!The book then covers the "e;the boy"e; as he grows into adulthood, joins the Merchant Marines (and skirts drowning in the North Atlantic), and finally turns all the days of dreaming into reality as he steps up into the cockpit and actually learns to fly a REAL airplane, (although maybe not the way a conventional pilot might learn today). If you had these same feelings when you were young, you'll love this book. It's presented in a down to earth style, that will provide plenty of laughs, tons of memories, and take you back to a time when we were just beginning our fascination with flight. It's a great read for youngsters to introduce them to airplanes, and will make those with thousands of hours in the air smile with every page.

From the age of three years old Bill Blake was amazed by airplanes. His first glimpse of these strange machines came while sitting on his grandfathers lap while he rocked on the back porch of the old house in Sioux City, Iowa. At that moment "e;the boy"e; became enthralled with anything that even resembled an airplane, as can be attested to by his first "e;homebuilt"e;, "e;The Chicken Coop Airplane"e;. "e;The boy"e; was a good kid, but his love for airplanes seemed to always lead him to make some, well, maybe unwise decisions. His first airplane brought his grandfather great concern, and his second left his mother with a horrible feeling in her stomach. His school years brought there own challenges when "e;the boy"e; continually daydreamed about what else? Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes!The book then covers the "e;the boy"e; as he grows into adulthood, joins the Merchant Marines (and skirts drowning in the North Atlantic), and finally turns all the days of dreaming into reality as he steps up into the cockpit and actually learns to fly a REAL airplane, (although maybe not the way a conventional pilot might learn today). If you had these same feelings when you were young, you'll love this book. It's presented in a down to earth style, that will provide plenty of laughs, tons of memories, and take you back to a time when we were just beginning our fascination with flight. It's a great read for youngsters to introduce them to airplanes, and will make those with thousands of hours in the air smile with every page.